Chapter 1441: Madly In Love
One simple sentence solved the immediate crisis.
Lu Jingli was impressed at his brother's acting and his seduction skills. Then, he followed up, "Alright. I know you probably won't look at them. I'll take them all on my own, I guess…"
He then slipped away.
Anything to avoid Xiao Xi Xi now!
"Why are you here?" Lu Tingxiao held the girl's hand and asked as they walked into the house.
"I have a day off today. I was resting at home this morning and accompanying Sis Tianxin, so I'm here to accompany my son this afternoon! Is Little Treasure back yet?"
"He's back. He was just asking me earlier if he could visit you."

"Of course, you don't have to be wary of Sis Tianxin actually. I've already told her about us, so you can bring Little Treasure over anytime!"
"Okay."
Lu Tingxiao glanced behind him secretly. Lu Jingli had already vanished.
Just by hearing her footsteps, the little bun quickly sprinted down from the second floor. He jumped right into her arms. "Mommy!"
The little guy still acted pretty cool as usual. Although he could talk now, there was not much difference from before. When Ning Xi was not around, he still might not say anything throughout the day, but the moment Ning Xi appeared, he would surely greet her with a sweet sounding "Mommy", and every time he spoke to her he would definitely add the word "Mommy" in his sentence. What a sweet little guy!
Anyone who did not know them would never doubt their relationship as parent and child, and a lovely relationship at that.
"Little bun, look what Mommy brought you! Hehe…" Ning Xi opened the bag she had brought over. There was all sort of guns inside.
Of course, all of them were toy guns.
"You're too young and shouldn't play with real guns yet. I'll play water guns with you, alright?"
"Yes, Mommy, Little Treasure likes water guns!"

"Go and invite your father to play with us! It'll be fun with more people!" Ning Xi told Little Treasure.
The little bun hesitated for a while, then he went towards Lu Tingxiao. He looked up and said, "Together."
Ning Xi felt amused looking at how the little bun switched into his cool mode in an instant.
The little bun already had called his grandfather, his grandmother, and even his Second Uncle. He would also address strangers politely, but why was he unwilling to call Lu Tingxiao "Father"?
…
Ning Xi played with Little Treasure the whole afternoon. After dinner, the both of them fell asleep, exhausted.
Lu Tingxiao looked at both of them with a gentle gaze.
Lu Tingxiao kissed the forehead of Little Treasure and Ning Xi, then he placed his palm on Ning Xi's eyes, her nose, her lips… All the way until her stomach… He was touching her ever so gently…
Before he met Ning Xi, he was not really expecting much out of his life, but ever since he met her, marriage, family, children… These things that he did not have high expectations of suddenly became so important all because of her.
As he thought about how she might be Little Treasure's biological mother, about how the girl he had fallen so madly in love with might have born a child for him before, his heart was filled with an indescribable warmth of bliss and happiness.
A child… His and her child…
Chapter 1442: No Matter The Results
At the same time, the little goldfish at the villa opposite was almost going crazy.
Although only a few hours had passed, it was a cruel punishment to make him wait with such a significant secret near him and not being able to see it.
As Lu Jingli was about to open the DNA test results, his brother finally called him.
"Come over."
Lu Jingli sprinted like an athlete when his brother summoned him, and he reached there swiftly.
Although his brother had called him, he was a little traumatized by Ning Xi this afternoon. Lu Jingli looked around carefully before entering the premises.

"Bro! Is Xiao Xi Xi asleep?" Lu Jingli asked in a low voice, still panting from the sprint just now.
"Mmm."
"Oh…" Lu Jingli carefully closed the door of the study room and locked it from the inside. He felt relieved and walked towards his brother as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Lu Tingxiao focused on the black suitcase Lu Jingli had with him.
Lu Jingli carefully opened the suitcase and took out a report from inside, placing it in front of Lu Tingxiao.
A single piece of paper that felt as heavy as a mountain.
Lu Jingli still felt like this was surreal… Because this was just… Too fantasy-like!
After a long while, Lu Tingxiao did not seem to have any intentions of opening it and he became nervous. "Bro, what's wrong?"
Many things were going on inside Lu Tingxiao's head as if the item in front of him governed his life and his death.

Some time passed. Lu Tingxiao still did not touch the report, so Lu Jingli asked, "Bro, actually I think you're overthinking it. That bastard would never be you! This report will surely prove your innocence! If you're not looking, then I'll take a look! I've risked myself for it after all! I'll just take a look and not tell you, alright?"
Lu Tingxiao remained silent, so Lu Jingli went on and fingered the report. "I'm going to look now. I'm really going to look now. I promise if you're not going to ask me, I'll not say anything…"
Lu Jingli then quickly took out the report. He scanned it and locked his gaze onto the very last line.
"The genes underwent Mendel's Law inheritance and were processed through relationship identification. From the test results of 19 STR genes, Ning Xi's genes met the assumption of being Lu Qinyu's mother. The accuracy of their parental relationship is 99.99%…
"According to the DNA analysis, the hypothesis of Ning Xi being Lu Qingyu's biological mother is proven true."
When Lu Jingli read the last line, even though Lu Tingxiao did not see it for himself and Lu Jingli did not say anything, he just knew Lu Jingli too well. From a tiny expression of his, he already knew the results of the report.
Ning Xi… was the real mother of Little Treasure…
"Bro, you… Why are you looking at me? I didn't say anything…"
Wordlessly, Lu Tingxiao accused, "But your eyes were yelling, 'Ahh! Oh my God, oh my God, Xiao Xi Xi is really Little Treasure's mother! The bastard that night was really my brother!'"
Chapter 1443: Little Treasure’s Hero
Lu Jingli was expecting his brother to be cleared of suspicion after the DNA report was out, then he could go all out to find the real bastard.
However, the moment he saw the results, he felt like he was shocked to pieces and regrouped back again.
Lu Jingli could not believe it. He looked at Lu Tingxiao like he was some sort of god…
"Oh my God, bro, you're too awesome! I thought your progress with Xiao Xi Xi was way too slow! After so long, you guys haven't even done it yet, but not only did you guys do it, your kid is now five years old! I've never been so impressed by anyone else! I would never ever say you're bad at wooing girls again! You're my idol, my superstar, my advisor in life…" Lu Jingli blabbered without any stopping in between his sentences.
As if that was not enough, he paced around the room and could not stop. "Oh my God! Oh my God! If Little Treasure knew about this, he would be mad happy! Xiao Xi Xi is really his mother, his real mother! It's actually real! Little Treasure is way too lucky!"

Lu Tingxiao pinched the space between his eyebrows as he extended his hand to his blabbering brother.
The excited Lu Jingli came back to his senses, and he handed over the report obediently.
Lu Tingxiao took the report and carefully looked through all the contents.
Although he knew about the results from Lu Jingli already, he still felt a strong impact when he saw the line "the hypothesis of Ning Xi being Lu Qingyu's biological mother is proven true".
The excitement level of a certain devil was no lower than the little goldfish.
It was her…
If he were to investigate five years ago, then would he have met her earlier?
As he was pondering, many thoughts passed through his mind.

After all the mumbling, Lu Jingli carefully observed Lu Tingxiao's expression, then he asked carefully, "Bro, well… Although it was my stupid idea, and I drugged you and picked that address, and I made you become a bastard for once…
"But… But these mistakes led you to Xiao Xi Xi! Not only was your chastity protected, your first time… Your child… Basically, everything belongs to Xiao Xi Xi! What a thing to be celebrated! Can it cover my demerits now?"
Lu Jingli then peeked at his brother again, adding shamelessly, "I actually think… My merit is higher in this…"
Hehe, it had to be the case! If his brother would not admit it, he would ask Little Treasure to support him!
Little Treasure would definitely support him if he knew the truth!
He would become the hero in Little Treasure's eyes!
Lu Tingxiao looked at Lu Jingli coldly.
He could not deny that Lu Jingli's words really hit the spot.
When he found out that the woman he had slept with was Ning Xi, he had to admit that… Somewhere deep inside his heart was excitement and relief…
Chapter 1444: Too Dominant
After what had happened five years ago, there was a thin wall between him and Lu Jingli. In addition to Lu Jingli's own guilt, he was always afraid of his brother and would never try to bring up the matter.
Up until now, for Ning Xi's sake, that matter was once again brought to the table.
And now…
Lu Tingxiao looked at his stupid little brother. He sort of felt that he looked alright…
"Bro…" Lu Jingli was a little freaked out by his brother's intense stare. "Can you say something? You're being pretty scary…"
Oh no! It was over! His brother might kill him for real!
Why did his gaze look so gentle? Was it his last time seeing him?

