Chapter 50

Xie Zhiyan was driving himself this time.

Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei sat together in the back seat.

"Zhiyan, I really must trouble you," Ning Fei said politely, "coming all the way to pick up Xuanxuan and me, and even contacting Uncle Li."

Uncle Li was the driver for the Ning family, and under normal circumstances, he should have been the one to pick them up after the recording ended.

Xie Zhiyan turned the steering wheel, his tone calm and steady: "I should apologize for coming over without giving advance notice. I hope you don't find my abruptness unwelcome, Auntie."

"How could that be? It's not abrupt at all," Ning Fei said with a gentle smile. "By the way, Zhiyan, do you have any work to attend to this evening?"

Xie Zhiyan replied, "I have no work scheduled for either this afternoon or tonight. I just dropped my mother off at a friend's house earlier this afternoon, and since I happened to be in the vicinity, I came over to pick you all up."

Ning Fei said, "So Xinmei isn't home then? Why don't you stay and have dinner with us tonight?"

"Then I must thank you for your hospitality, Aunt Ning," Xie Zhiyan responded.

Ning Fei smiled. "You're welcome, you're welcome. I'm not the one cooking anyway, we'll just have Aunt Xu set out one more pair of chopsticks."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Ning Fei glanced at her daughter. "Hey, you child, why are you playing on your phone again?"

Ning Yuxuan raised her head. "Are you two finally done being polite to each other?"

Ning Fei looked at her daughter, amused yet exasperated. "What kind of way is that to talk?"

Ning Yuxuan stuck out her tongue.

Ever since Ning Fei found out that she and Xie Zhiyan were together, she had grown doubly polite to him, far more formal than she used to be.

Perhaps the mindset was always bound to be different when treating a close friend's son versus treating a prospective son-in-law.

Hearing that Ning Fei and Xie Zhiyan had finished chatting, Ning Yuxuan asked out of curiosity, "Zhiyan, who is that bouquet of flowers in the front passenger seat for?"

She had caught a glimpse of a pink-and-purple arrangement resting on the passenger seat as soon as she got into the car.

Ning Yuxuan didn't know much about flowers, only recognizing the light pink ones as peonies, while the rest remained nameless to her.

Xie Zhiyan said softly, "They're for Aunt Ning."

Ning Fei looked surprised. "For me?"

Actually, she had noticed the bouquet in the front seat when she boarded the car, but since it was Xie Zhiyan's vehicle, she hadn't felt it proper to ask.

Just then, the car stopped before the gate barrier.

Curious to see what the bouquet actually looked like, Ning Yuxuan took advantage of the pause to lean forward, reaching across the seats to retrieve the flowers from the front passenger side.

Too late to stop her daughter, Ning Fei could only caution from the side, "Hey, you girl, be careful not to bump yourself!"

Ning Yuxuan replied, "Don't worry, I won't ruin your flowers!"

Smiling helplessly, Ning Fei said, "I'm talking about you—watch your head! The flowers aren't going to run away, what's the rush?"

Ning Yuxuan finally scooped up the bouquet into her arms, grinning at Ning Fei. "See? Your daughter is remarkably agile; both person and flowers are completely intact."

Ning Fei shook her head in resignation. "How old are you, and you're still as impatient as a little monkey."

Ning Yuxuan handed the bouquet over to Ning Fei. "Mom, take a look at your flowers!"

Cherishingly, Ning Fei accepted the arrangement. "Blue Fuji peonies paired with pink-edged bellflowers—a lovely combination, fresh and pretty. I'll put them in a vase in the living room when we get back."

"Zhiyan," Ning Fei added, "thank you for the trouble. You even brought flowers specifically for me."

Xie Zhiyan answered, "As long as you like them, Auntie."

Ning Yuxuan fiddled with the dusty-rose spray roses in her own hands, then glanced back at the bouquet in Ning Fei's arms.

"I've noticed," Ning Yuxuan remarked, "that all of these flowers are quite pretty. Roses, peonies, bellflowers—they're all nice."

