Chapter 1

“Xuanxuan, the director and his crew will be here soon. Are you really not going to get ready?”

The exquisitely made-up woman frowned slightly, gazing helplessly at her bare-faced daughter.

Ning Fei, a celebrated Best Actress, had made her debut at eighteen and shot to fame overnight. At twenty-five, she left the entertainment industry to marry a man outside the business. At thirty-three, she made a comeback and miraculously won the industry’s three major awards within three years, completing the coveted Triple Crown. After turning forty, she retired once more and had remained out of the public eye ever since.

She was about to celebrate her fifty-first birthday this year, yet she still retained a slender figure and attractive features. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes only added a touch of elegance born of age.

At that moment, however, Ning Fei was frowning faintly, looking deeply troubled.

Ning Yuxuan was Ning Fei’s first child, her most cherished child, and her only daughter.

Yet at some point, the conversations between mother and daughter had grown fewer and fewer, while her daughter had become increasingly impatient whenever they were together.

Especially after Yuxuan had fallen in love, her entire heart seemed to belong to her boyfriend.

Ning Fei did not oppose her daughter dating. But that young man made Yuxuan cry every few days. He was clearly not a good match for her.

Hoping to spend more time with her daughter and repair their strained relationship, Ning Fei had agreed to appear on the variety show Dear Mother.

Today was the filming of the preview episode. With the production crew due to arrive in half an hour, her daughter was nevertheless sitting in a daze, absentmindedly clutching a cup of tea.

Ning Fei was about to persuade her once more when Ning Yuxuan’s phone suddenly rang on the coffee table.

Seeing that her daughter was still lost in thought, Ning Fei leaned over and glanced at the caller ID.

Gu Yunhao—her daughter’s boyfriend.

Ning Fei had disliked the boy from the very beginning, and it was not as though she had never tried to warn her daughter.

But nearly every time Gu Yunhao came up, mother and daughter ended up quarreling.

After another explosive fight some time ago, Ning Fei had tried her best not to show her displeasure toward Gu Yunhao in front of Yuxuan.

“Xuanxuan, it’s Yunhao calling.”

At those words, Ning Yuxuan seemed finally to return to herself. She picked up the phone and pressed the answer button.

“Yuxuan.” Gu Yunhao’s voice came from the other end. “I... I have something to tell you.”

Ning Yuxuan leaned back against the sofa and took an unhurried sip of tea.

“Go ahead.”

Her tone was much colder than usual, but Gu Yunhao failed to notice.

He did not truly care about this girlfriend of his. Naturally, he could not detect the subtle change in her mood from those two words.

“Yuxuan, let’s break up,” Gu Yunhao said.

There was one second of silence.

On Ning Yuxuan’s side, Ning Fei watched her daughter’s expression anxiously.

On the other end, Gu Yunhao assumed that Ning Yuxuan was thinking about how to persuade him to stay—or perhaps gathering her tears in order to win his sympathy.

He glanced at the woman who was truly the love of his life beside him, then spoke again with renewed determination.

“Yuxuan, I know you may not be able to accept this right away, but—”

Before he could finish, a cool, clear female voice interrupted him.

“Sure. I agree.”

Ning Yuxuan’s tone was utterly casual, as though she were answering a question about what to have for dinner.

Gu Yunhao froze for a moment. When he finally understood, disbelief filled him.

“Yuxuan, did you hear what I said? I mean—”

“I heard you perfectly clearly, Gu Yunhao.” Ning Yuxuan cut him off again. “As for you, unless there’s something wrong with your ears, I shouldn’t have to repeat myself, should I?”

When had Gu Yunhao ever heard Ning Yuxuan speak to him in such a tone? Too shocked to respond, he fell silent.

Instead, Ning Yuxuan’s voice remained calm. She even seemed to give a faint laugh.

“We can break up, but don’t forget to return the things I gave you.”

She continued leisurely, “The custom-made suit I gave you this month, the limited-edition watch from last month, and... Forget it. We were together for over a year, so I can’t be bothered to itemize everything else.”

“Ning Yuxuan, you—”

“Enough.” Ning Yuxuan ended the call. “I’ll be busy later. Contact me after you’ve gathered everything together.”

...

After hanging up, Ning Yuxuan rolled her eyes.

She had already been annoyed after being inexplicably dragged into a transparent space and forced to listen to an artificial intelligence recount an absurd, melodramatic plot.

And then Gu Yunhao had chosen that very moment to call.

The man who had once seemed like a god descended from the heavens, perfect in every way, suddenly filled her with disgust from the very depths of her heart. Even his voice had become unbearable.

Was this the effect of awakening and breaking free from the control of the plot?

Only after hearing the entire story had Ning Yuxuan understood that the world she had always lived in was actually a wealthy-family romance novel—and that she herself was the vicious supporting female character, hopelessly in love with the male lead, Gu Yunhao.

Gu Yunhao had entered into a relationship with her under pressure from his elders, but after the heroine appeared, he had fallen irretrievably in love with the pure and endearing girl.

The male lead of a novel would naturally never cheat outright. Instead, Gu Yunhao subjected her to all kinds of emotional abuse, even trampling on her dignity.

He waited until she had become an “unreasonable madwoman,” then, unable to endure her any longer, proposed breaking up and claimed the moral high ground.

Now that she had suddenly awakened, it was as though a layer of fog had lifted from her mind. She found herself overwhelmed by doubts about everything she had done in the past.

What kind of hopelessly love-struck fool had she been to tolerate a piece of trash like that?

As for demanding the return of those two gifts, it was not because she lacked money.

