If it were another domineering CEO, Ning Qiuxiu wouldn’t dare to speak so freely.

The other party would definitely deal with her on the spot.

But Mr. Zhan wasn’t like that. With the importance of work, how could he possibly act out of line?

Ning Qiuxiu, well aware of this, was quite pleased with herself for being so bold.

So, while Zhan Qingyue clenched his teeth in secret and mentally said “very good,” he showed a loving smile on the surface, tousled her messy hair, and said, “As expected of Qiuxiu, very domineering.”

“That’s a must,” Ning Qiuxiu said, unknowingly planting dangerous seeds.

After a bit of playful banter, Zhan Qingyue had to return to work.

Ning Qiuxiu had no particular tasks at the company, so she settled in Zhan Qingyue’s office to wait for him to finish work.

She wore Zhan Qingyue’s clothes and didn’t dare leave the office—being seen in his clothes was too embarrassing.

However, Zhan Qingyue’s office frequently had people coming in and out.

When people saw her, they not only greeted her but, especially if they were women, would sometimes come over to talk to her.

To make matters worse, some even asked why the clothes looked so loose and if they were Mr. Zhan’s.

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

Ladies, just don’t mention it!

Feeling embarrassed, Ning Qiuxiu could only pretend to be busy and looked down at her Weibo.

The post she made showing off her relationship already had over 10,000 comments.

The comments were a mix of reactions.

【Feeling sorry for Mr. Zhan, such a delicate flower being so ruthlessly tormented by Qiupin】

【Shocking, a popular star actually harming her husband】

【Wuwu, will our cute Mr. Zhan even see the sunrise tomorrow?】

【Blind guess: Mr. Zhan will feed Qiuxiu mouth to mouth】

“……” Seeing this, Ning Qiuxiu paused for a second.

Watson, you always find the blind spots.

And to the one who called Mr. Zhan “cute,” are you reading too many fanfics and getting too immersed in them, to the point of having illusions?

Not only was her Weibo post bustling with activity, but #NingQiuxiuGivesMrZhanDarkCoffee# even made it to the hot search on Weibo.

San Tiao said it naturally trended and wasn’t something they bought.

“……” Ning Qiuxiu was just joking. In reality, the coffee was only slightly sweet and not actually dark!

Mr. Zhan drank it and wasn’t poisoned!

However, this also indirectly showed that the public was very interested in their relationship, especially after their dual exposure.

Zhan Qingyue’s reputation as a gaming god and a wealthy, highly talented businessman made him particularly fascinating.

The last time Ning Qiuxiu live-streamed, he appeared for just ten minutes, and it drove everyone wild for the entire night.

Even after Ning Qiuxiu ended the stream, the comments were still flooding in about Mr. Zhan.

Ning Qiuxiu often joked about him debuting, and fans responded as if he was already more popular than a fresh new star.

Of course, debuting was out of the question. People like Mr. Zhan are born for business, not the entertainment industry.

But there were still variety shows that came knocking.

“Post-marriage variety show? But we’re not married yet.” On Saturday, while Ning Qiuxiu was still in bed, she received a call from San Tiao.

She was so exhausted that she could barely move a finger.

San Tiao usually didn’t call her just to chat, so after enduring the annoying ringtone for 20 seconds, Ning Qiuxiu reluctantly answered.

San Tiao went straight to the point, asking if she was interested in participating in a post-marriage reality show called Happiness in Progress.

“Why does your voice sound so hoarse? Are you sick?” San Tiao asked, noticing something was off.

“……It’s just a sore throat,” Ning Qiuxiu fibbed through her tears.

She used to think that the exaggerated depictions of being bedridden for days were just exaggerations in novels.

After all, in those steamy novels, the male leads are portrayed as being able to “reach the uterus,” which seemed impossible in reality.

So when she acted a bit rebellious and enjoyed herself, she didn’t expect to pay the price that night with blood and tears, as Mr. Zhan was quite unforgiving.

Although Zhan Qingyue didn’t seem like the typical macho man—he even appeared somewhat delicate—he turned out to be a beast in bed.

