Ning Qiuxiu didn’t have time to speak before her phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID; it was her mom.

She went out to take the call.

“Hello, Mom,” Ning Qiuxiu answered, “Why didn’t you tell me you and Dad were coming to see Brother Qingyue?”

“I wanted to, but when we video chatted yesterday, you said you were stressed with filming and had a big scene today. So, I thought it would be better not to tell you, so you wouldn’t feel bad and need to take time off,” her mom, Wen Ling, explained.

Ning Qiuxiu was speechless.

This was really her mom.

She was speechless. “But… you could have waited until I had some free time!”

“I could have, but your dad was busy. It was hard to find some free time, so we came,” Wen Ling paused for a moment, “Qiuxiu, are we causing you any trouble?”

“No, no, it’s just that I feel bad for not being able to take care of you properly,” Ning Qiuxiu said.

Actually, it was causing a big problem, but it was too late to say anything now.

“That’s good,” Wen Ling’s tone lifted, “I have to tell you, we didn’t mention your marriage to him at all. Your dad almost slipped up, but I stopped him just in time.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “???”

What kind of twist was this? Her parents didn’t say anything?

Was Zhan Qingyue playing a trick on her?

“What did you talk about?” Ning Qiuxiu asked.

She needed to find out if her mom had slipped up or if Zhan Qingyue was tricking her.

“Not much, just talked about you. I had to find out how he feels about you. What if he doesn’t like you? Then we talked about the future and some small talk. He said his head hasn’t fully recovered yet, so he had to ask for more details to understand,” Wen Ling said.

“…Did Dad interrupt you?” Ning Qiuqiu clung to a last hope.

Her mom might be a bit naive, but her dad, a seasoned businessman, was much smarter.

He wouldn’t be tricked, right?

“Don’t even mention it. I get so angry. Your dad kept taking calls about business the whole time! He didn’t even have five minutes to spare to make me look good in front of our son-in-law.”

“If there’s business, I can’t ignore it. Besides, could I even get a word in while you were talking?” came her father’s voice defending himself.

Ning Qiuxiu: “…”

Great, no need to ask.

Her mom definitely got tricked.

She could even imagine Zhan Qingyue’s gentle and harmless face as he tricked her mom.

Her mom, with her personality, would spill everything if flattered a little.

Zhan Qingyue, with his devious mind, surely prodded her subtly while pretending his head wasn’t right, asking for more details.

She thought to herself, “He really has a wicked heart!”

Ning Qiuxiu felt like all her secrets were laid bare.

Luckily, she was a different person now!

She was relieved, barely managing to keep some dignity intact.

“So, what does Brother Qingyue think of me?” After reassuring herself, Ning Qiuqiu’s curiosity grew.

She still didn’t know Zhan Qingyue’s attitude towards her!

“Hmph, that’s where your mother came in handy,” Wen Ling felt triumphant, “He said he thinks you’re quite interesting.”

Interesting?!

What kind of evaluation was that?!

“What else?” Ning Qiuqiu asked.

“That’s it. He said he’s just getting to know you. You’re too busy, and he hasn’t seen you much, but he thinks you’re interesting.”

“…” Look how he handled being questioned by you, Mom!

The intelligence gap was too wide, nothing could be done.

Ning Qiuxiu hung up the phone feeling depressed.

Thinking about the person she had to face, she took a deep breath, telling herself not to panic!

She married him to save him, after all.

Why should she feel guilty?

Really, Zhan Qingyue should be eternally grateful and repay her with his life.

Otherwise, he’d be bedridden for life.

Thinking this way, Ning Qiuxiu straightened her back and returned to the room.

Zhan Qingyue was recovering well now.

When he was awake, he’d watch news or stock market updates on the tablet mounted on the hospital bed to reacquaint himself with society.

She felt out of touch after three months of filming, let alone two years.

He must have felt like a caveman.

When Ning Qiuxiu entered, he was watching the evening news.

Seeing her come in, he paused it and looked up. “Mother-in-law, are you home?”

“…” That ‘mother-in-law’ hit her like a ton of bricks.

Ning Qiuqiu’s chest hurt.

She steadied herself and said seriously, “Don’t say that. I was forced to do it.”

“Hm?” Zhan Qingyue looked at her, waiting for her to explain.

Ning Qiuxiu resisted the urge to wring her hands and said, “You heard what Miss Jia said that day. Our family business was in a huge crisis, on the brink of bankruptcy. We needed a stronger partner to help. An old man took a liking to me and insisted on marrying into our family. My parents and I refused. Just then, a fortune-teller said marrying you might wake you up. Grandpa, being superstitious, believed it.”

“And then,” Ning Qiuxiu continued, sucking up to him a bit, “It was either a fat, old man or a handsome guy like you. Of course, I chose the handsome one. And it worked out! You really woke up, didn’t you?”

Ning Qiuxiu knew she couldn’t fool Zhan Qingyue with lies about liking him and marrying him for that reason.

It might even disgust him.

Besides, Zhan Qingyue probably didn’t like clingy women like Jia Qing.

So, she mixed truth with lies, explaining why she married him, painting herself as someone who sacrificed for her family’s sake.

This was indeed the truth.

Zhan Qingyuan threatened her with not cooperating with her family’s company, but he never actually did it.

After all, he was the main character, with good morals, and wouldn’t be so inhumane.

His character was very solid and well-rounded.

But who knew if Zhan Qingyue would accept it?