Gazing at her daughter with doting fondness, Ning Fei teased, "You, you've liked everything since you were little, always wanting to learn this and that, changing your preferences day by day. Didn't you say you liked roses just a while ago? How is it that you've taken a liking to others so soon?"

Ning Yuxuan defended herself plausibly, "Because they're all very pretty! Spring is only complete when a hundred flowers bloom together after all. Besides, who says that liking something means you have to be devoted to only one? I insist on being fickle!"

Ning Fei's brows furrowed slightly.

Words spoken without ulterior motives are often interpreted deeply by the listener.

Ning Fei was someone with life experience who had suffered because of this very trait in the past.

It didn't matter if her daughter casually said such things at home, but now her daughter's boyfriend was right up front—what if he started overthinking?

"Xuanxuan..." Ning Fei began.

Before she could figure out how to subtly warn her daughter, Xie Zhiyan spoke up first. "That's fine too. Since Xuanxuan likes all kinds of flowers, I won't have to worry about what to buy her in the future."

Ning Yuxuan chimed in, "It's not that I like *all* flowers, you know. They have to look pretty and smell nice as well!"

With a smile, Xie Zhiyan acknowledged, "Indeed."

Ning Fei swallowed back the words she had originally intended to say.

So be it; children and grandchildren have their own destinies.

At least for now, it appeared that Xie Zhiyan doted on her daughter heart and soul, and her daughter thoroughly enjoyed the relationship. There was no need for her, as a mother, to meddle needlessly.

The drive home required passing through the city center, where traffic was slightly congested.

Tossing the flowers onto the seat, Ning Yuxuan leaned against Ning Fei's shoulder and drifted off to sleep.

Ning Fei carefully placed her daughter's roses securely on the seat and straightened her top.

The air conditioning was on in the car, and getting a draft on her stomach could easily lead to a chill.

She had originally intended to wake her daughter up five minutes early, but seeing how soundly the girl was sleeping, she didn't have the heart to do it.

Only when the car came to a smooth halt at their front gate did Ning Fei reluctantly give her daughter a gentle pat. "Xuanxuan, we're home."

While patting her daughter's back, she raised her gaze to explain to Xie Zhiyan, who was helping to open the car door, "She must have worn herself out playing games all day at the program shoot and fell asleep from the motion of the car. Sorry to keep you waiting."

With a smiling look in his eyes, Xie Zhiyan said, "There's no rush."

The man's slender fingers covered Ning Yuxuan's hand, giving it a couple of light pats.

Under the double gentle assault of her mother and Xie Zhiyan, Ning Yuxuan was finally roused.

There was still some time before dinner after arriving home.

Ning Fei carried the flowers into the living room, fetched a pair of scissors, and prepared to trim the stems before placing the bouquet her daughter's boyfriend had given her into a vase.

Ning Yuxuan followed along. "Mom, I'll keep you company!"

Giving her daughter's shoulder a pat, Ning Fei said, "Oh, go on, Xuanxuan. You don't even like flower arranging, so don't just stand here and make a mess. Take Zhiyan upstairs to rest for a bit. I'll call the two of you when dinner is ready."

Knowing that her daughter lacked the patience for it and had no interest in flower arranging, Ning Fei decided not to rope her into participating.

She also considered that Xie Zhiyan must have come over specifically to see her daughter, and the young couple needed some private time. She had no intention of acting as a third wheel.

Chased upstairs by Ning Fei, Ning Yuxuan protested indignantly, "I just wanted to see how she trims them, and she won't even let me watch."

With that, she turned to Xie Zhiyan, who had come upstairs with her. "I haven't asked you yet—how did you suddenly think of coming to pick me up?"

Xie Zhiyan's eyebrows twitched slightly, but before he could answer,

Ning Yuxuan cut him off to prevent him from making up excuses. "Don't use that same excuse you gave my mother. I don't believe it. Since when are there so many coincidences in this world? You just happened to be in the area right when our recording ended."

Xie Zhiyan chuckled.

"I am your boyfriend," Xie Zhiyan said unhurriedly. "Is it not allowed for me to come specifically to pick you up?"

