Zhan Qingyue’s “explicit” comments in front of everyone made the atmosphere quite awkward, except for Lin Xitian, who didn’t understand the situation. Ning Qiuxiu, on the other hand, was furious.

She felt like if she were a mosquito, she’d drain his blood, preserve it, and hang it on the wall to ward off evil.

Ugh, ward off evil!

Zhan Yuexi, feeling embarrassed by the graphic “bedtime story” from Zhan Qingyue, cleared her throat and, feeling helpless about her naive daughter, said, “Xitian, help your cousin over to the sofa.”

“Sure!” Lin Xitian helped Zhan Qingyue to the sofa.

Zhan Qingyuan, who had been silent, had a complex expression. From the moment Ning Qiuxiu was mentioned as a bride for his brother, he harbored the worst suspicions about her, assuming she had countless ulterior motives beyond love. He had always seen their marriage as a joke.

However, this joke had become an enviable “happy story.” Despite Ning Qiuxiu’s initial reputation, she had behaved herself, taking care of his comatose brother without causing trouble. Even her minor actions were within acceptable limits.

Then his brother woke up.

His brother, known for being difficult, had never been impressed by the many women who sought him out before his accident. Zhan Qingyuan had always thought his brother would marry a smart, outstanding woman who could match him in career achievements.

He never expected that his brother would end up with someone as ordinary as Ning Qiuxiu. Since Ning Qiuxiu had pursued him for a year, Zhan Qingyuan had come to understand her better. She wasn’t particularly likable—she could be willful, unreasonable, and even somewhat foolish and malicious. Anyone showing interest in his brother was bound to face her wrath.

But after marrying his brother, Ning Qiuxiu seemed to have changed. While still irritating, she wasn’t irritating in the same way as before.

If the Ning Qiuxiu who pursued his brother was the same as the one before him now, his brother might have had no chance…

Zhan Qingyue glanced at Zhan Qingyuan. Instead of scolding him, he said to Zhan Yuexi, “Aunt, Qingyuan has been causing you trouble lately.”

“If you hadn’t frozen my bank cards, would I have ended up in such a dire situation?” Zhan Qingyuan thought but couldn’t voice his frustration.

“It’s no trouble. Qingyuan has helped your uncle with a lot of work. If your father hadn’t kept calling to hurry him back, we wouldn’t have let him go so easily,” Zhan Yuexi said, giving Zhan Qingyuan some face.

In front of everyone, Zhan Qingyue didn’t say much more. He shifted the conversation to work topics and chatted with Zhan Yuexi and others.

Ning Qiuxiu, seeing their friendly conversation and no major conflict or brotherly feud, felt a bit disappointed.

This Zhan Qingyuan was even more timid than she was.

Show some of that male lead bravado! Don’t be so timid; just go for it!

After a while, the topic turned to Jia Qing, the troublemaker. Lin Xitian, feeling guilty, said, “I’m sorry, big cousin, second cousin. I didn’t know she was like this before. I’ve cut ties with her now.”

Zhan Qingyue replied, “Everyone makes mistakes in judgment.”

“I heard you terminated the cooperation with the Jia family. Is it affecting Zhuosen?” Zhan Yuexi asked.

Zhan Qingyue smiled faintly, “There wasn’t really any significant cooperation. It was just clearing out parasites.”

Old Master Zhan, a seasoned businessman, was pleased with Zhan Qingyue’s approach and said, “You should clear out what needs to be cleared. Don’t worry about friendships; stop losses in time.”

Ning Qiuqiu pouted. If Zhan Qingyue hadn’t saved the Ning family, they might have been the next target for cleanup.

After lunch, Zhan Yuexi and Lin Xitian left.

Seeing them off, Grandfather Zhan went for his nap. As Zhan Qingyuan was about to head upstairs, Zhan Qingyue said, “Don’t be in such a hurry to leave. Come with me to the study.”

Ning Qiuqiu: “!!!”

The real drama was about to unfold here.

Zhan Qingyuan looked at him warily.

“What, are you afraid of being beaten by a half-disabled person like me?” Zhan Qingyue spread his hands.

“No.” Zhan Qingyuan’s tone was a bit stiff.

He wasn’t afraid of a fight; in fact, he thought getting beaten by Zhan Qingyue would be good. What he feared was Zhan Qingyue setting him up!

But this trouble was unavoidable. Zhan Qingyuan had prepared for this when he returned; he just didn’t expect it to come so quickly, thinking it would at least be after dinner.

Zhan Qingyue saw Ning Qiuqiu’s worried face, patted her shoulder, gave her a reassuring look, and walked towards the study.

Ning Qiuqiu returned to her room, intending to take a nap, but she couldn’t settle down, so she grabbed a script and went downstairs.

She felt she truly loved Zhan Qingyue. Despite his constant teasing, she still cared about him. Such a good wife was hard to find!

Unable to concentrate, Ning Qiuqiu realized she had been staring at the same lines for a long time without absorbing any of it.

She gave up and took out her phone to play. After browsing through her Moments and liking a few posts, she saw a New Year’s greeting from Xu Ya.

