Chapter 58

When Ning Shiyue aggressively tracked down Zhuang Yiming, the two had just exchanged game friend requests and were engaged in casual chat.

"Let me tell you, Teacher Yuxuan," Zhuang Yiming said with exaggerated tone, "Thanks to you, I added the marksman who was with you earlier, and I even played a few matches with him later! His skills are seriously insane, that nickname of mine actually suits him way better!"

When Zhuang Yiming first registered for the game, he couldn't think of a good name, so he simply chose "Watch Me Carry the Whole Team".

"Though this friend of yours doesn't talk much," Zhuang Yiming continued, "and he doesn't like using voice chat either. Up until now, I still don't even know his real name."

Zhuang Yiming had only watched the first two episodes of *Dear Mother*, and once he joined the cast, he no longer had time to follow variety shows, so he had no idea who the guest star of the latest episode was.

Ning Yuxuan replied, "His name is Duan Ziyao, and he is a professional e-sports player."

Zhuang Yiming gasped, "Duan Ziyao? OCG's mid-laner? No wonder he's so incredible! Teacher Yuxuan, your connections are amazing!"

Ning Shiyue walked up behind the two of them, and the very first words that drilled into his ears were "Duan Ziyao".

Adding insult to injury.

Without any mercy, Ning Shiyue gave Zhuang Yiming’s shoulder a hefty smack and muttered irritably, "What are you two up to?"

Ning Yuxuan and Zhuang Yiming turned around at the same time.

Upon seeing who it was, Zhuang Yiming chuckled, "Brother Shiyue, happy birthday! Teacher Yuxuan and I just exchanged game friend requests. I didn't have the courage to send a friend request earlier, so since we bumped into each other now, I just added her."

His address was polite, and his reason was completely justified.

Ning Shiyue's expression improved slightly.

Ning Yuxuan looked at Ning Shiyue with a beaming smile, "Why did you come over, birthday boy? Are you done accepting everyone's well wishes?"

Ning Shiyue let out a hum, "Yeah."

Zhuang Yiming's gaze swept back and forth between Ning Yuxuan and Ning Shiyue before he tactfully spoke up, "You two siblings go ahead and chat, I'm going to look around somewhere else!"

The venue for Ning Shiyue's birthday celebration was a specially constructed outdoor set.

The crew finally had a day off today, so everyone was thoroughly relaxed, chatting in small groups of twos and threes while eating cake.

Everyone in the crew knew how much Ning Shiyue valued his mother and older sister. Seeing that Ning Shiyue was talking to Ning Yuxuan, they sensibly avoided intruding on his time with his family.

Ning Shiyue looked around, "Aren't you staying with Mom?"

Ning Yuxuan smiled, "Everyone is swarming the great artist Ning for autographs, so I didn't want to go join the crowd and cause a fuss."

For artists wishing to go further down the path of acting, Ning Fei's achievements were an absolute dream, and she was the undisputed idol of actors everywhere.

With such a rare opportunity today, everyone wanted to interact with her as much as possible.

"What about you?" Ning Yuxuan asked. "Instead of celebrating with everyone else, what brings you over to find me?"

Ning Shiyue thought to himself, it's all because of that guy Zhuang Yiming.

"What were you two talking about just now?" Ning Shiyue asked.

Ning Yuxuan's brows twitched slightly, and she deliberately said, "Didn't you hear it all? We were talking about Duan Ziyao."

Ning Shiyue instantly frowned.

Ning Yuxuan smiled triumphantly, "Ning Shiyue, you really ought to take a look in the mirror. The moment Duan Ziyao is mentioned, your face practically scrunches up into a ball. Do you really hate him that much? Could it be that you actually believe the random CP pairings made up by internet trolls?"

Ning Shiyue answered without hesitation, "Of course I don't believe it! That guy is even three years younger than me, how could I ever believe the two of you have a thing!"

"Then why is that?" Ning Yuxuan narrowed her eyes. "Or could it be that you've been bought off and are now working as someone's spy?"

Ning Shiyue denied it once more, "No! What spy or no spy, that's completely slanderous."

Ning Yuxuan asked, "Then why on earth did you fish for my preferences on Xie Zhiyan's behalf?"

