Chapter 28

Ning Yuxuan rarely sent messages to Xie Zhiyan, and when she did, it was strictly for business.

She surmised that a high-profile boss like Xie Zhiyan, who had an entire conglomerate to manage, must pursue efficiency above all else and would not waste time on idle chatter.

Today was an exception. Having sent him that screenshot, she wasn't sure if the man would even bother to respond.

True to her expectation, there was no immediate reply.

Fortunately, Ning Yuxuan was not the type to dwell on such things. Since he hadn't replied, she simply undressed and headed to the bathroom to shower.

After a hot shower and applying her skincare, she lay comfortably back in bed. Checking her phone again, she saw a message from Xie Zhiyan sent fifteen minutes prior: [Now?]

Ning Yuxuan didn't understand at first, but after glancing back at her previous message, it clicked. She had told him that he was the only one with a unique nickname in her contacts, and asked if he felt honored.

It turned out that not only had Xie Zhiyan ignored her question, he had seized upon the word "now" to counter-question her.

She wondered, did he mean now in the present, or in the future?

After a moment of thought, she mimicked his style of avoiding the question: [If you behave well, perhaps you can remain this special.]

Xie Zhiyan: [Then I shall have to double my efforts in shopping for you, Miss Ning.]

...

When Gu Yunhao left the Ning estate, the bouquet of lilies had been tossed forcefully into the backseat of his car, its petals scattering everywhere.

He had originally intended to throw them straight into a trash can, but remembering Ning Yuxuan’s words, he felt that doing so would be giving in to her wishes.

He had come with good intentions, hoping to reconcile and even prepared to offer a few soft words, but instead, his dignity had been trampled upon repeatedly. Gu Yunhao was now consumed with fury.

His childhood friend, Qi Ang, called, his tone as cavalier as ever: "Brother Hao, how did it go? Did you win the beauty back?"

It was this same friend he had tasked with scouring North City for the most expensive and freshest lilies.

For a wealthy young scion to suddenly buy flowers, there could be no other motive than trying to please a woman.

Gu Yunhao had initially promised to attend a dinner organized by Qi Ang, but had canceled at the last minute to pursue a woman. All of Qi Ang’s friends were dying of curiosity—just which woman could make the young master of the Gu family, fresh off the messy business with Cen Meng, suddenly burst with such passion to buy flowers?

Under the prodding of his group of hangers-on in the private room, Qi Ang had placed this call.

Gu Yunhao was in a foul mood and responded with a string of profanities.

Qi Ang wasn't offended; in fact, once Gu Yunhao finished venting, the smile on his face deepened. The more miserable Gu Yunhao was, the happier he felt. Of course, Qi Ang made sure the young master couldn't detect his schadenfreude.

Once Gu Yunhao finished cursing, Qi Ang soothed him: "Oh, come on, Brother Hao, it’s not worth getting angry over a woman. I’m here with the guys, we’ve just switched venues to eat and drink. Why don't you come over and enjoy yourself?"

Gu Yunhao thought for a moment and agreed: "Send me the address."

"You got it," Qi Ang replied. "I'll send the location to your WeChat. We'll be waiting for you."

After hanging up, a new message popped up with the location. Gu Yunhao updated the navigation on his dashboard and stepped on the gas, feeling a strange sense of vindictive pleasure.

Even without Ning Yuxuan, he was still the heir apparent of the Gu family in North City, still surrounded by brothers who catered to him, and still capable of living it up.

And as for her—

The day Xie Zhiyan grew tired of her, she would be nothing.

Gu Yunhao arrived at the restaurant, where his brothers were already waiting in the private room.

Seeing him appear, Qi Ang was the first to welcome him: "Come, Brother Hao, let's have a drink with the guys." The others chimed in as well.

Nursing his anger, Gu Yunhao took the glass and downed it in one gulp.

After some flattery from the group, someone asked: "Which blind beauty upset Brother Hao this afternoon? Tell us about it."

Gu Yunhao took off his suit jacket and sat in the head seat, snapping, "You wouldn't know her even if I told you. Just a mediocre woman."

To have been rebuffed while trying to win back his ex-girlfriend was a profound humiliation for Gu Yunhao, and he would never admit it to those present. Furthermore, when he was with Ning Yuxuan, he had frequently expressed his disdain for her in front of these very people; he couldn't afford to lose face now.

Seeing he didn't want to talk about it, the group followed his lead: "Exactly, just a woman, not worth getting worked up over."

"That’s right. Without Brother Hao’s favor, what could she possibly amount to? Look at that little starlet with the surname Cen—that’s her fate. Once she broke up with you, she became nothing."

Gu Yunhao found this comforting. After Cen Meng left him, she lost her roles and her endorsements, and had called him countless times in the last two days begging for help. He had blocked every number she used, and eventually, she had probably realized there was no hope and quieted down.

Now, Gu Yunhao hoped that once Ning Yuxuan left him, she would end up just as miserable as Cen Meng, and eventually come crawling back to him, begging for mercy.

But this afternoon...