Her mother had invested the money she earned during her early years in the entertainment industry into real estate. By now, she had essentially achieved financial freedom, and she had never been stingy with either of her children.

But the watch was a limited edition that Ning Yuxuan’s younger brother, Ning Shiyue, had gone to great lengths to have a friend bring back from halfway around the world. The suit, meanwhile, had been hand-tailored by a renowned foreign designer whom her mother, Ning Fei, had contacted through connections she had cultivated in the past.

Ning Yuxuan did not want her family’s thought and effort to be wasted on someone like Gu Yunhao.

“Xuanxuan...” Ning Fei’s concerned voice pulled Ning Yuxuan back from her drifting thoughts.

Ning Fei looked at her daughter helplessly. She wanted to comfort her, but did not know how to begin.

Although she had not heard what the person on the other end of the call had said, she had clearly heard her daughter mention the words “break up.”

All these years, Ning Fei had watched how deeply Ning Yuxuan loved Gu Yunhao, as well as how much she had given up and compromised for him.

Now that she had suddenly been dumped, her daughter must be utterly heartbroken.

The things she had just said to Gu Yunhao had surely been angry words spoken in the depths of her sorrow.

The thought filled Ning Fei with tenderness and concern.

“Xuanxuan, I bought the sea bass you love most. Once your brother and the production crew arrive, I’ll cook it for you.”

At the sound of her mother’s voice, Ning Yuxuan’s expression softened.

It was wonderful. Her mother was still here, safe and sound, right in front of her.

In the wealthy-family novel she had just been forced to hear, her fate as the vicious supporting female character had been tragic. Not only had she lost the male lead, but she had also become the heroine’s foil on the variety show, earning the condemnation of the entire internet.

In the end, the overwhelming hatred directed at her online had driven her insane. She had climbed onto a rooftop, intending to take her own life.

Her mother had rushed forward without hesitation to save her, but had lost her footing and fallen from the twenty-second floor.

The book had described it this way:

“Ning Yuxuan stared blankly at her mother’s disfigured corpse as tears fell from her eyes. At last, she understood that none of the things she had pursued all these years truly belonged to her. Her greed had harmed everyone around her, including herself.”

In the original story, the vicious supporting character Ning Yuxuan had behaved as though she had lost all reason, treating everyone who opposed her relationship with Gu Yunhao as an enemy—including the mother and younger brother who sincerely cared for her.

In the end, her mother died in the fall, her younger brother developed depression and took his own life, and the entire family was destroyed.

At the thought of this, Ning Yuxuan drew a deep breath.

Now that she had awakened, she would never allow any of it to happen again.

“Mom.” Ning Yuxuan looked at Ning Fei, a hint of coquettishness in her voice. “I want the fish braised in soy sauce.”

Ning Fei first looked surprised. Then the joy in her eyes became impossible to conceal.

Their relationship had grown increasingly distant over the past two years. When was the last time her daughter had spoken to her in such a spoiled, affectionate tone?

Even if Yuxuan was only relying on her temporarily because her boyfriend had hurt her, Ning Fei was entirely willing.

“All right, all right.” Ning Fei nodded repeatedly. “Braised sea bass. That’s your mother’s specialty.”

Since today was the filming of the preview episode, the director had asked them to capture some warm, intimate moments. Ning Fei had therefore bought her daughter’s favorite ingredients and planned to cook her a homemade lunch.

Ning Fei’s cooking was actually rather ordinary, but she had made the few dishes her daughter loved countless times. By now, she had perfected them through sheer repetition.

After speaking, Ning Yuxuan continued looking at her. There seemed to be a trace of dependence in her eyes, and Ning Fei’s heart melted into a pool of water.

Her daughter had been hurt.

“Xuanxuan.” Ning Fei’s voice was extraordinarily gentle. “What are you thinking about?”

Ning Yuxuan smiled.

“I was thinking that when you cook the fish, you should remember to add a little extra sugar. I like it sweet.”

...

Meanwhile, inside a chauffeur-driven van.

Ning Shiyue sat with a stern expression.

“How long until filming begins?”

His assistant, Ding Yan, glanced at the time.

“Shiyue, don’t worry! The livestream starts at eleven thirty. We’re only about five minutes away, so we’ll definitely arrive early!”

Ning Shiyue shot him a glance.

“Who said I was worried?”

“Yes, yes. Not worried.” Ding Yan did not contradict him aloud, but secretly grumbled to himself. He had worked with Ning Shiyue for three years. Did the man really think he could hide it?

Though Ning Shiyue appeared rather distant from his family, he actually cared deeply about them.

When Ning Fei had suddenly said she wanted him to make an appearance in the preview episode of Dear Mother, Ning Shiyue had turned down a previously scheduled television audition. He had even gotten into an argument with his agent over it.

The television series was adapted from a hugely popular intellectual property and directed by one of the industry’s most renowned directors. Almost everyone believed that the show would become a hit once it aired.

Although Ning Shiyue’s status did not necessarily guarantee him a role, it was still a rare opportunity. Countless people wanted to audition but could not even get in line. Ning Shiyue, however, had simply said he would not go—and that was that.

Not only had he done so, but he had also instructed them not to tell Ning Fei about the audition. Ding Yan understood that he did not want his mother to feel guilty.

As soon as his morning engagements ended, Ning Shiyue had urged Ding Yan into the car and rushed home without even drinking a sip of water.

There had been plenty of time. They could easily have taken a break before leaving.

The van turned into the villa compound, rounded two corners, and slowly came to a stop.

Ning Shiyue gave his assistant a few instructions, then walked to the villa and opened the door.

The first person he saw upon entering was Ning Yuxuan.