He was incredibly gentle and considerate within her limits, leading her to misunderstand him at first.

In reality, he was merciless. Zhan Qingyue lived up to his reputation, and despite being gentle, he made sure she paid the price for her actions, keeping her in bed all night.

Ning Qiuxiu tried to resist, but in the end, she couldn’t hold out and begged him to stop before he let her off.

She didn’t know if she’d be bedridden for three days, but she definitely couldn’t get out of bed on the first day.

It was miserable—tragically so.

“The production team said it’s fine even if you’re not married, as long as you’re in a relationship. Their last season had a couple who were just engaged,” San Tiao continued, “And honestly, what’s the difference between you now and being married?”

“……” There really wasn’t much of a difference.

“The recording will be scheduled after the Lemon TV gala, mostly on weekends, so it won’t interfere with Mr. Zhan’s work. The content is quite relaxed. You can check out the first and second episodes and think about it,” San Tiao continued persuasively.

“Okay, I’ll watch it and discuss it with him before getting back to you.”

“Got it. If your throat is bothering you, try some throat lozenges—they work really well,” San Tiao genuinely suggested.

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

After hanging up, Ning Qiuxiu looked up the show Happiness in Progress and found out that it involved renting a beautiful house for the guests to vacation in, recording their daily life without any scripts or tasks—just pure relaxation.

Wow, this is too amazing!

Ning Qiuxiu was stunned.

She had never seen such a relaxing variety show and couldn’t quite believe it.

It was incredibly appealing to show off their relationship without a script.

The only downside was that the production team didn’t provide food, so they’d have to cook for themselves.

Um… Ning Qiuxiu’s cooking skills could be lethal, and Mr. Zhan, who was used to a life of luxury, had never even stepped into a kitchen.

Would participating in this show… make them starve?

Also, Ning Qiuxiu thought that Zhan Qingyue might not be very willing to appear on camera, especially with cameras around for almost two whole days.

He might find it very uncomfortable.

Forget it, she’ll just consult Zhan Qingyue about it later. Besides, she’s starting filming in August.

Although variety shows don’t overlap with drama shoots, they might still have a negative impact. Being popular now means that everything she does will be scrutinized.

As Ning Qiuxiu was thinking about this, the door opened with a “click,” and she quickly hid her phone, pretending to be asleep.

Zhan Qingyue walked in.

Seeing that Ning Qiuxiu had buried her head under the covers again, a habit she just couldn’t shake, he walked over with a bit of helplessness and pulled the blanket away from her head.

“Get up and have something to eat before going back to sleep, okay?” Zhan Qingyue began to sweet-talk her after getting his way.

Ning Qiuxiu turned around with difficulty, facing away from him and ignoring him.

You weren’t so gentle in bed last night, were you?

“Upset, huh?” Zhan Qingyue noticed her sulking and burying herself under the covers again.

He chuckled, “If I don’t prove myself, you’ll just laugh at me. Now that I’ve proved myself, you’re still mad. Miss Ning, being your husband is so hard.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “???”

When did she ever laugh at him? Don’t blame her for being unreasonable!

Ning Qiuxiu lay flat on the bed and glared at him sideways, trying to convey her anger.

Dare to look me in the eyes and say that again!

“I’m sorry,” Zhan Qingyue, seeming to read her mind, gently took her hand from under the covers and kissed it.

He then touched her forehead and softly soothed her, “Darling, don’t be mad.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

Zhan Qingyue’s methods had evolved once again, using sweet-talk and soothing tactics.

Ning Qiuxiu had only been bullied or tricked by him before and rarely experienced this kind of coaxing.

For a moment, she was caught off guard, and by the time she reacted, she was already drinking the porridge he fed her.

She hated this!

After finishing the porridge, Ning Qiuxiu felt her throat improve a bit and told Zhan Qingyue about the variety show.

Zhan Qingyue’s perspective was completely different from hers.

He thought that if they did this, even after Ning Qiuxiu started filming, they could still see each other two to three times a month due to work needs, which was perfect.