Lu Jingli quickly added on, "Bro, actually I think it's alright for Xiao Xi Xi to know about this. Although she might really hate the person and would love to kill him, if it's you… Everything will be different… Xiao Xi Xi likes you so much…"
Lu Tingxiao's eyes darkened as he heard Lu Jingli. Of course, he had thought about it before.
That was what he used to comfort himself with all this time.
However, neither did Lu Jingli hear nor see for himself how Ning Xi cried in despair when she was talking about what had happened in the past.
Every word… Every sentence…
They sliced his heart up like knives.
Damn it!
Lu Jingli had drugged him so much that he only had very blurry memories. All he knew was that a woman had entered and closed in on him, then he was not sure what happened after that…
He had actually injured Ning Xi, made her have a high fever… and she was even bedridden for two months…
He did not dare to think about what was going to happen.

Ning Xi always said he was her sunlight, but at this moment, he had become the source of her nightmare…
How could he tell her this cruel truth?
What would her reaction be after she found out?
No matter how powerful Lu Tingxiao was in the world of business, he could not predict this at all. He also could not tell if he would be able to bear the consequences.
Lu Jingli instantly knew what he was thinking. His face blushed a little as he said, "Bro, is it… Were you were too dominant that night… And Xiao Xi Xi suffered? That's why you're not telling her?"
His brother glared at him like a typhoon brushing over him.
Mother, save me!
Lu Jingli was trembling and he almost cried. "Fine, fine! It's my fault! I shouldn't have drugged you… But you always looked like you were indifferent towards sex… And our parents forced me… I couldn't help it…"
Lu Tingxiao looked through the report again and again, feeling both anxious and happy at the same time. After some point, he declared, "I'll tell her, but not now. I'll wait until everything is clear."
How did the person then become Ning Xi? How did the dead child become Little Treasure? Amidst all this confusion, someone definitely knew something…
Of course, apart from this, the most important thing was that his relationship with Ning Xi had just entered the best phase. Even he himself was taken aback by such a sudden shock, but he would not dare to tell her until everything was crystal clear…
Chapter 1445: Dream Without Clothes?
After Lu Jingli left, Lu Tingxiao looked through the report numerous times again before he put it away carefully.
He slowly opened the door to Ning Xi's room. The mellow lamp added a veil of tranquility over the mother and son; anyone who saw this scene would surely be affected by the gentle vibe.
Lu Tingxiao sat by the bed, tucking Ning Xi's hair behind her ears.
Little Treasure was hugging her and they were sleeping soundly. With her makeup removed, she actually looked really young.
Right, she was just at the tender age of a regular university graduate.
She was 18 when she had been pregnant, still a child herself and she had to face such a serious matter. Then, so many dramatic incidents kept happening. Had it been someone with weaker mental strength, the person would either break down or shut down completely.

In the documents Lu Jingli investigated, Ning Xi did try to commit suicide before…
Lu Tingxiao was really afraid. He felt a searing pain in his heart.
He had never felt such a strong desire to hold her in his arms before… He wanted her to merge into one with him…
Lu Tingxiao quietly carried Ning Xi up and placed her in his bedroom.
Although Lu Tingxiao had been very careful, Ning Xi still woke up when she was laid down on his bed.
Because Lu Tingxiao gave her a sense of security, Ning Xi let down all her guards. She opened her eyes and realized that Lu Tingxiao had brought her back to his bedroom but she had no issues with it. She rubbed against Lu Tingxiao comfortably. "Mmm… My dear…"
"Mmm." Lu Tingxiao did not take back his hand which was supporting Ning Xi's head. He just lay beside her like that.
Ning Xi snuggled closer to the man. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I miss you. I dreamt of you."

Listening to his loving voice, hearing him say that he missed her while she was just in the room beside him, she felt really loved. She smiled as she opened her eyes.
Her eyes were like the stars in the sky, ever so beautiful. In addition to her half-awake state, she seemed really seductive…
Just then, Ning Xi's severe habit of flirting started. She looked at the man beside her and whispered, "You dreamt of me? With clothes on… Or without?"
Suddenly, the man's eyes darkened. As Ning Xi was still talking, he kissed Ning Xi roughly…
Ning Xi's neck felt tickled and she laughed as she was trying to avoid him. "That tickles!"
Lu Tingxiao slowly kissed the girl's collarbone and traced further down. He looked up slightly and saw the girl's smile as well as the complete trust and love she had in him, making him fall for her even more…
When they had just known each other, he noticed Ning Xi was really against relationships and when he could not suppress himself, he would resort to pretending like he had sleepwalking issues in order to get closer to her.
Fortunately, now not only was she comfortable, she was totally used to being intimate with him.
Lu Tingxiao felt really touched and grateful, but at the same time, his worries still lingered…
Chapter 1446: Sex Scene With The Devil
Such acknowledgment filled Lu Tingxiao's heart to the brim with melted emotions and contentment. At the same time, he obviously had his secret concerns.
However, the worry that had just appeared on his face was disrupted.
The room door was pushed open, then they saw Little Treasure with his puffed-up cheeks as he stood angrily at the door. His little face had an expression that said, "You are despicable! Stealing my mother again?"
Lu Tingxiao found the spectacle comical and he waved to his son. "Come over."
The little guy was obviously not willing, but he could care less when he saw his mother. He instantly ran over.
His short legs took quite an effort to climb up the bed, and Lu Tingxiao chuckled a little as he pulled his son up, placing him in the middle.
Ning Xi swiftly forgot about the father once she had her son beside her. She hugged and kissed her dearest little bun, while the little bun also hugged his mother and shot a warning look towards his father behind him.
Lu Tingxiao's brows hiked up. He watched his son with a pensive look, suddenly feeling a little anticipation. If the little guy knew that Ning Xi was his biological mother, if he knew that he had been the love child of both him and Ning Xi, what would his reaction be like?

…
In the next few days, ever since Ning Xi had returned to her usual state, the entire team's progress started to soar.
It was worth mentioning that almost every time Meng Shiyi acted with Ning Xi, she would do a few bad takes. If it was a minor hiccup, it would be three to five takes.However, if she performed really badly, it would go up to more than ten takes, and almost every time it was Meng Shiyi's fault.
Even though the final cut that was produced at the end was exceptionally good, when the two were contrasted, Ning Xi and Meng Shiyi's acting skills could immediately be measured up to see who was worthy and who was not.
Perhaps because the last time Ning Xi had recorded the video that made her more careful, Meng Shiyi had unexpectedly not caused any more trouble and was unusually content with her place.
Ning Xi was obviously delighted with the peace and quiet too.
Apart from the first time that she had intentionally overshadowed Meng Shiyi in the scene, in all the scenes after that, she performed very seriously. However, once she started to take things seriously, her acting skills would naturally soar. If Meng Shiyi could not keep up, many of the effects in the plot would not be executed to their full potential.
Every day with Meng Shiyi just trying to keep up with Ning Xi and wanting to overthrow her consumed almost all her energy.
As for Guo Qisheng, seeing the two female leads really go all in to bring the show to greater heights was exactly what he had been hoping for.
Even when she acted with Yun Shen, Ning Xi could be at peace with herself and call him "Father".
On the contrary, it was the scene with Lu Tingxiao today that really made Ning Xi slightly nervous…

Mmm, that was right! It was finally time for Yun Huang and Liu Yan's sex scene.
This plot in this scene was Yun Huang being infected by the charm poison, so she wanted to look for her beloved, Ling Xiao, to detoxify, then take advantage of the situation to sleep with him. She did not think that she would coincidentally witness Ling Xiao's emotional confession to Leng Aoxue. In fact, he had nervously completely cleared himself of any relations with Yun Huang in front of Leng Aoxue.
Yun Huang felt unbearably hurt and firmly left Xuanji Palace Mountain, forcing herself to drag her tortured body that was on the verge of being possessed by the poison as she walked muddleheaded into the dangerous jungle of wicked beasts…
Right at this moment, the shadow guardian Liu Yan appeared, and next up… was the erotic sex scene between the both of them in the mountain caves…
"Oh! I'm so nervous! Ah!" Ning Xi covered her face and looked bashful.
She had never even rolled in bed sheets with the devil in real life!
She would never have thought that their first time would be in a show!
Jiang Muye watched Ning Xi's expression that displayed her clear excitement yet she was pretending to be innocent from the sidelines and his face turned dark.
In reality, after seeing the scene arrangements for the day, he did not look happy at all.
Bloody hell! This was really karma. Back then, Lu Tingxiao had to watch his intimate scene with Ning Xi before he stormed off. In the blink of an eye, it was his turn to watch Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao act out an intimate scene, and it was even a sex scene! A sex scene!
Still, Jiang Muye could not help but look towards a few different directions. It seemed like there were people with more miserable reactions than his!
Chapter 1447: Control The Scale Well
"Ning Xi, Mingyu, come here, the two of you. I want to run through the scene with you!" Guo Qisheng waved and called them over.
"Have you familiarized yourselves with the script?"
Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu nodded together.
"You not only have to be familiar with it. You must even mull over it completely. This scene is a very important turning point in terms of Yun Huang's feelings. It's important to portray the character's change of heart, reflecting the character's personality, and not on how erotic the sex scene will be shot.
"We're a reputable drama crew. We don't need to rely on sex scenes to attract eyeballs, so we won't need to shoot the scene so explicitly. Just remember that later when you're shooting it. You must treat it with a professional attitude. You must control the scale well… Understand?"
Guo Qisheng's expression was a little stern when he said this. In fact, he put emphasis on looking intently at Ke Mingyu when he spoke.

