Chapter 33

Ning Shiyue: "..."

"It’s nothing," Ning Shiyue coughed twice. "Anyway, just keep doing what you’re doing and stop paying any attention to Cheng Xiyang."

Ning Yuxuan realized suddenly, and asked curiously, "Do you have a grudge against him?"

After asking, she remembered she was live-streaming and added, "Don't worry, I don't have it on speakerphone, no one else can hear."

The audience: "..."

The viewers in the live stream couldn't hear what Ning Shiyue said, but based on Ning Yuxuan's snippets, they could guess who the "he" she was referring to was.

[Ning Yuxuan is blatantly gossiping!! But why won't you let us hear it? Why!]

[Damn it! I also want to know why Ning Shiyue doesn't like Cheng Xiyang!]

[Exactly! I remember at the beginning of the talent show, those two seemed to have a pretty good relationship. They even collaborated on a duet stage. It felt like their relationship soured suddenly after a certain day.]

[I really want to know the inside story. Can Ning Yuxuan tell us after she hears it? We're all so curious!]

Unfortunately, Ning Yuxuan couldn't see the audience's pleas.

On the phone, Ning Shiyue's tone sounded very dismissive: "I wouldn't call it a grudge, I just dislike him. As for why..."

Ning Shiyue hesitated for two seconds: "It's a bit... complicated to explain. It's not something I can say in a sentence or two. I'll tell you when we have a chance later."

Given Ning Shiyue's personality, being so hesitant only piqued Ning Yuxuan's curiosity further.

However, since she was live-streaming, Ning Yuxuan agreed with a hint of disappointment: "Ah, alright then. Tell me in detail when I go to visit your set later."

Ning Shiyue: "Okay, I have to go meet the director this afternoon. I'm hanging up now."

The little girl from earlier had used up the last piece of cardstock for Ning Yuxuan's group. They had finished their task early, collecting twenty-six birthday wishes for Qin Man.

Qin Man was celebrating her fifty-second birthday this year, and the production team planned to gift her fifty-two wishes from strangers. Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei were responsible for half, while the other half was assigned to Cheng Xiyang's group.

Seeing that the two had finished the task early with an hour and a half left before the deadline, the production team allowed them to manage their remaining time as they pleased.

Ning Yuxuan suggested going to a nearby mall to buy a birthday gift for Qin Man.

Although the two had gotten along well with Qin Man on the show, they didn't have much private contact, and they only learned it was Qin Man's birthday after the production team told them.

Ning Fei naturally wouldn't object; it had been a long time since she had gone shopping with her daughter.

The two took the production team's car to the mall.

The afternoon was when people were most prone to drowsiness, and since the show was live-streamed all day, the guests didn't have time for a nap.

Ning Yuxuan acted coquettishly toward Ning Fei: "Mom, can I lean on you and close my eyes for a bit?"

Ning Fei smiled: "Sure."

Ning Yuxuan rested her head on Ning Fei's shoulder.

Feeling the weight of her daughter on her shoulder, the smile in Ning Fei's eyes became even more pronounced.

[Woo, this scene is so good for my eyes. I will never get tired of seeing how Ning Yuxuan gets along with her mom.]

[Teacher Ning's smile is so beautiful. You can feel her love for her daughter through the screen.]

[Cherish this coquettish Ning Yuxuan! She's not like this in front of anyone else!]

"Xuanxuan," Ning Fei's voice was extremely gentle, "do you remember when you were little, I used to accompany you to and from school, and you would often sleep leaning on me like this?"

After Ning Fei divorced her ex-husband, she stepped back from the industry for a period, and for those years, all her energy was poured into her family and her two children.

Especially since Ning Yuxuan had poor health as a child and had to see a doctor at the drop of a hat, Ning Fei was always worried about her daughter.

When Ning Yuxuan was in elementary school, even though they had a driver and a nanny at home, Ning Fei still accompanied her daughter to and from school every single time.

"I remember," Ning Yuxuan replied. "Sometimes on the way home from school, I would fall asleep in the car, and you would carry me home."

Ning Fei's gaze drifted into memories, a nostalgic smile on her face: "Yes, but you've grown up now, and Mom can't carry you anymore."

The traffic in North City wasn't very good, and the car moved in starts and stops, acting like a cradle that induced sleep.

Ning Yuxuan's voice already sounded a bit slurred: "Then I'll carry you in the future."

Ning Fei laughed out loud, amused by her daughter: "You must really be tired; why are you starting to talk nonsense?"

Ning Yuxuan didn't reply, only shifted her head.

Ning Fei adjusted her posture to accommodate her daughter, allowing Ning Yuxuan to lean more comfortably.

Ning Yuxuan mumbled with her eyes closed: "Really, Mom, you're so thin, and I'm strong enough to carry you."

Ning Fei couldn't help but laugh: "Okay, okay, you're strong enough."

Ten minutes later, the production team's car pulled into the mall's parking lot.

Ning Fei gently tapped her daughter's back: "Xuanxuan, it's time to get up."

Ning Yuxuan was woken up by Ning Fei, rubbing her eyes as she got out of the car.

Once they took the elevator into the mall, she finally woke up a bit more.

"Mom," Ning Yuxuan asked Ning Fei, "what kind of birthday gift do you think Teacher Qin would like?"

Ning Fei shook her head slightly: "I have no idea."

She had no personal friendship with Qin Man, and the last time they met at the producer's office, it was only for work.

They couldn't call to ask now, as the intention would be too obvious, and if it were guessed, they wouldn't be able to surprise Qin Man.