So, unexpectedly, Zhan Qingyue agreed without hesitation.

Ning Qiuxiu was left confused.

She felt like she didn’t know Zhan Qingyue well enough.

Since Zhan Qingyue was willing to appear on the show, Ning Qiuxiu had no objections.

Variety shows were undoubtedly great for increasing popularity, and the thought of showing off their relationship in front of others was quite exciting.

As for cooking… Well, they’d better prepare a few more instant noodle packs to avoid starving.

The Lemon TV gala soon arrived. Lemon TV gave Zhan Qingyue tickets and invited him to attend the event.

Ning Qiuxiu managed to get two additional tickets, which she gave to Jingjing and Zhou Yang.

Jingjing and Zhou Yang were slower than a donkey grinding flour.

Zhou Yang, in particular, was rather emotionally clueless and didn’t know how to express love.

Jingjing, being a drama queen and a bit dramatic, didn’t like things to be monotonous.

This made Zhou Yang often miss the mark, which made Ning Qiuxiu anxious.

Ning Qiuxiu personally handed the tickets to Zhou Yang, saying, “Bro, you need to put in some effort. At times like these, a charming guy with sweet words can win Jingjing over quickly.”

“……” Zhou Yang found pursuing women to be more challenging than the college entrance exam.

He was naturally taciturn and not Jingjing’s type, making it difficult for him, “I’ll try my best.”

“You always say that,” Ning Qiuxiu almost rolled her eyes at him, “I suggest you watch some Korean dramas and see how their male leads are so suave and good at charming people.”

Korean dramas… Zhou Yang’s mother loved watching them, and he had been exposed to them a few times, which was a bit complicated for him.

Girls usually understand each other better. Since the boss’s wife and Jingjing are so close, let’s see what happens.

At the Lemon Festival,

Ning Qiuxiu was extremely nervous backstage in her dress.

But once she got on stage, she wasn’t nervous anymore. She sat down at the piano and started playing, her fingers dancing across the keys.

After urgent practice, Ning Qiuxiu was no longer the off-key singer she used to be.

As the music began, she smoothly sang the familiar lyrics.

The equipment at the festival was excellent, making her voice sound ethereal and beautiful.

After her performance, the director even zoomed in on the handsome Zhan Qingyue sitting in the audience, causing a wave of screams.

Ning Qiuxiu heard the screams and saw Zhan Qingyue’s face on the big screen. He looked like a painting, and she couldn’t help but smile.

This moment was captured by the camera and shown on the big screen.

The audience’s screams grew louder.

It was so sweet; this couple was driving them crazy!

Fortunately, Ning Qiuxiu was not affected and completed her song smoothly.

In such events, many stars lip-sync, especially actors who might not sing well.

They don’t feel ashamed, as it creates buzz and becomes a hot topic.

After the festival, the four of them went home together. Zhou Yang drove, Zhan Qingyue sat in the front passenger seat, and the backseat was for the two ladies.

As soon as they closed the car door, Jingjing started flattering Ning Qiuxiu, “Miss Ning, you sang so well just now that I can’t help but fall in love with you! What should I do?”

Before Ning Qiuxiu could respond, Zhan Qingyue said, “Jingjing, are you assuming I’m deaf now?”

Jingjing: “……”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

She was even jealous of her own sister. Unbelievable!

“I-I-I,” Jingjing stammered, “My love is the love of admiration. Mr. Zhan, you have to believe that I am the most loyal supporter of the feelings between you and Miss Ning.”

Ning Qiuxiu spoke up for Jingjing: “Don’t scare Jingjing!”

“No,” Jingjing said seriously, “Miss Ning, Mr. Zhan is showing his deep love and feelings for you, which should not be interfered with. I understand, I understand everything.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “???”

Jingjing, could you be any more shameless?

The funny thing was that Ning Qiuxiu saw from the rearview mirror that Zhou Yang, after hearing Jingjing’s flattery, not only didn’t show any displeasure but had a faint, affectionate smile on his face.