In the past, there were male artistes who had taken advantage of intimate scenes to cozy up to female artistes, especially those as popular and pretty as Ning Xi. It would be more likely for her to encounter such a situation.
Out of Guo Qisheng's protectiveness over Ning Xi, he naturally emphasized warning Ke Mingyu to let him know what should and should not be done.
"Understood." Ke Mingyu nodded.
"Mmm!" Ning Xi echoed.
Sigh, this scene was indeed quite a test of her professionalism… The director was not wrong in bringing this up!
"The two of you have collaborated once in 'Dream Chaser' before. Coincidentally, you save time in trying to break the ice, so let's strive for a one-take! Avoid at all costs what I mentioned earlier… The main effect that I want to portray is the character's internal struggle… I want substance… I want sex without the obscenities…"
Guo Qisheng rattled on in concern for quite a while before he finally let them go off to prepare.
It was not long after Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu left that Mo Yuxiu strolled to Guo Qisheng.
"Director Guo."

"Yuxiu, do you need me for anything? Are your scenes for the day finished?"
"I do have something to bring up. I think that the next scene between Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu is a little inappropriate," Mo Yuxiu spoke with a cold expression.
Jiang Muye had been staring at Mo Yuxiu right from the start. Now that he saw this situation, he immediately straightened his back and perked up his ears as he looked over. Oh, it looked like someone finally could not help it! Very good! He did not need to make a move!
Jiang Muye's mind was still thinking about when they had shot "The World", including that man-made rain and the many intimate scenes that had been deleted. Helplessly, he did not dare to take revenge…
"Oh? How is it inappropriate?" Guo Qisheng immediately asked.
Guo Qisheng was a director that was very patient at listening to other people's opinions. Mo Yuxiu's status in the crew was no less than the male lead, so Guo Qisheng rather valued his opinions.
"Yun Huang is one of the female leads, yet she has intercourse with someone apart from the male lead. Many viewers may especially find storylines like this a taboo. Director Guo, are you sure that later when it's released, this storyline won't crumble Yun Huang's image and the entire plot?" Mo Yuxiu articulated with a serious expression that said, "I am completely considering this on behalf of the crew and definitely do not have any selfish motives".
Guo Qisheng muttered to himself for a while after he listened to the man. "When the novel was first made into a series, this part was indeed the storyline that created the most controversy among readers. Many readers expressed that they could not accept Yun Huang getting together with someone apart from the male lead…"
Mo Yuxiu immediately said, "So, when we adapt it into a television series, can't we make some changes to this part of the storyline?"
"Changes?"
"Even if you arrange the second male lead to be with Yun Huang, that would definitely create a better effect than Liu Yan. Even though the second male lead, Nan Gongchen, and Yun Huang are arch-enemies in the series, their relationship later is actually quite ambiguous when they fight. Many readers liked this pairing. Wouldn't the effect be even better if you just changed it to a love-hate relationship?" Mo Yuxiu suggested without batting an eyelid.
Chapter 1447: Control The Scale Well
"Ning Xi, Mingyu, come here, the two of you. I want to run through the scene with you!" Guo Qisheng waved and called them over.
"Have you familiarized yourselves with the script?"
Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu nodded together.
"You not only have to be familiar with it. You must even mull over it completely. This scene is a very important turning point in terms of Yun Huang's feelings. It's important to portray the character's change of heart, reflecting the character's personality, and not on how erotic the sex scene will be shot.
"We're a reputable drama crew. We don't need to rely on sex scenes to attract eyeballs, so we won't need to shoot the scene so explicitly. Just remember that later when you're shooting it. You must treat it with a professional attitude. You must control the scale well… Understand?"
Guo Qisheng's expression was a little stern when he said this. In fact, he put emphasis on looking intently at Ke Mingyu when he spoke.

In the past, there were male artistes who had taken advantage of intimate scenes to cozy up to female artistes, especially those as popular and pretty as Ning Xi. It would be more likely for her to encounter such a situation.
Out of Guo Qisheng's protectiveness over Ning Xi, he naturally emphasized warning Ke Mingyu to let him know what should and should not be done.
"Understood." Ke Mingyu nodded.
"Mmm!" Ning Xi echoed.
Sigh, this scene was indeed quite a test of her professionalism… The director was not wrong in bringing this up!
"The two of you have collaborated once in 'Dream Chaser' before. Coincidentally, you save time in trying to break the ice, so let's strive for a one-take! Avoid at all costs what I mentioned earlier… The main effect that I want to portray is the character's internal struggle… I want substance… I want sex without the obscenities…"
Guo Qisheng rattled on in concern for quite a while before he finally let them go off to prepare.
It was not long after Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu left that Mo Yuxiu strolled to Guo Qisheng.
"Director Guo."

"Yuxiu, do you need me for anything? Are your scenes for the day finished?"
"I do have something to bring up. I think that the next scene between Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu is a little inappropriate," Mo Yuxiu spoke with a cold expression.
Jiang Muye had been staring at Mo Yuxiu right from the start. Now that he saw this situation, he immediately straightened his back and perked up his ears as he looked over. Oh, it looked like someone finally could not help it! Very good! He did not need to make a move!
Jiang Muye's mind was still thinking about when they had shot "The World", including that man-made rain and the many intimate scenes that had been deleted. Helplessly, he did not dare to take revenge…
"Oh? How is it inappropriate?" Guo Qisheng immediately asked.
Guo Qisheng was a director that was very patient at listening to other people's opinions. Mo Yuxiu's status in the crew was no less than the male lead, so Guo Qisheng rather valued his opinions.
"Yun Huang is one of the female leads, yet she has intercourse with someone apart from the male lead. Many viewers may especially find storylines like this a taboo. Director Guo, are you sure that later when it's released, this storyline won't crumble Yun Huang's image and the entire plot?" Mo Yuxiu articulated with a serious expression that said, "I am completely considering this on behalf of the crew and definitely do not have any selfish motives".
Guo Qisheng muttered to himself for a while after he listened to the man. "When the novel was first made into a series, this part was indeed the storyline that created the most controversy among readers. Many readers expressed that they could not accept Yun Huang getting together with someone apart from the male lead…"
Mo Yuxiu immediately said, "So, when we adapt it into a television series, can't we make some changes to this part of the storyline?"
"Changes?"
"Even if you arrange the second male lead to be with Yun Huang, that would definitely create a better effect than Liu Yan. Even though the second male lead, Nan Gongchen, and Yun Huang are arch-enemies in the series, their relationship later is actually quite ambiguous when they fight. Many readers liked this pairing. Wouldn't the effect be even better if you just changed it to a love-hate relationship?" Mo Yuxiu suggested without batting an eyelid.
Chapter 1448: How Dare You Ruin My Happy Occasion?
On the side, when Jiang Muye heard this, he instantly cursed!
Bloody hell! This Mo Yuxiu was terribly sinister! He actually wanted to seize the opportunity to immediately make the female lead and the second male lead a couple!
I have yet to even speak as the male lead!
Guo Qisheng could understand why Mo Yuxiu would make such a suggestion. Such an alteration would also be very beneficial to him. Then, the number of scenes and his status would not be very different from the male lead's.
The content would actually be rather enriching if he adapted the series to have two pairs of couples. It was not as if he had not thought about this before. However, when he considered the needs of the original work, he tried not to make too many changes to the storyline, plus one more very important reason which was…
Before Guo Qisheng could speak, Ning Xi had slowly strolled over. Her gaze indistinctly skimmed over Mo Yuxiu. "Teacher Mo, your words are wrong. Where there is controversy, there'll be attraction and a hot topic of conversation. When this storyline started a huge war in the book review forums when the novel was first made into a series, the degree of people talking about it was off the charts. It was also exposed to become a television series. It is a highly anticipated part of the plot by the many readers who were unhappy with the male lead. As long as it is handled well, this part of the storyline will be carefree and uninhibited.
"Besides, Yun Huang's character is free and unruly. Forget about worldly etiquettes! Even the heavenly law is a load of crap to her. Would she care about things like chastity? I think you've viewed the female lead's make up a little too narrowly!

