[Ning Qiuxiu: ??? You usually feed water like this?]

[Jingjing: Wronged!!!! I’m a professional caregiver. Miss Ning, you can’t ruin my reputation for no reason, sob sob sob.]

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

This girl is definitely a drama queen.

Maybe it’s the result of spending every day with a mute patient, leading to this dramatic outburst?

[Ning Qiuxiu: Jingjing, I’d like to recommend a shampoo brand for you to endorse. I think you’re perfect for it.]

[Jingjing: Oh? Really? Can I? What brand?]

[Ning Qiuxiu: Tihua Zhi Xiu.]

[Jingjing: I know that brand! I’ve used it before. Miss Ning, are you really going to introduce me as an endorser? I’m so excited!]

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

The saddest thing in the world is when you’re making a joke and the other person doesn’t realize it.

Giving up on communicating with Jingjing, who clearly has a unique thought process, Ning Qiuxiu returned to the issue of feeding water.

Mouth-to-mouth was out of the question; she didn’t have that kind of sacrificial spirit.

However, Jingjing’s idea sparked an inspiration.

She went back to her room, took a bottle of drink with a straw from the mini fridge, removed the straw, and returned to Zhan Qingyue’s room.

“Mr. Zhan, although this might be a bit gross, I’m doing this to help you wake up. You know, nurturing this talisman isn’t easy, and if it goes to waste, there won’t be another one. So bear with me.”

Ning Qiuxiu spoke to the unconscious person in bed, then took a sip of the talisman water in her mouth, placed one end of the straw in her mouth and the other end into Zhan Qingyue’s mouth, carefully transferring the water through the straw.

Finally, Zhan Qingyue stopped spitting it out.

Ning Qiuxiu sighed in relief and slowly fed him the water.

Although separated by a straw, they were very close. Ning Qiuxiu could feel Zhan Qingyue’s warm breath on her face, making her cheeks flush.

After finally feeding all the talisman water, Ning Qiuxiu was a bit sweaty.

She wiped her face with her sleeve, feeling very devoted.

“Wake up soon,” Ning Qiuxiu said threateningly to the person in bed, “Otherwise, I’ll feed you with my saliva-laden talisman water every few days. How disgusting!”

“……”

If Zhan Qingyue had even a hint of awareness, he would probably wake up and strangle her.

…

At the same time, in the chairman’s office at Zhuao Sen Group.

The chairman’s assistant, Song Qiao, said, “General An from Xinding Film Investment called and asked if Director Sun received a call from Ning Qiuxui’s agent, saying that you arranged for her to play the second female lead in ‘Floating’. He specifically asked me to confirm this with you.”

Zhan Qingyuan paused in his task of flipping through documents: “Ning Qiuxiu?”

“Yes.”

It was her again. Zhan Qingyuan asked, “What did she say?”

“The exact words from Director Sun were: She’s the second female lead arranged by the major investor. If he doesn’t believe it, he can call you to confirm.”

Such audacity, Zhan Qingyuan raised an eyebrow.

She really didn’t consider herself an outsider.

“So… should I refuse her directly?” Song Qiao asked, observing the situation.

As Zhan Qingyuan’s “chief steward,” Song Qiao was aware of some private matters, such as Ning Qiuxui’s pursuit of Zhan Qingyuan, her infatuation, and how he often acted as a “shield” to help Zhan Qingyuan refuse her.

However, since Zhan Qingyuan started dating Miss Ji, Ning Qiuxiu hadn’t troubled him.

Song Qiao thought she had given up, only to find out that she was temporarily quiet.

Now she wanted to audition for the second female lead, clearly making things difficult for Ji Weilang.

Song Qiao, who was in charge of the drama and the investment company, knew that although the drama seemed small-scale, a lot of effort had been put into the production team and cast to support Ji Weilang.

Ning Qiuxui’s purpose was clear.

Did she have acting skills?

Was she really just there to mess things up?

“Refuse?” Zhan Qingyuan smiled lightly.

She was now considering herself his sister-in-law, and with the old man’s backing, she seemed to think she was important.

The fact that she dared to have Director Sun call him for confirmation showed that she knew he couldn’t refuse.

At first, Zhan Qingyuan thought Ning Qiuxiu was marrying his brother to get closer to him.

However, after she married, she hadn’t even looked at him much.

Instead, the housekeeper said she seemed quite attentive to his brother.

Zhan Qingyuan couldn’t tell if it was just to put on a show or if she genuinely liked his brother.

But no matter which, it didn’t seem to concern him.

Now, Ning Qiuxiu was coming forward on her own.

Zhan Qingyuan said, “Don’t refuse. Let her have it if she wants it.”

He was curious about what Ning Qiuhou was really after.

“That might not be good,” Song Qiao said. “What if Miss Ning’s acting drags down the whole drama?”

“That’s actually quite good,” Zhan Qingyuan chuckled. “She and Weilang both lack formal training, are of similar ages, and even participated in the same audition show. If her acting isn’t good, won’t it just highlight how outstanding Weilang’s acting is?”