Ning Shiyue blurted out, "That's because..."

He only realized something was amiss halfway through his sentence.

"No..." Ning Shiyue cleared his throat with a slight guilty conscience, "I wasn't fishing for him, I wanted to ask for myself."

Ning Yuxuan gave him a look that clearly said: *Do you expect me to believe that?*

Having failed his struggle, Ning Shiyue had no choice but to concede, "Fine... I really was asking for Brother Zhiyan."

***

Ning Yuxuan was somewhat curious, "Did he ask you for help? What did he say to you?"

After wrestling with his thoughts for a full second, Ning Shiyue simply pulled his phone out of his pocket, "Why don't you just look for yourself."

Ning Yuxuan shot him an appreciative look, "At least you know what's good for you."

She unlocked WeChat and pulled up the chat history between Ning Shiyue and Xie Zhiyan.

Xie Zhiyan: [Shiyue, are you busy? There is a question I would like to ask your advice on.]

Ning Shiyue: [No problem at all, Brother Zhiyan. Ask away, I'll definitely tell you everything I know!]

Xie Zhiyan: [What kind of confession method do you think your sister would like?]

Ning Shiyue: [A confession? My sister doesn't seem to like grand confessions. As far as I know, from childhood until now, every single guy who has confessed to her has been rejected.]

Ning Shiyue: [However, if you need it, Brother Zhiyan, I can help you ask her!]

Xie Zhiyan: [Then I'll thank you in advance.]

Xie Zhiyan: [There's no need to tell her that I'm the one asking.]

Ning Shiyue: [No problem, I get it! Leave it to me!]

Ning Yuxuan couldn't help laughing as she read through it.

She never expected that Xie Zhiyan would seriously go and consult Ning Shiyue. Judging by the timestamp, it was the morning after she had demanded a "formal confession."

Xie Zhiyan hadn't shown any particular reaction when she stated her requirement that day; she had assumed he hadn't taken it to heart, but it turned out he had gone to seek wisdom from Ning Shiyue bright and early the next morning.

Ning Yuxuan tossed the phone back to Ning Shiyue, "And you still claim you weren't acting as a spy?"

Catching the phone, Ning Shiyue coughed, "I was just asking her a question for Brother Zhiyan, it's not that dramatic, hey, don't—"

Ning Yuxuan had already pulled out her own phone and sent a voice message to Xie Zhiyan: "Some people can't figure out how to create surprises on their own, so they actually hire external reinforcement—truly cunning. However, your wicked scheme has failed; the reinforcement has already been caught red-handed by me, caught with both the stolen goods and the culprit."

Unable to stop her in time, Ning Shiyue could only stare at Ning Yuxuan with a face as ashen as death.

His lifelong reputation had been ruined just like that!

He had promised to gather intelligence for Brother Zhiyan, and he had promised to keep his secret, yet not a single mission was accomplished.

It was all Ning Yuxuan's fault for knowing him too well, leaving him zero room to play his part.

After finishing her voice message roasting Xie Zhiyan, Ning Yuxuan made to put her phone away.

Suddenly, an incoming voice call came through from the other end.

Hesitating for a second, Ning Yuxuan answered it.

"Hello?" Ning Yuxuan asked. "What is it? Did my discovery of your plot force you to call and offer explanations?"

Standing beside her, Ning Shiyue watched Ning Yuxuan pick up the call and hesitated for a moment, ultimately staying put.

Brother Zhiyan wouldn't blame him, would he?

He had given Brother Zhiyan his solemn guarantee that everything was covered, only for his cover to be completely blown in a mere single day.

Xie Zhiyan's voice, carrying a faint smile, rang softly in Ning Yuxuan's ear: "I'm not calling to explain."

Ning Yuxuan asked, "Then why are you calling?"

The man spoke with crystal-clear articulation and an exceptionally gentle tone: "Because I miss you."

Ning Yuxuan: "..."

The sudden and unexpected sweet talk almost caused her to drop her phone, sending a soft, fluttering jolt straight through her heart.

Ning Yuxuan let out a silent breath, then her gaze paused slightly, her brows furrowing—

Why was this blockhead Ning Shiyue still standing here like a dummy?