"The intial ending of this series is that Yun Huang will experience much sorrow until she comes to accept everything, then she lets go of the love that restricts her, regaining herself in the process. She and the male lead will forget each other in this world, and she travels to ends of the world with her sword. That's Yun Huang! When she is dead set on loving you, she can even sacrifice her life, and when she doesn't love you, you're nothing! Yet, now you want to change her into becoming someone who falls in love with the second male lead between fighting and having sparks fly. Such a change to Yun Huang's character would be the real reason it crumbles! Teacher Mo, don't you think so?"
Once Ning Xi expressed all of this, with every word sounding justified and sensible, she practically stifled Mo Yuxiu's face with frustration as he could not say a single word. He could only grit his teeth and glare at her. "You…"
Ning Xi returned his glare unhurriedly instead.
Hehehe! How dare you try to ruin my happy occassion?! I am so going to kill you!
As he watched the gunpowder between the two main actors' become increasingly dense, and they looked like they were about to start arguing, Guo Qisheng quickly tried to smooth things over. "Okay, okay, I'm very glad that you guys can seriously discuss the plot like this, but for this part of the storyline, let's still follow the original work! I forgot to tell you guys that for our script, it's okay to change the small details, but we can't change any of the central themes at all…"
"Why not?" Mo Yuxiu frowned.
…
Not too far away, one of the cool-looking bodyguards nervously walked to the white-haired man and leaned into his ear to say something.
Yun Shen's expression instantly turned cold.
There was a drop of cold sweat across the bodyguard's forehead. "I'm sorry, Boss. I've checked. The ones who bought the copyright to this series is actually the Lu Corporation, and they have requested the crew not to change any of the central theme's storyline, or else, they will revoke the rights to the script…"

…
"Lu Corporation?" At this moment, Mo Yuxiu also heard about the same thing from Guo Qisheng and he instantly frowned.
He could not figure out why the Lu Corporation would buy this script out of the blue.
He had only heard of them investing, but not about paying to buy the script, then letting others shoot it. There were no benefits at all!
Could it be that someone from the top management was a loyal reader of this novel and wanted to satisfy their feelings or something?
Ning Xi blinked. She looked in shock towards Ke Mingyu's direction.
Jiang Muye was completely speechless too…
Bloody hell! I consider you savage!
His uncle actually controlled the script from its source! Others had done a little harm, yet he had retaliated all the way.
…
Chapter 1449: You’re The Cure
After the minor incident, the shooting finally started.
All the scenes today would be shot in the indoor studio, which was decorated as an ancient forest with a strong magical aura. Of course, it was just an initial set up; the special effects would be added post-production.
"3, 2, 1! Lighting, rainwater, be prepared… Action!"
As the clapperboard announced that they were rolling, Ning Xi who was standing in the forest went into her acting mode instantly.
A drizzle started falling. It was late autumn now, and the cold rainwater fell like little daggers, but none of that could compare to the pain she felt from witnessing what had happened a while ago.
She had been a little devil back then, and she had grown up to be a big devil. She only did things on her own accord and was never ever concerned about anyone. However, she had never felt this way before, her mind faltering all because of one person.
Ning Xi's crimson outfit was all wet and it stuck onto her body with her hair pasted on her face. She was covering her agonizing torso and walked aimlessly without knowing where she was going.
The rain fell on her like icicles, but her insides were burning from the charm poison.
At last, she could not hang on any longer and started to lurch forward.

Just before she landed, a dark shadow blitzed through the trees and held her up. "Master!"
The girl's body was burning up and she was unconscious.
Liu Yan did not have time to think. He just brought her to a cave nearby to take shelter from the rain.
There were no split angles in this scene as it was a single-view scene. The videographer followed them into the cave while wheeling the camera on a trolley.
Liu Yan put Yun Huang on a pile of dry grass. He checked her pulse, then his usually calm eyes started to waver after a while.
Charm poison was incurable…
The only way to curb the effects was to have… sex…
If not, she would lose herself and be destroyed!
However, out of respect towards Yun Huang, he would never be able to do something like that.
Ke Mingyu was nodding his head, performing very well. All his character's struggles were expressed with just his eyes.
At that moment, Yun Huang woke up.
Ning Xi opened her eyes, her blur vision preventing her from seeing who was in front of her.

Liu Yan asked, "Master, how do you feel?"
Liu Yan quickly stood up when he realized Yun Huang was not replying.
The moment he was leaving the vicinity, there was a cold voice behind him. "Where are you going?"
"To find a cure for you."
The so-called "cure" was to find a man.
With a deep, rumbling laugh, she hooked Liu Yan's belt with a wet finger, pulling him back. Liu Yan fell to the ground carelessly.
Ning Xi held one of her arms in front of the man. Her expression was very different from her numb coldness just now. She was overflowing with seductiveness, and even her voice sounded alluring. "Heh, a cure? Aren't you here now?"
The three people who were watching this scene were speechless.
Every crew in the studio felt the sudden drop in temperature around them…
"Cut!" Guo Qisheng suddenly yelled out at this moment.
Jiang Muye felt like his heart was on a rollercoaster. This was extremely exciting.
After the director said "cut", Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu stood up and stopped their acting.
Chapter 1450: Real Kiss or Fake Kiss?
Guo Qisheng frowned and went up to them. He thoroughly thought about what to say. "Ning Xi, your expression isn't right. The person you like just confessed to another woman and wants to avoid you. You're in despair… Although you're seducing Liu Yan while being controlled by the charm poison, you're behaving as clear as sky inside. Your eyes should show more despair… but weren't you acting too naturally just now?"
Ning Xi coughed lightly and touched her nose. "My bad. I'll be more careful."
Guo Qisheng then went up to Ke Mingyu after he was done with Ning Xi.
She mumbled out of Guo Qisheng's earshot, "Damn it, I was too excited and wasn't able to contain myself…"
Although Guo Qisheng missed it, the three people who were resting nearby heard her!
Yun Shen remained silent.
Jiang Muye was speechless.

Mo Yuxiu was shocked!
What did he just hear? He had just found out something interesting!
He had received zero results after so many days of thorough observation. Could Ning Xi's man… be Ke Mingyu?!
"Mingyu, for now, your part is fine, but the scenes later on are the main feature, so stay focused…"
As Guo Qisheng was speaking to Ke Mingyu, Ning Xi suddenly thought of a question. She went back and asked, "Director Guo, for the kissing scene later, are we kissing for real?"
When she asked this question, the three guys nearby were once again taken aback.
Guo Qisheng thought about it, "Well, I guess…"
He was about to suggest manipulating the angle like how they did it in "The World", but Ning Xi interrupted him as if she was showing off her professionalism as an actor, "Director Guo, I think we should do it for real! Yun Huang and Meng Changge have different personalities. If it's a fake one, I won't be able to exhibit Yun Huang's personality fully and that will dampen the effect we intend to show the viewers!"
Since Ning Xi offered this solution herself, Guo Qisheng could not wish for anything better. He was really touched by Ning Xi's professionalism and patted her on the shoulder. "Alright, thanks for the hard work!"
Somewhere nearby, Jiang Muye almost crushed his sunglasses in his hand. You bastard, how shameless! So shameless!