Ning Yuxuan recalled the previous recording: "I remember in the first episode, Jiang Ning'an said Teacher Qin likes to collect sunglasses. Let's go look at sunglasses."

There were many brands in the mall selling sunglasses, and every luxury brand had its own famous classic models.

However, since Qin Man had a hobby of collecting sunglasses, she likely either didn't like those classic styles or already owned them.

Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei browsed a few shops on the first floor of the mall, but they didn't find anything particularly satisfying.

It wasn't until the two walked into a designer brand shop they hadn't heard of that Ning Yuxuan's eyes lit up.

"Mom, look," Ning Yuxuan picked up a pair of sunglasses on the shelf. "Aren't these pretty?"

The sunglasses in Ning Yuxuan's hand had irregular frames shaped like flower petals, with pink-purple gradient lenses.

The shop assistant introduced them from the side: "Miss, the pair you're holding is a new model released in the second half of this year, and it only just arrived in the store this week."

Ning Fei took them to look: "Would this style be too bold?"

Ning Yuxuan: "Teacher Qin must already have many pairs of standard-style sunglasses at home."

Ning Fei understood her daughter's meaning: "Alright, let's go with your choice."

Ning Yuxuan had the assistant set aside the pair of sunglasses, and then they continued browsing the store.

Half a minute later, she picked up another pair: "Mom, do you like this one?"

Ning Fei said helplessly: "Aren't we picking a gift for Teacher Qin?"

Ning Yuxuan blinked: "Well, we're already here. Come on, let me put them on you to try."

Ning Fei said it wasn't necessary, but she still cooperated as her daughter placed the glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Ning Yuxuan didn't hold back her praise: "It looks great!"

The assistant, naturally, wouldn't miss this opportunity to sell: "You have such a good eye! This is one of our best-selling models; it's elegant and retro, especially fitting for your mother's temperament."

Ning Yuxuan pushed Ning Fei to the mirror: "Mom, look, isn't it beautiful?"

Ning Fei looked at herself in the mirror.

Her daughter's taste was indeed good; the style of sunglasses she picked was not only beautiful but also suited her face shape perfectly.

As soon as Ning Yuxuan saw Ning Fei's expression, she knew she was satisfied as well.

So, she said firmly to the assistant: "I'll take this pair as well. I'll look around a bit more, and we'll check out together in a moment."

Rarely seeing such a decisive customer, the assistant agreed immediately: "Yes, yes, no problem! By the way, this pair of glasses has a 'sister style' that also sells exceptionally well. Would you like me to bring it over for you to try as well?"

Ning Yuxuan: "Sure."

The assistant quickly ran to the nearby shelf and brought over another pair of sunglasses.

Ning Fei was about to take off the pair on her face, but was stopped by Ning Yuxuan's quick action: "Don't rush, Mom!"

Ning Yuxuan took the sister-style sunglasses the assistant mentioned, put them on herself, and moved next to Ning Fei.

The two pairs of sunglasses were similar in style, only the color of the lenses was different, and the patterns on the frames had slight distinctions.

The assistant was very smooth-tongued: "Your mother looks so young! Standing together with your daughter, you look like sisters."

Compared to other peers in the industry, Ning Fei didn't have much anxiety about aging.

Many actresses started getting injections or even facelifts at this age, but Ning Fei only went to beauty salons for regular maintenance.

The show *Mom* focused on reflecting the real lives of celebrity mothers and daughters, so the shots didn't have smoothing filters. Even in such high-definition footage, Ning Fei's face still showed no signs of excessive cosmetic procedures.

In this regard, she and Qin Man were of the same mind. To avoid affecting how she looked on the big screen, Qin Man never got injections or went under the knife.

The audience watching the show said these two were the models of beautiful, natural aging.

However, not having age anxiety was one thing, but hearing someone compliment her on looking young still made Ning Fei very happy.

Ning Yuxuan took out her phone: "Come on, let's take a sister photo."

Ning Fei laughed: "You and your nonsense."

But she still let her daughter hold the phone up, smiling at the lens in cooperation.

"Does this look good?" Ning Fei turned her face slightly. "Would changing the angle make my face shape look better?"

[I've noticed that every time, Teacher Ning says one thing but means another. Even if she says no, she actually cooperates with her daughter.]

[Come to think of it, throughout the whole show, Teacher Ning seems to have never refused her daughter's requests.]

[If I had such a beautiful and cute daughter, I would go along with everything she wanted too!]

[You guys have really said enough, hahaha! First you said you wanted to be Teacher Ning's daughter, now you want to be Ning Yuxuan's mother.]

[Hahahaha, I'm not picky! I'm not here to break up this family; I'm here to join it!]

After taking the photos, Ning Yuxuan had the assistant pack up these two pairs of sunglasses as well.

The smile on the assistant's face couldn't be stopped: "Okay, no problem! By the way, we have some men's models that also sell quite well. Would the two of you like to take a look?"

Ning Yuxuan thought about it: "How about I pick a pair for Ning Shiyue too?"

Ning Fei knew she couldn't stop her daughter and sighed with a smile: "Buy it if you want to."

Ning Yuxuan followed the assistant to the men's sunglasses section with great interest: "I'm picking a pair for my younger brother."

The assistant realized that as long as they served Ning Yuxuan well today, they wouldn't have to worry about their sales performance this month, and their attitude was extremely enthusiastic: "What type of sunglasses does your brother like? Or, can you show me his usual dressing style so I can help you recommend something?"