Not only did he show no intention of clearing out, but he was also staring right at her with a pair of wide open eyes.

Ning Shiyue was worried that Xie Zhiyan might use Ning Yuxuan to demand accountability, so he stayed put so he could be the first to offer an explanation: he really hadn't done it on purpose.

Seeing Ning Yuxuan look over at him, Ning Shiyue assumed Xie Zhiyan was bringing him up in the phone call.

Ning Shiyue pointed to himself, mouthing: *Is Brother Zhiyan asking about me?*

Ning Yuxuan: "..."

No wonder this fellow Ning Shiyue had never been in a relationship from childhood up until now.

He was completely oblivious and lacked all social tact—it would be a miracle if he ever managed to find a girlfriend!

She and Ning Shiyue were standing in a corner of the set, with the rest of the crew members scattered nearby. Finding another quiet, secluded spot wasn't easy.

When Ning Yuxuan stayed silent for a long time, the man's voice drifted from the phone once more.

"Didn't you ask me yesterday whether I would miss you when you aren't around?" Xie Zhiyan's voice was low and pleasant. "Let me answer you again."

Ning Yuxuan: "......Yeah."

It was rare for Xie Zhiyan to be so tender and affectionate over the phone.

Yet right now, she simply couldn't bring herself to listen to his love poetry with a completely single-minded focus.

Xie Zhiyan: "What are you thinking about?"

Ning Yuxuan glanced sideways at Ning Shiyue, who was still staring blankly at her: "Nothing at all."

Noticing Ning Yuxuan's poor tone, Ning Shiyue cautiously chimed in, "What's wrong? Did Brother Zhiyan still end up blaming me?"

Ning Shiyue intentionally lowered his voice slightly, but their corner was so quiet that Xie Zhiyan still caught it.

Combined with Ning Yuxuan's reaction, it wasn't hard to guess what the situation was over on their end.

Xie Zhiyan: "..."

He asked, "Is Shiyue standing right next to you?"

Ning Yuxuan: "Yup, I'm hanging out with the external reinforcement you hired. I'll talk to you later, bye-bye."

Seeing her hang up the phone, Ning Shiyue was still consumed by anxiety over his image in Xie Zhiyan's eyes: "What happened? What did Brother Zhiyan say? Does he think I'm completely unreliable?"

Ning Yuxuan rolled her eyes, "Yes, extremely unreliable, profoundly unreliable."

Ning Shiyue finally realized something was amiss.

On the very first night Ning Yuxuan left Northern City, her boyfriend had called her up, and perhaps, just perhaps... the two of them had wanted a little private pillow talk?

Ning Shiyue's expression shifted, and he spoke with meticulous care: "Um, did I... interrupt you two?"

Ning Yuxuan shot Ning Shiyue a sideways glance and stayed silent.

Everything was implied without needing a word.

Ning Shiyue: "...I'm leaving right now."

Ning Yuxuan grabbed Ning Shiyue's arm: "Hold on, I've already hung up the call, where do you think you're going? Besides..."

Looking at Ning Shiyue with an amused expression, she added, "Considering it's your birthday today, I'll spare you the lecture."

With a guilty conscience, Ning Shiyue hurriedly changed the subject: "Do you want some cake? I'll go grab a slice for you."

Ning Yuxuan had just eaten dinner right when she arrived on set and her stomach was still full, which was why she hadn't touched the cake prepared by the crew.

Now that she had rested for a little while, her stomach had cleared up a bit of space.

"Alright," Ning Yuxuan said. "I want the one with strawberries."

Seizing this rare opportunity to make amends for his blunder, Ning Shiyue sprinted over to the table, cut a slice of cake, and brought it back to Ning Yuxuan on a disposable plate.

"Here," Ning Shiyue handed the plate over. "The cake you wanted, it has two strawberries right on top."

Ning Yuxuan took the plate and took a bite.

It tasted quite good; the cream was rich and fragrant, and the fruit filling inside was also delicious.

As she enjoyed her cake, Ning Yuxuan casually asked Ning Shiyue, "How are things going for you in the crew these days? Are you tired?"

Ning Shiyue made no sound.