They always used an odd angle to avoid actually touching when she was acting with him, but when it came to his uncle, she requested to do it for real on her own!
Director, please wake up. Wake up! This bastard is doing it for her own self-interest!
"Okay, if there's no problem, then we'll continue! The front part is fine. Let's continue from inside the cave!" Guo Qisheng told every department to get ready again.
"3! 2! 1! Start!"
"Where are you going?" Yun Huang asked.
"To find a cure for you."
"Heh, a cure? Aren't you here now?"
The water droplets on Yun Huang's finger dripped onto Liu Yan's collarbone. Her finger reached for his collar and she unbuttoned it…
"Master, no." Liu Yan's expressionless eyes seem to be full of panic.
Yun Huang felt a sharp pain and her expression changed. Her eyes were full of bloodlust now. She choked the man and demanded, "What now? Even you dare to defy me?"
She released all her anger on the person in front of him because she knew that no matter how she treated him, he would never leave her.
Chapter 1451: My Dear, You’re Amazing
"I don't dare to." Liu Yan obediently lowered his hand, but his body was tensed up like a strung bow.
"That's more like it…" Yun Huang sounded like the devil who had deceived countless girls. Her tone turned gentle and not even a saint could escape from those flirtatious eyes of hers…
Finally, she closed in and slowly kissed the man's lips.
As Yun Huang closed her eyes and kissed Liu Yan, teardrops fell out of her eyes. Her expression the moment she closed her eyes was impactful enough to make anyone share the pain.
That wild unruliness was just a thin protective shell of hers; the female devil had true feelings too.
Guo Qisheng clapped excitedly with the script in silence as he closely watched and did not stop them.
Then, the camera zoomed in on Liu Yan.

Liu Yan acted as a human weapon in the series and had no emotions of his own. The only thing he grasped was his loyalty towards his master.
However, at this moment, when his master kissed him, the man's cold eyes turned scorching hot as if a hidden beast inside him was struggling to be uncaged…
Deep inside Liu Yan's heart, the uncontrollable feeling he knew he should not have aside from loyalty towards his master was trying to surface.
Liu Yan did not know what he was feeling as he had never experienced love before. At that moment, he felt the strange emotions bubbling…
This scene was not just Yun Huang's turning point. It was Liu Yan's too.
However, of course, a small character like Liu Yan was not important, but with Ke Mingyu's acting, no one could ignore him. People would just be more interested in his feelings towards Yun Huang…
Suddenly, Yun Huang's poison reacted and anguish filled her face. Liu Yan finally acted. The man turned around and carefully placed his master down, his fingers stopping for a while on his master's waist. Then, he swiftly undid her belt.
"Oh, crap!" Jiang Muye was too focused on watching and did not realize that the cigarette in his fingers was finishing. It burnt his finger.
Damn! Why was he here to watch his ex shoot a sex scene with his uncle!?
He was looking for torture for himself!

But his… His legs just would not budge!
Her crimson outfit was peeled off layer by layer. Each layer removed only increased the tension in the room as everyone gulped while awaiting the upcoming steamy scene…
At that moment, Liu Yan looked at the cave entrance with a sharp gaze, then there was an odd sound. Liu Yan's finger moved silently and a small stone bounced off the vines near the entrance.
Swishhh! The vines then covered the entrance, blocking them.
Everyone was confused.
This seemed different from the script!
Guo Qicheng's eyes lit up after he looked down at his viewing monitor for a while. He indicated to the videographer to continue.
There were some tiny gaps in between the vines, and the people outside could barely see what was happening inside. Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu could not take directions from Guo Qisheng, so they were free to perform by themselves…
Mmm, they were free to perform by themselves…
Ning Xi was longing for this!
She had been holding it in for too long. She quickly clasped her hands around the devil's neck and gave him a solid kiss. She lowered her voice, "My dear, you're amazing…"
That little stone throw was way too accurate!
Chapter 1452: Clearly I Forced Myself Onto Him
Lu Tingxiao's expression changed slightly.
Was she saying things like "you're amazing" to him right now?
This girl was terribly reckless!
"Sigh, my dearest, what position do you like? Mmm, based on Yun Huang's personality, this position is probably better," Ning Xi said as she flipped over and pushed Lu Tingxiao back. Her fine black hair hung down as she slowly kissed the man's thin lips.
Lu Tingxiao did not restrain himself anymore. He held the girl's head steady and kissed her back hard.
Outside the cave, everyone looked so nervous that they were about to puke blood. Bloody hell! This was like scratching an itch through one's boot. They were practically torturing them to death!
Even though they knew everything inside was fake and was probably an illusion of position, it was as if half her face hid behind a pipa , making it 100 times more seductive than just letting one see it clearly…
With the vines separating those ambiguous and tantalizing movements, Jiang Muye expressed that he had suffered ten thousand points of injury.
These two people were completely crazy and ridiculous!
Mo Yuxiu looked extremely upset. He swiftly got up and left.

Immediately after that, there was a sound by his ear. Jiang Muye seemed to have heard the familiar sound of a teacup being crushed to pieces.
He carefully looked to the side. Well, Yun Huang's father's teacup had indeed been crushed in his hands.
…
This part of the plot would have roughly 30 seconds of music and flashbacks slotted in, so Guo Qisheng waited 30 seconds later before he called it to a stop. "Cut! Pass!"
Moments later, Ning Xi and Ke Mingyu walked out. Both their clothes were tidy as if the tantalizing situation earlier had been an illusion.
"Eh? Did we pass just like that? Director Guo, are you sure?" Ning Xi quickly asked.
"I'm sure! Don't worry, that shot earlier was perfect! You and Ke Mingyu performed really well!" Guo Qisheng was not stingy with his praises.
Facing Guo Qisheng's compliments, Ning Xi was oddly not happy. Instead, she sounded slightly regretful as she muttered, "Oh, okay…"
She hardly had the chance to shoot an intimate scene with the devil, yet she had succeeded with only one take. What a waste! Such a mistake!
Guo Qisheng looked at Ning Xi weirdly. Why did he feel like this girl's reaction was not very right? Still, she could not figure out what was wrong, so he could only shake his head and forget it. He continued to prepare for the upcoming scenes.
…
The next scene involved Ning Xi, Ke Mingyu, and Yun Shen.
The storyline of this set was about Yun Haotian having realized that his daughter had done it with Liu Yan. He flew into a terrible rage and wanted to kill Liu Yan.

Mmm, it was rather intense too…
Jiang Muye braced through his severe injury and continued to stay behind, all because he wanted to continue watching this scene among the three of them.
At the start, Guo Qisheng was still quite worried about this boss of his. After a few interactions though, he realized that Yun Shen's acting was unexpectedly quite solid, thus he was now much less worried. He shouted to start after briefing the three of them.
"All departments, get ready! Action!"
Yun Haotian stood opposite as he looked at his daughter and the black-clothed shadow guardian beside her. His expression did not change, but the aura around him and the air he exuded completely changed within a second.
That overbearing force was like a huge mountain omnipresently pressuring the two of them. With that gaze that could almost make one tremble from the depths of one's soul, it was definitely a performance method that was a thousand times better than straight up stomping with fury.
Even the crew members present did not dare to utter a single sound. It was simply too frightening.
Yun Shen waved his sleeve firmly, then Ke Mingyu bit the blood capsule in his mouth open. For a moment, his figure wavered and he spat out blood.
Yun Haotian's expression was increasingly dark akin to the Grim Reaper's making his way closer to Liu Yan's direction step by step.
Yun Huang instantly jumped out to block Yun Haotian. "Father! What are you doing?!"
"He touched you."
"Father, wait! Father, can't you speak more sense? Clearly, I forced myself onto him! Father, why would you hit him for nothing?" Ning Xi called him "father" in every sentence, saying it ever so reflexively.
"You…"
Yun Shen just did a bad take.
Chapter 1453: Sharp Eyes!
"Tang Xi!" An angry shout between gritted teeth was heard.
What? Who was Tang Xi? Yun Shen seemed to have called out the wrong name.
Guo Qisheng had no choice but to yell "cut".
As he watched Yun Shen who had been so outraged by Ning Xi that he did a bad take, Jiang Muye felt as if his heart had just received a huge consolation.
If even such a conniving, scheming monster as Yun Shen with a terrifying background could be angered by Ning Xi to this extent, he was really nothing.
At the same time, Jiang Muye looked at Yun Shen and suddenly remembered who he was. Tang Xi… There were not many who knew this name of Ning Xi's!
Plus, with that shocking head of white hair…
When they were abroad, he knew that Ning Xi always disappeared for long periods of time. He was not sure what she did either. Sometimes, he would see her with a unique group of people, and one of the few who left a particular impression on him was a curly-haired man who wore gold-rimmed spectacles, and one more had white hair.