“Thank you for your spirit of sacrifice,” Zhan Qingyue said after listening.

Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t sense any gratitude from him, though.

She glanced at Zhan Qingyue’s face.

He was expressionless, making it hard to tell if his brain still couldn’t control his facial muscles, or if he was secretly furious, planning how to strangle her.

“So,” Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t figure out what Zhan Qingyue was thinking.

Since he didn’t talk much, she had to say it all herself. “Mr. Zhan was lucky enough to wake up, but my family’s business hasn’t been saved yet. Until then, I’m afraid we’ll have to continue this marriage.”

Hmph, if he wanted to ditch her, no way!

“Alright,” to Ning Qiuxiu’s surprise, Zhan Qingyue agreed without hesitation.

She was just starting to feel happy when he added, “Otherwise, abandoning you after using you would bring bad karma and backfire.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “???”

What kind of reason was that?

However, Zhan Qingyue clearly meant to continue this in-name-only marriage until her family’s crisis was over.

If they couldn’t overcome it, he might even help pay off some debts.

But for some reason, this reasoning left a small, uncomfortable knot in Ning Qiuqiu’s heart.

She couldn’t pinpoint it, but it left her feeling uneasy.

A feeling of irritation.

“Well, thank you,” Ning Qiuxiu forced a smile.

She wanted to give a sarcastic grin, but for some reason, she felt timid in front of Zhan Qingyue.

Zhan Qingyue seriously replied, “No need to thank me, Mrs. Zhan.”

“!!!”

The little knot in Ning Qiuxiu’s heart was instantly smoothed out by this teasing remark.

Those words, “Mrs. Zhan,” sounded so pleasant to her!

Ahem.

Ning Qiuxui finished filming her distant marriage scenes, and her workload suddenly decreased.

Most of her scenes in Xijing Country were shot in outdoor locations or partially outdoor sets, so those were completed earlier.

She just needed to film a few more scenes for the ending, and then she could wrap up the production.

During this short break, Qu Hua didn’t let Ning Qiuxui relax.

Since there had been nearly half a month without any filming work, Ning Qiuxui took on some activities, although it wasn’t considered competing with other roles.

In today’s fast-paced online world, even celebrity scandals can be quickly forgotten, let alone the celebrities themselves.

Ning Qiuxui’s popularity was only moderate, and even though she briefly gained attention due to a fan incident, her absence and lack of new work meant she would soon be forgotten.

She urgently needed exposure.

“Qiuxui, tilt your face slightly to the right, and make your gaze even more captivating. Yes, just like that, perfect!” The photographer, satisfied, clicked the shutter, capturing her image under the dazzling lights.

Ning Qiuxui was doing a magazine cover shoot.

Although it wasn’t for a top-tier magazine, they usually hired high-profile idols, so even if her star power wasn’t high, the magazine sold well and their standards were rising.

Wearing a red dress and a red wide-brimmed hat, with minimal decoration, she looked elegant and graceful.

A few simple poses were enough to convey the powerful yet alluring feeling the photographer wanted.

It seemed like she was born for the camera.

“Qiuxui has a great sense of the camera,” said the magazine’s head, watching the shoot. “She’s quick to get into the right mood and performs well.”

Qu Hua, pleased with the compliment, smiled and said modestly, “She’s been filming with the crew every day, so she’s quick to get into character.”

The magazine head, familiar with the industry, mentioned, “For ‘The Wandering,’ right? Directed by Sun, although he’s a bit particular, his work is top-notch. Qiuxui’s future looks promising.”

Qu Hua felt elated inside but remained modest. “She’s been learning from the senior actors in the crew.”

As they exchanged pleasantries, the shoot concluded.

Ning Qiuxui looked at the sample photos, which were already stunning even without retouching.

The photographer praised her continuously, making her a bit embarrassed, and she complimented the photographer’s skills in return.

There was one more set to shoot, but she had a half-hour break to adjust. Ning Qiuxui went to the rest area, took a sip of water from Xiao Chi, and saw her manager, who approached with a cheerful demeanor and a smile that suggested she was in a fantastic mood.

“Little Qiuxui, your performance today was outstanding. The magazine head praised you so much that I felt a bit embarrassed,” the manager said.

“…” Ning Qiuxiu knew her agent liked to exaggerate to make her feel good, so he might have praised her, but not to the extent he claimed.

Still, Ning Qiuxiu didn’t argue and said, “It’s all thanks to Brother Qu’s guidance.”

“Oh, Qiuxiu, your sweet talk is smoother than honey,” Qu Hua said bashfully.

“…” She didn’t want to respond to him.

“By the way, I forgot to tell you something,” Qu Hua got serious again. “There’s a love reality show asking if you have time to participate—wait, let me finish.”

Qu Hua gestured for Ning Qiuxiu to hold her interruption and continued, “The show is produced by Shanzhu TV. Recently, even though you and Fang Jinran haven’t sparked any dating rumors, many fans have started shipping you two. Shanzhu TV wants to seize this opportunity and pair you and Fang Jinran as a pretend couple. Don’t worry, Shanzhu TV’s reality shows are very popular right now, and this love show is guaranteed to be a hit.”

In recent years, reality shows have mushroomed, skyrocketing many young idols to fame overnight.

Everyone was eager to push their artists into various shows, hoping for instant popularity.

Love shows, in particular, had become hugely popular.

The sweet, romantic productions made many young girls swoon over the on-screen couples.