Since the wrap-up of The Drifter, they had kept in touch. When Ning Qiuqiu saved Xu Ya from embarrassment on the red carpet, Xu Ya felt grateful, and their relationship quickly blossomed into a good friendship.

Ning Qiuqiu replied with a greeting, and they chatted for a bit. Suddenly, Xu Ya said, “Did you know Ji Wei Liang signed with Yi Xing?”

Yi Xing was the company that managed Ning Qiuqiu’s former girl group. They had given her a hard time when she terminated her contract.

It was a big company, one of the pillars of the entertainment industry.

Ning Qiuqiu was unaware of this.

Ning Qiuqiu: “Didn’t she have her own studio? When did this happen?”

Xu Ya sent two screenshots.

The first one was from Yi Xing’s artist management center, inviting Ji Wei Liang’s studio to connect. The second was Ji Wei Liang’s studio confirming the connection.

The post was from 12 PM, just half an hour ago. Fresh gossip.

Xu Ya: “Her studio lost its investors. Didn’t you know? It’s an empty shell now; all the staff have been laid off.”

Xu Ya: “Remember that big boss, Zhan Zong, who visited the set? Looks like Ji Wei Liang’s golden support fell through.”

Xu Ya was clearly gloating.

She and Ji Wei Liang didn’t get along. Originally, Xu Ya’s character in The Drifter was supposed to have a conflict with the heroine, but Ning Qiuqiu’s addition shifted the focus, sparing Xu Ya from being cannon fodder.

But this didn’t change their mutual dislike.

Ning Qiuqiu: “That’s pretty rough.”

Xu Ya: “Haha, Yi Xing is even tougher to please. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.”

Yi Xing Entertainment had a reputation for treating artists unfairly. They gave top resources and treatment to their favorite stars while telling the mediocre ones to either stay or leave.

Ordinary artists couldn’t survive there.

However, Yi Xing was a diversified company. Artist management was just a small part of their business, so no matter how criticized, they maintained this style, and many confident artists still flocked to them.

The reason was simple: Yi Xing’s resources were too good.

Jia Weiliang’s situation seemed a bit desperate, but since she’s the heroine, Ning Qiuxiu shook her head. It’s unlikely she would truly be down; perhaps it’s just a dramatic comeback story.

However, based on the storyline, it seems her relationship with Zhan Qingyuan might not be very optimistic.

[Xu Ya: It seems like Yixing’s contracts are usually for five years. If Ji Weiliang doesn’t do well, she might be stuck with that for her most youthful and beautiful years. I’m so bad, but I’m looking forward to it! Hahaha]

[Ning Qiuxiu: …Ya Ya, don’t talk like that]

[Xu Ya: Oh, come on. If you’re so bad at judging, I’ll jump into the river!]

Ning Qiuxiu: “…”

After finishing her chat with Xu Ya, Ning Qiuxiu felt a bit worried. She wondered how much Zhan Qingyue’s investment withdrawal would affect their relationship. If possible, she really didn’t want Zhan Qingyue to get involved in their issues. The melodramatic romance between the leads could become even worse if he got involved.

But considering Zhan Qingyue’s current status in the family, it seemed unlikely he’d become just a minor character. She hoped he wouldn’t end up being used as a mere plot device.

Lost in these thoughts, Ning Qiuxiu, who had just eaten, became drowsy. Unaware of her script falling onto the carpet, she nodded off on the sofa near the study.

When Zhan Qingyue and Zhan Qingyuan finished their conversation and came out of the study, Zhan Qingyuan noticed Ning Qiuxiu sleeping on the sofa. He smirked and said to Zhan Qingyue, “I’m heading to my room.”

Zhan Qingyue nodded and saw Ning Qiuxiu wake up from the noise. She seemed a bit dazed from just waking up, which made Zhan Qingyue’s irritation with Zhan Qingyuan fade away.

He asked, “Why aren’t you sleeping in your room? Worried about me?”

“…Actually, yes.”

Although Zhan Qingyue was always annoying and Ning Qiuxiu often wanted to hit him, she was concerned when the two brothers went into the study. If they did end up fighting, she’d barge in to mediate!

But remembering her previous irritation with mosquitoes, she picked up the script from the carpet and said, “Mr. Zhan, even though you have the capital, your narcissism damages your domineering CEO image. We can’t have that.”

“And,” Ning Qiuxiu gave him a sideways glance, adding, “if you two really start fighting, I’ll definitely step in with a few heavy and hard kicks.”

Zhan Qingyue: “…”

That’s a bit harsh.

Zhan Qingyue chuckled: “Looks like I should behave well to avoid domestic violence.”

Ning Qiuxiu huffed, “At least don’t have even mosquitoes siding with you, bullying me.”

“…”

Ning Qiuxiu was getting tired of this joke. After a moment, she said with a straight face, “Oh, in that case, I hope my next partner is a dung beetle, so it can roll you away.”

Zhan Qingyue, who had been compared to something indescribable: “…”

This battle, Zhan Qingyue, was a loss.