Because he had seen Ning Xi in a male outfit, he could recognize her then. Could Yun Shen be the white-haired man from back then?
It looked like Yun Shen and Ning Xi's relationship was indeed complicated…
At this moment, some of the crew members and background actors lowered their voices to whisper.
"Oh, what to do? I'm a loyal fan of the Xi Ye party, but now that I've seen two scenes, I've suddenly fallen in love with Yun Huang and Liu Yan as a couple!"
"Actually, I've always been a fan of the Bro Xi and Ke Mingyu couple. When I watched 'Dream Chaser', I already liked the coupling of Ji Feixue and Ling Yu even though this pairing is quite unpopular…"
"Hehe, that's nothing. I'd say that I've taken a liking to the Yun Huang and Yun Haotian father-daughter pairing!"
"It could be my imagination but I feel like the way Yun Haotian looks at Yun Huang is not ordinary!"
…
Jiang Muye thought to himself, "Silly human beings, it is not that Yun Haotian's look towards Yun Huang is out of the ordinary. It's the way Yun Shen looks at Ning Xi!"
After a short rest, the shoot began again.
Ning Xi, Ke Mingyu, and Yun Shen's scene had to be shot five times in a row before it finally passed.

Finally making a comeback, Ning Xi hummed a tune. She was mentally and physically free from worry, so her mood was especially great.
Lu Tingxiao walked out from the washroom. The moment he stepped out, he saw someone leaning on the shiny wall opposite him.
The man's white hair covered the thin scar on his eyebrow bone and there was a cigarette between his fingers. When he saw Lu Tingxiao come out, he looked up ever so slightly and smiled faintly to say, "CEO Lu, such a pleasure…"
Even though his identity had been exposed, there was no reaction on Lu Tingxiao's face at all. He only looked at the man with a poker face. "Likewise."
On the other side, Jiang Muye had a bladder emergency and was about to go to the toilet when he saw these two deities at the washroom entrance. He instantly emergency braked and hid in a corner.
Then, he listened to their conversation.
Wow, how did Yun Shen recognize Lu Tingxiao? His eyes were really sharp!
Also, the two of you should not talk to each other anymore! Both of you are real senseless!
Both of you aren't at your companies to be tyrannic CEOs, yet you have come to this drama set to snatch the other's rice bowl. What are you trying to do?!
Jiang Muye thought to himself, "Fight! How awesome if these two could fight each other!"
That way, would he not be the fisherman that caught both when the sandpiper and the clam waged a war against each other? Even if he did not benefit, he would still be happy to watch the show!
Yun Shen looked Lu Tingxiao and was about to say something when he noticed the hovering figure from the corner of his eye as if marking the person hiding there. He smiled and then unhurriedly turned around to leave.
Chapter 1454: Thanks For Your Trouble, My Wife
At a certain high-end wedding dress studio in Imperial.
Fingers shrouded in a white-laced mitten softly pulled open the curtains. Ning Xueluo's magnificent pure white wedding dress appeared before everyone's eyes.
Continuous exclaims of admiration were instantly heard outside the curtains.
"Oh my God! Incredibly beautiful!"
"Miss Ning, this wedding dress really suits you very well!"
"Indeed, Mr. Su's eye for class is outstanding! He picked out this style that fits Madam Su the best!" Quick-witted shop assistants immediately changed their address of Ning Xueluo to Madam Su.

…
At this moment, Su Yan stood there waiting in his superior, tailored to fit, hand-stitched tuxedo. The second he saw Ning Xueluo walk out in her wedding dress, a dazed expression flashed across his face.
Ning Xueluo was clearly extremely satisfied with the man's reaction. She stood there elegantly and said shyly, "Bro Yan, does it look nice?"
Su Yan had a gentle expression as he replied her, "It's nice."
Ning Xueluo immediately revealed a happy expression. She snuggled up into the man's embrace with a dependent and yearning look on her face. "Bro Yan, I can finally be your bride! Do you know how long I've waited for this day?"
Su Yan looked at the dreamy girl in the sacred wedding dress. The girl looked as if she was looking at her entire world. That sliver of distracting thoughts that he should not have was pushed back into the recesses of his mind as he caressed the girl's hair lightly. "Me too."
There were a few shop assistants, stylists, and the store manager on the side. When they saw the two of them being so loving, they all had envious admiring expressions. "Madam Su, there's still the matching set of accessories. Why don't you put it on and see the effects?"
"Okay, I'll have to trouble you then!"
"Of course not! It's our honor that Madam Su would come to our store to custom make your wedding dress!" The store manager spoke courteously.

This had come by after a long competition with quite a few of the shops in Imperial. Ning Xueluo's huge wedding would definitely be the largest and grandest occasion in the entire city, and its promotional effects would be far greater than any amount of commercials.
Next up, Ning Xueluo tried on all of the matching accessories.
These accessories had been custom-made in advance overseas by Su Yan. There were none other like them globally, especially the crown on her head, which originally belonged to the English royal family. Previously, it had been bought by a private collector at the auction, then Su Yan had bid for it at a high price. Compared to the Queen's crown from the charity banquet the last time, even though it had not been exaggeratively bid at $100 million, this one cost a staggering total of $60 million, double the price of the Queen's actual market price.
All of them were praising him on the side, and Ning Xueluo's face was full of contented happiness.
After everything was settled, Ning Xueluo clung onto Su Yan's arm and considerately said, "Bro Yan, I will check the outfit, accessories, and some other things one last time, then I'll go straight to the beauty parlor for a spa. You don't have to accompany me. If you're busy, then go ahead and settle your stuff!"
"Okay, thanks for your trouble, my wife!" Su Yan lowered his head and kissed Ning Xueluo's lips before he left.
Ning Xueluo watched the man's slender and firm figure depart, the man who was about to be completely hers. Her eyes were full of delight. Ha! Such a man should belong to her. That was right…
Ning Xueluo was discussing some additional details with the staff when her phone rang. It was Su Yan's mother.
Ning Xueluo frowned. She went to the balcony before picking up. "Hello, Aunty…"
"Xueluo, are you looking at wedding dresses with Su Yan today?"
"Yes, we just finished and Su Yan has already left for the company."
Chapter 1455: Su Family's Eldest Daughter-In-Law
"Satisfied? If there's anything you're not happy about, feel free to let me know. I will have him satisfy all of your requests. After all, getting married is a once in a lifetime occassion. You definitely cannot skimp!" Su Yan's mother's tone was extraordinarily affectionate.
When she heard the gentle generosity in her voice, Ning Xueluo already knew that she might have something else to say. Something flashed in her eyes, then she quickly spoke in a tone that seemed overwhelmed by the affection, "Aunty, I'm very happy! Actually, it really doesn't have to be so troublesome. As long as I can be with Bro Yan, everything else doesn't matter! Weddings are just a matter of formality!"
"That can't do. You're our eldest daughter-in-law. Obviously, we cannot make you feel guilty at all! Whatever it is, as long as you're happy, that's good…" Su Yan's mother assured. Indeed, the topic changed and she continued, "Xueluo, how about the thing that I talked to you about the last time? Is anyone from the Zhuang family coming over?"
Ning Xueluo's expression turned broody, but she maintained her obedient and sweet tone to say, "Aunty, don't worry. Things are already starting to look up. I will do my best to invite them. It shouldn't be too much of a problem!"
When she heard Ning Xueluo's answer, Su Yan's mother was satisfied and she reminded her to invite the Zhuangs for a few times again before hanging up.
Su Hongguang's bastard, Su Xun, had married the third daughter of the Zhao family, Zhao Shanshan. The Zhao family was increasing in their dominance recently, and their threat to Su Yan was increasingly huge as well. At such a time, such a huge slip-up had occurred on Ning Xueluo's side too. She had to plan for Su Yan's future.
Ning Xueluo took a deep breath as she took out her phone and made a call. "Have you ordered the bracelet?"
The other end of the phone was Chang Li's voice. "I did, I just retrieved it from the store. Should I deliver it over to you now?"

"Send it straight to the beauty parlor."
"Okay."
…
Ning Xueluo walked back into the room after her call.
The store manager quickly walked over and spoke nervously, "Madam Su, it looks like they forgot to prepare the bracelet!"
"No worries, I will arrange it myself here."
"Oh, okay, okay…"
…
After she left the wedding dress studio, Ning Xueluo drove to a membership-based beauty parlor that all the top rich daughters and socialities loved to frequent the most.
At the entrance, Chang Li was already waiting there with a black velvet box in her hand. When she saw Ning Xueluo walk over, she quickly delivered the items to her.
Ning Xueluo opened it up to take a look. After she confirmed that there was no problem, she said, "Is everything ready on the media's end?"