Ning Yuxuan pointed out the facts. "But previously, when I was recording the show, aside from that one unexpected time when you sent the driver, I never saw you come to pick me up personally."

Xie Zhiyan replied, "Before, our relationship wasn't public yet. It's different now."

Ning Yuxuan stared at Xie Zhiyan.

Xie Zhiyan met her gaze without changing expression.

Still feeling that something was amiss, Ning Yuxuan silently walked over to the nearby sofa and sat down.

Saturday morning was the same—he had suddenly announced he was dropping her off at the show, even getting out of the car to greet Ning Fei and leaving only after absorbing everyone's curious stares.

Knowing that Xie Zhiyan's car was already more eye-catching than ordinary vehicles, coupled with the formidable aura he naturally exuded, virtually all the staff present had been curious about his identity.

On the way to the dressing room afterward, quite a few people had pestered Ning Yuxuan to ask if the man who dropped her off was her boyfriend and what he did for a living.

Having gotten along very well with the production crew throughout the month since the show started airing, Ning Yuxuan didn't mind them gossiping directly with her.

She had admitted that Xie Zhiyan was her boyfriend, brushing off further questions about the rest because she didn't want to talk too much about it.

Thinking back now, although Xie Zhiyan's actions made sense on their own, Ning Yuxuan couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she was missing.

Lost in thought, Ning Yuxuan absently twisted her fingers.

Xie Zhiyan sat down on the spot right beside her.

Turning her head to look at him, Ning Yuxuan asked, "Zhiyan, you didn't deliberately drive over to pick me up and drop me off just to show off your boyfriend status to people, did you?"

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Xie Zhiyan asked, "Show off to whom?"

"Who knows..." Ning Yuxuan scoffed, "I'm not a roundworm in your stomach, nor can I wiretap your phone or snoop through your messages to figure out which blind person among the countless people interacting with you every day managed to trigger you, President Xie?"

"You're welcome to check if you want," Xie Zhiyan offered.

"I... what?"

Casually, Xie Zhiyan pulled out his phone and placed it on the empty space between them.

Glancing first at the phone the man had tossed so casually onto the sofa and then back at the man himself,

Ning Yuxuan realized she had just been speaking off the cuff and hadn't actually had any intention of doing so.

Yet, with Xie Zhiyan's personal phone sitting right in front of her now, it possessed an immense temptation.

Ning Yuxuan felt as though she would be missing out if she didn't open it up and take a look right then and there.

Confirming her suspicion, she asked, "You're really letting me look?"

With a casual "Mm," Xie Zhiyan said, "The lock screen password is our marriage registration anniversary."

Picking up the phone and getting ready to unlock it, Ning Yuxuan's fingers paused at his words.

What date was it again when they registered their marriage?

She only remembered it seemed to have been a Tuesday; she would have completely forgotten the exact date without checking a calendar.

After a brief, futile attempt to recall, she gave up.

Not a single clue came to mind.

Slowly raising her head, she looked at Xie Zhiyan.

Meeting his gaze, she bit her lip and guiltily blinked her eyelashes.

Unbeknownst to her, a hint of moisture currently glistened in her eyes, giving her expression a pitiful, endearing quality that made her look entirely different from her usual self.

Xie Zhiyan's gaze shifted slightly as he abruptly withdrew his eyes from hers.

The man stated a specific date.

Blinking, Ning Yuxuan said, "Thanks for the reminder."

Her intuition told her that Xie Zhiyan's behavior was a bit abnormal: he hadn't seized the opportunity to mock her, nor had he made any other remarks.

Could it be that he had anticipated all along that she would forget the date?

Why he remembered it so clearly, however, was something worth pondering.

For the moment, though, Xie Zhiyan's personal phone resting in her hand held far greater appeal than pondering that question.

Following Xie Zhiyan's prompt, Ning Yuxuan punched in the six digits and successfully unlocked the screen.

In truth, she had zero interest in combing through Xie Zhiyan's chat logs with others, investigating his whereabouts, or finding out which female acquaintances he had been texting.