Gu Yunhao frowned and asked, seemingly offhandedly: "By the way, is there any follow-up on that matter with the Xie family?"

The group looked at each other, unsure of what he meant by bringing up the Xie family now. Someone asked: "Which matter?"

Gu Yunhao: "I heard Xie Zhiyan found a woman."

A few people exchanged glances, and one realized: "Oh, Brother Hao, are you talking about that time someone saw CEO Xie at a Sichuan restaurant with a woman?"

That was gossip from several days ago, and since no one had been able to find out who the woman was, no one had immediately associated it with Gu Yunhao's query.

"Why are you suddenly asking about this, Brother Hao?" Qi Ang asked. "Do you know who she is?"

Gu Yunhao retorted huffily, "How would I know? I just suddenly thought of it and asked."

If he knew who she was, he could use it to provoke Ning Yuxuan, making her realize that without him, she was truly nothing.

The group flattered him a few more times, and they continued drinking. As the night went on and the alcohol took hold, the conversation became increasingly uninhibited.

Someone grew bold enough to touch a nerve: "Brother Hao, what about that girl named Ning who embarrassed you earlier? Aren't you going to go after her?"

Gu Yunhao glared at the man and slammed his glass onto the table with a loud thud.

Qi Ang quickly smoothed things over: "Don't be angry, Brother Hao, this guy doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

Gu Yunhao’s eyes were fierce, and he slurred, fueled by the alcohol: "Ning... Yuxuan... one day she will regret leaving me!"

—

On Monday, Ning Yuxuan met with an interior designer.

She had been researching hotel design schemes for half a month, and after drafting a preliminary plan, she had reached out to several designers, though none had led to a partnership.

Eventually, Ning Fei recommended an interior designer known to a friend. After chatting on WeChat, Ning Yuxuan found that their design philosophies were perfectly aligned. She immediately scheduled a meeting for the day after the variety show broadcast.

After their discussion during the day, they finalized the general direction of the design.

However, there were still many details to be ironed out, so Ning Yuxuan scheduled more meetings to take the designer to the site and finalize a detailed proposal.

In the evening, Ning Yuxuan met Tao You for dinner.

They hadn't seen each other in over half a year, and having agreed to a grand feast, Ning Yuxuan booked a high-end restaurant in the center of North City.

It was not easy to get a reservation there, usually requiring at least a week’s notice. However, Ning Fei happened to have a premium VIP membership, and upon hearing her daughter wanted to dine with a good friend, she had made the call to secure the spot.

Once they met, Tao You stared at Ning Yuxuan for a long time.

"Xuanxuan," Tao You blinked, "why do I feel like you look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you?"

She had always known Ning Yuxuan was beautiful—she had caused quite a sensation when she first entered A University, with no shortage of suitors. But Tao You couldn't quite put her finger on it; she just felt Ning Yuxuan looked even more stunning today than she had half a year ago.

Ning Yuxuan smiled: "Thank you."

She thought to herself, perhaps it was because, having broken free from the control of the plot, she was finally being herself again.

They ordered, and while the conversation was a bit reserved at first, they soon became as close as they had always been. Having not seen each other for half a year, they had plenty to talk about.

Tao You was still working at the company she joined after graduation and had recently received a promotion. Her boyfriend was the same one from the basketball team; they had been together for five years and were now discussing marriage.

Tao You urged Ning Yuxuan: "When I hold my wedding, you absolutely must be my bridesmaid! We agreed on this a long time ago—whoever gets married first, the other will be the bridesmaid!"

Ning Yuxuan nodded: "Okay, just tell me the date in advance so I can clear my schedule."

Tao You beamed: "With your word, I'm relieved. Once the date is set, I'll tell you immediately!"

Ning Yuxuan mentioned her plans to help her mother manage the hotel and her intention to design two themed hotels.

Tao You was excited: "Really? Then once your new place opens, can I go and experience it? Maybe, just maybe, I could even hold my wedding there!"

Ning Yuxuan readily agreed: "Of course. Whether it's to stay or to hold the ceremony, you can come whenever you want. I'll waive the fees for you."

Tao You quickly waved her hand: "No, no, just give me a discount!"

They had reconnected because of the trending topic involving Shen Chipeng, and as they chatted, Tao You brought him up again.

"Xuanxuan, you wouldn't believe that Shen Chipeng," Tao You wrinkled her nose. "He’s been going around talking about you to everyone lately."

Ning Yuxuan: "What is he saying?"

Tao You opened her phone gallery and showed her. It was a screenshot of a chat log from a group titled "A University School of Management Basketball Team."

Shen Chipeng: [Has anyone heard? Our department beauty got married.]

Zhang Zhong: [Which department beauty?]

Shen Chipeng: [Who else? The beauty Ning, Ning Yuxuan.]

Zhang Zhong: [I haven't heard she got married. Wasn't she just tearing into her wealthy ex-boyfriend online a few days ago?]

Chen Jie: [Yeah, it's impossible. I've been checking her social media, she hasn't posted any wedding photos.]