"Don't worry, it's all been prepared. They have even written the articles in advance. It won't be a problem to hog the entire month's hot topic," Chang Li confirmed with a confident tone.
Quite a few days ago, the media had already begun to promote the wedding of the century. From Ning Xueluo's wedding dress, the ring, and the crown to the hotel dishes and the door gifts, every step was to lay the foundations for the day that the wedding officially happened.
"Mmm, that's enough. You can go home."
Ning Xueluo nodded, then she walked into the beauty parlor.
Chang Li looked suspiciously at Ning Xueluo's direction, not understanding why she had secretly bought such an expensive bracelet for herself.
Weren't all the accessories used during the wedding prepared by the Su family?
…
The membership to the beauty parlor that Ning Xueluo arrived at was only open to Imperial's socialities, thus even if Ning Xueluo used her A-lister female artiste identity, she would not be able to go in. However, she was the daughter of the Ning family and the future Madam Su, so naturally, she managed to become a prestigious member.
Ning Xueluo was greeted with a familiar store assistant's smile and congratulatory wishes the moment she arrived.
"Miss Ning, you're here! I'd like to congratulate you in advance!"
"Congratulations on the big wedding! May you live a long and happy life together!"
Chapter 1456: My Mother
"Thank you!" For the past few days, Ning Xueluo had clearly gotten used to such congratulatory wishes, so she thanked the salesgirl politely, then she quietly observed the surroundings.
Finally, Ning Xueluo's eyes lit up when she saw the objective that she had come for today.
Zhuang Keer strolled in with a cool elegant aura in her high-heeled shoes, wearing a champagne tailor-made Spirit dress.
Ning Xueluo looked at the Spirit outfit on Zhuang Keer, and the light in her eyes dimmed for an instant, then she very quickly reined herself in. She pretended that she had not seen her as she put her handphone into her bag and walked towards the direction up front.
Just as she walked past, a photo had inadvertently fallen out of her handbag, and coincidentally brushed against Zhuang Keer's leg.
Zhuang Keer subconsciously bent down to pick up the photo and was about to call out to the person in front, but her expression changed slightly when she had a clearer look at the picture…
This photo seemed to have been taken quite some years ago just by looking at the background, but the photo was newly refurbished. Most importantly, among the five people in it, there were four that she knew!

In the middle was her grandfather. On the left of her grandfather was her second aunt, third aunt, and on the right was her father. There was also one other woman…
Even though the people in the photo were much younger, she could confidently recognize them. However, who was that woman beside her father?
Why would she appear in such a photo that seemed like a family portrait?
When Zhuang Keer finally regained her senses after being distracted and wanted to call out to the person in front, Ning Xueluo had already walked around the corner.
"Hi, I'd like to ask who was that lady that just walked over there?" Zhuang Keer could only ask the staff beside her.
"That… That's the lady of the Ning family, Ning Xueluo!' The staff answered enthusiastically.
"Ning Xueluo?" Zhuang Keer's expression changed.
Xiao Xi's sister?
She had only found out that Ning Xi was the foster daughter of the Ning family after getting close to Ning Xi. Otherwise, she did not know anything else about the Nings.
However, why would Ning Xueluo have such a picture?

After a moment's pondering, Zhuang Keer said, "Help me arrange for me and Ms. Ning to be in the same private room."
"Okay."
…
After Ning Xueluo entered the room, she laid down comfortably on the genuine leather recliner, waiting for the beautician's service… and Zhuang Keer…
Indeed, it had not been more than three minutes before the clacking of high heels was heard.
Zhuang Keer passed her the picture, then said to probe, "Ms. Ning, you seemed to have dropped something."
When Ning Xueluo saw the picture in Zhuang Keer's hand, her expression instantly changed and she nervously took it back. "Ah! Yes, it's mine… Thank you, thank you! Thank you so much, really!"
Then, she caressed the photo in her hand lightly like she greatly treasured it.
Zhuang Keer observed Ning Xueluo's expression as she said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Ms. Ning, may I ask why would you have this picture? Even though it's a little random, the people in this picture of yours is of my grandfather, my father, my second aunt, and my third aunt."
Ning Xueluo immediately revealed a troubled expression when she heard her as if she had not expected this picture would be exposed to Zhuang Keer.
At the same time, she had confirmed one thing. It looked like Zhuang Keer was not aware of the fact that she still had one more aunt.
Ning Xueluo seemed to hesitate for a while. Finally, she ordered the two beauticians, who had just entered, to leave first, then she looked helplessly towards Zhuang Keer and said, "I didn't think that you would accidentally see this picture. Actually, one of the people in this photo is my mother!"
Chapter 1457: Third Daughter
"The one beside my father?" Zhuang Keer instantly revealed a shocked expression.
"Yes."
"How could this be?!"
When they got to this juncture, the two had gone with the flow and sat down to begin talking.

Ning Xueluo looked at the picture and sighed, "My mother's name is Zhuang Lingyu."
When she heard Ning Xueluo say her mother's surname was "Zhuang", Zhuang Keer instantly reacted, "She also has the surname Zhuang… Could it be…?"
"Yes, my mother is the youngest daughter of the Zhuang family," said Ning Xueluo.
"Why have I never heard of this before?" Zhuang Keer frowned.
Grandfather had a third daughter? She had never heard anyone in the family mention this before!
Ning Xueluo chose her words carefully, then she said, "Actually, I didn't know about it from the start either. I only discovered this when I grew up. Obviously, I didn't know any specifics either. I only roughly heard that back then, my mother and my father loved each other. However, because their families did not match in terms of statuses, Grandfather wouldn't agree no matter what. In order to be together with my father, my mother fought multiple times with Grandfather. Misunderstandings and conflict deepened. At last, it reached the stage of severing father-daughter ties. They had not been in contact for more than 20 years… So, now almost no one knows about this incident from back then!"
After she had shared so much, Ning Xueluo's face was full of gloom. "Actually, I know that my mother especially regretted hurting Grandfather then, and she missed her family too. Sadly, my mother is too stubborn, so she wasn't willing to give in all this while…"

When Ning Xueluo reached this part, she looked at Zhuang Keer with a slightly pained expression. "I'm actually sad that my mother's like this, so I tried to resolve the misunderstanding between my mother and Grandfather… But it's too hard for me to contact and meet Grandfather, so in that period of time, I tried to contact you, Ms. Zhuang. Unfortunately, I didn't think that because of some small misunderstanding, I would've missed the opportunity to speak to you…"
Ning Xueluo's words were no doubt hinting at the incident of Zhuang Keer standing up for Ning Xi previously in History's store, even implying that Ning Xi had been obstructing her from speaking to her from the start.
Zhuang Keer looked at Ning Xueluo again, and asked suspiciously, "Why would you bring this photo around with you?"
"I found this photo at my mother's bedside. Probably because of long-term fingering, the wear and tear have already been pretty severe, then I secretly brought it to be restored at a shop. Today, I just collected it… Actually, I've come to the beauty parlor today also with a mentality of trying out my luck, thinking about whether I would meet you, Cousin. Who would have thought that God has finally helped me out?" Ning Xueluo did not deny it at all. She just admitted her purpose and intention, even pretending that she had unconsciously changed her address towards Zhuang Keer as "Cousin".
Indeed, when she heard Ning Xueluo speak like that, Zhuang Keer's expression softened quite a bit. She had already begun to believe Ning Xueluo's words.
After all, Ning Xueluo did not need to lie to her. For such a matter, she just needed to go home and ask to find out whether it was real or not.
She did not expect that she would have three aunts and that one of them had run away from home and severed ties with her family for so many years…
Now that she recalled it, Grandfather always had a worried expression on his face. She thought that it was only because he missed Grandmother. Could it have also been because of this youngest daughter who had left home for many years?
"It's not good for us younger generation to interfere with the older generation's matters, yet I can't bear to see my mother continue to look so haggard every day. That's why I presumptuously rambled on so much to you," Ning Xueluo said apologetically.
Chapter 1458: Did She Really Say That?
If Zhuang Lingyu was really her aunt, then Ning Xueluo would be her cousin.
However, Zhuang Keer did not feel very comfortable about being addressed as "Cousin" by Ning Xueluo.
Something still did not feel right. Just because Grandfather did not like the person she married, they had just ignored each other for over twenty years?
"Is it possible for me to keep this picture?" Zhuang Keer asked.
Ning Xueluo nodded with a positive heart as Zhuang Keer finally showed interest in this matter. "Of course, I made a few copies for safekeeping."
"Thank you."
"Actually, my mother has been trying to make up with Grandfather, but she didn't do it because of her personality. Another reason is that there hasn't really been a right time to do so…"
Afterwards, Ning Xuoluo told Zhuang Keer about how much Zhuang Lingyu had missed her family so much in the past years. She also mentioned a little about her marriage, and they left the beauty parlor together after they were done.
They both waited outside the entrance for their transport.

Ning Xueluo received a call out of the blue. "What? The car battery died? But I have to attend an event next. It's going to start in half an hour…"
Sending another car here would take too long a time and it would be inappropriate for her to take a taxi due to her identity as a public figure, so Ning Xueluo was anxious.
Zhuang Keer's car arrived. Before she got in, she asked, "Where are you going?"
"The exhibition center!"
"It's on the way. I'll send you there."
"Thank you, Cousin!" Ning Xueluo boarded the car gratefully. In the car, she took the chance and indirectly invited Zhuang Keer to attend her wedding.
…
At the Zhuang Residence.
After Zhuang Keer went back, she looked at the picture multiple times.
Should she ask them?
Then again, the elders in the house never mentioned Zhuang Lingyu before, so it should be a taboo topic of the family. Would it be a bad idea for her to ask?
It would definitely be a big no to ask Grandfather. As for her mother, she might not know very well…

Then, Xiao Xi?
That would not work as well… Xiao Xi was just the foster daughter of the family and probably would not know about something so hidden. Plus, she had never mentioned it before…
As she was struggling with what to do, familiar footsteps came by.
"Father, you're back!" Zhuang Keer stood up.
"Mmm, where's your grandfather?" Zhuang Liaoyuan was wearing his military uniform, his expression stern.
"He went fishing and isn't back yet." Zhuang Keer hesitated, then asked, "Father, how many daughters does Grandfather have?"
Zhuang Liaoyuan's cold face frowned when he heard this question. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"I heard someone said today that Grandfather has three daughters. There's another one called Zhuang Lingyu?" Zhuang Keer tried to ask carefully.
As expected, Zhuang Liaoyuan's expression changed the moment he heard that name. "How did you find out? Who told you?"
"So, it's real after all!" Zhuang Keer was surprised. She handed the picture she over. "I met the girl from the Ning family, Ning Xueluo, when I was at the beauty parlor today. I picked up this picture that she dropped. We talked for a little… She said that her mother has been missing Grandfather a lot…"
"Did she really say that?" Zhuang Liaoyuan looked oddly at her.
"Yeah, she also said this picture has always been by her mother's bedside. It was damaged because of her frequently touching it, so she went to get it restored…" Zhuang Keer nodded.
Chapter 1459: I’ll Surely Come
Zhuang Liaoyuan did not have any sign of being touched or any sadness on his face when Zhuang Keer told him about it. Instead, he seemed well and thoroughly pissed off. His expression turned even colder. "This shouldn't be any of your concern. Just act it as if you've heard nothing about it. Don't mention it in front of your grandfather."
Because Zhuang Liaoyuan looked so afflicted, Zhuang Keer skipped the part where Ning Xueluo had extended her wedding invitation.
While her father did not say much about this matter, surely there was more to it. She could not just believe everything Ning Xueluo said, but she would not simply interfere either.
For Xiao Xi's sake, she would not want to get too close to this cousin who had just suddenly appeared.
…

At Platinum Palace, Lu Tingxiao was cooking dinner that night. Little Treasure was helping him. Ning Xi had been chased out of the kitchen as they ordered her to just wait.
Ning Xi looked through the entertainment news feed. Nearly everything was about Ning Xueluo and Su Yan's wedding, so she turned off the feed and peeked at the little bun and the big bun.
The moment Ning Xi put down her phone, it suddenly rang.
The incoming call was from Tang Nuo.
Could something have happened at home again?
Ning Xi quickly picked up the call. "Hello, Xiao Nuo? Did something happen back home again? Those people went back looking for trouble?"
"No, no! Sis, they didn't come back. Oh, wait, they did come once, but they came to give us flowers and fresh fruits, and they were really nice to us as well…"
They were probably afraid of Ning Xi. It seemed like her decision to be harsher on them was correct.

"Oh, that sounds great then!" Ning Xi was relieved and she smiled broadly. "Young man, your exams are in a few days' time. Do you want me to accompany you?"
"No, please. No, don't come at all, let me just be by myself!" Tang Nuo quickly said.
Ning Xi laughed lightly. "Okay! All the best, I'm waiting for you to come to Imperial!"
"Sis, just wait, I'll surely come!"
"How ambitious!" Ning Xi teased him, but Tang Nuo always had good grades, so it would not be a problem for him to get into a school in Imperial.
"Right, sis… I called you for something else…" Tang Nuo seemed embarrassed to tell her, and he hesitated for a while. "Sis, you left too soon after helping us big time. We didn't have time to thank you at all. Father and Mother said that… We should treat you to a meal. When are you free, can you come back home? Sis, it's been a long time since our family gathered together…"
Tang Nuo sounded really pitiful with that last sentence.
The sister he had grown up with since he was a young child had left him so suddenly until she ended up becoming someone totally unrelated, Tang Nuo did not feel comfortable about it as well, but too many people were involved. His parents were against him getting too close to Ning Xi. No matter how much he missed her, he could only endure it until this incident was settled and Ning Xi went back home. However, the strangled situation was starting to unravel…
Ning Xi hesitated as well, but she was not cruel enough to reject the young man. "Alright, I'll go when I'm free…"
"Really? Sis, you promised! You can't go back on your promise!"
Chapter 1460: Let Me Blow The Pain Away
"Fine, fine, I promise. Don't be distracted now. Focus on your exams!"
"Mmm, I got it. I'll definitely make you proud!"
"Good!" Ning Xi smiled warmly.
After a short chat, Tang Nuo then sounded odd again. He asked, "Oh, is that woman getting married soon?"
Ning Xi then realized he was talking about Ning Xueluo. She nodded. "Yes."
Tang Nua sneered, "She never called us. We found out about it on the TV. I'm really worried that Mother is going and will get rejected. Fortunately, Mother didn't say anything this time and she didn't mention that she's going… Before that, she kept on pestering me to buy some local specialties and send it to her wedding. I tried to convince her but failed, then suddenly she stopped…"
She was probably was rejected when she called Ning Xueluo, but Ning Xi did not say it out loud.
After Ning Xi was done talking to Tang Nuo, Lu Tingxiao and the little bun were done with dinner.
"Mommy, dinner's ready!" The little bun quickly led his mother to the dinner table.

Ning Xi saw four dishes and a bowl of soup on the table. There was a fresh tomato salad, roast meat, cola chicken, and pork rib soup with herbs. There was also Lu Tingxiao's best dish, fried cabbage.
It was much more than she expected and the dishes looked delicious.
"Taste it." Lu Tingxiao passed her a pair of chopsticks.
Ning Xi took the chopsticks and tried all of them.
The big bun and the little bun looked at her anxiously.
After a while, Ning Xi's eyes brightened and she gave them a thumbs-up. "Not bad at all! Delicious!"
Both the buns were relieved. The little bun looked especially vibrant. Lu Tingxiao pulled out Ning Xi's seat for her. "Let's eat!"
"Mmm…" Ning Xi saw a blister on the back of Lu Tingxiao's hand, then she held onto his hand to examine closely. "What happened?"
"I just got splashed by some oil. It's alright, I've taken care of it," Lu Tingxiao replied.
Ning Xi blew some cool air on his hand. "Does it still hurt? Let me blow the pain away!"
Lu Tingxiao looked at Ning Xi's childish behavior and laughed as warmth flooded his heart.
The ignored little bun looked at his father angrily. His face seemed to say, "How could you use such a cheap tactic behind my back to catch Mommy's attention?!"

"Mommy, Little Treasure wants it too!" The little bun spoke up.
Ning Xi chuckled and she quickly gave the little guy's fair hand a light puff of air as well.
The little bun was satisfied now.
Look, I got it even without any tricks!
…
After finishing dinner and putting the little bun to sleep, Ning Xi and Lu Tingxiao sat in the garden and had a little chat.
"Dear, why are you treating me especially nicely today?" Ning Xi asked.
Actually, it was not just today. This had been going on for the past few days as well.
Lu Tingxiao was already treating her kindly enough, but the past few days had been way off the charts. She felt like she was becoming a good-for-nothing.
Lu Tingxiao would never admit that it was because of his guilt.
"I'm afraid that you might be sad." Lu Tingxiao quickly came up with an excuse.
"Sad? You mean about Su Yan's wedding?" Ning Xi raised her eyebrows. "If it's about that, you're overthinking. They suit each other, so it's a blessing for them!"