Song Qiao understood: “Got it. Do you have any other instructions?”

“Hmm,” Zhan Qingyuan thought for a moment and said, “Have Director Sun arrange a gathering before the shoot starts and invite the main cast to meet.”

“Alright, I’ll arrange it.”

Ning Qiuxiu was not surprised to receive confirmation from the “Wandering” drama team, securing the role of the second female lead.

Since the drama was about to start shooting soon, she needed to quickly review the script and understand the character to ensure she portrayed it well.

She asked Qu Hua to cancel all her recent schedules so she could focus on studying the script.

Early in the morning, after finishing her breakfast and preparing to sort through her thick script, Ning Qiuxiu had an unexpected visitor.

“Mom,” Ning Qiuxiu felt a wave of warmth seeing Wen Ling, who she hadn’t seen for a while. “What are you doing here?”

Mrs. Ning took the tea cup from the butler and said, “Of course, I’m here to see you. Isn’t Mr. Zhan around today?”

“Grandpa is out again today,” Ning Qiuqiu said as she sat down next to Wen Ling.

The butler discreetly left, giving them space.

Mrs. Ning set down her cup and took her daughter’s hand with a concerned look. “I saw so many negative comments about you online recently. I was so worried and didn’t want to say anything that might trouble you. Are things okay now? Do you know who is behind this?”

Ning Qiuxiu, hearing her mother’s flood of words, smiled and said, “Mom, it’s just a small issue. Don’t worry.”

“That’s good to hear,” Wen Ling said, her tone becoming more spirited. “Those people don’t even know your background and still try to mess with you. They should know their place.”

“…” Ning Qiuxiu thought to herself that those people were not afraid of her background.

Besides, even though the Ning family is rich, they can’t just run roughshod over everyone!

But she didn’t explain, just smiled and agreed, “Yes, they really don’t know their own limits.”

Wen Ling felt reassured, aligning with her daughter.

She gently touched Ning Qiuxiu’s face and asked, “Have they treated you well? Have they bullied you?”

“No, they treat me quite well. It’s like being at home here,” Ning Qiuqiu responded. Old Mr. Zhan had not mistreated her; in fact, he might have been overly considerate, perhaps feeling guilty. “How are you and Dad? Is your health okay? How’s Dad’s work going?”

Ning Qiuxiu knew that the Ning family was on the brink of bankruptcy.

The most frustrating thing was that, despite knowing the outcome, she couldn’t help them navigate through this crisis.

She knew nothing about business matters.

The Ning family’s company was like a bridge eaten away by ants.

She knew it would collapse but was powerless to repair it, only able to advise her father to be more cautious at work.

Wen Ling said, “There’s not much we can do. We’re just getting by. I don’t understand your dad’s work issues either, but judging by his mood, it’s probably the same as always.”

“Mom, give this luck charm to Dad. He can carry it with him. It should help with his career,” Ning Qiuqiu said.

The charm was one of the two she had been nurturing.

It was meant to bring good fortune, ward off disasters, and attract wealth.

It should help with her father’s career as well.

Lately, she had been focusing on using charms to help the Ning family and to wake up Zhan Qingyue.

The charms she prioritized were all related to these issues.

While not guaranteed to be effective, they were better than nothing.

“Why have you suddenly started believing in these things?” Mrs. Ning asked, though she put the charm into her bag.

She remembered that Ning Qiuxiu used to be skeptical about such matters and would even criticize her for being superstitious.

Cough, Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t explain that her daughter had changed.

She just said, “Belief makes a difference. It’s better to have some faith than to rely solely on what fortune-tellers say about bringing good luck. Otherwise, all my efforts would be in vain.”

Mrs. Ning nodded, seemingly persuaded. She then asked, “Do you really like Zhan Qingyue?”

She previously thought that Ning Qiuxiu married Zhan Qingyue for Zhan Qingyuan, but given the current situation, it didn’t seem like it.

Whenever she video-called or spoke with Ning Qiuxiu, her conversations and camera focus were always on Zhan Qingyue, as if she had completely forgotten Zhan Qingyuan.

“Of course, why else would I marry him,” Ning Qiuhou stood up. “Come on, Mom, I’ll take you to see Brother Qingyue.”

The mother and daughter went up to the third floor.

Madam Ning was not familiar with Zhan Qingyue and had hardly seen him.

After his accident, she had not seen him at all, only having watched him on video a couple of times since Ning Qiuxiu married him.

Now, seeing him in person, Madam Ning couldn’t help but look him over and said, “He’s become so haggard. When he was the head of the Zhan family, he was so impressive and domineering. I was worried you’d be bullied if you married Zhan Qingyue. Sigh, fate really is something.”

Ning Qiuxiu casually responded, “When he wakes up, we can bully Ji Weilang a bit.”

“That Vixen,” Madam Ning said sharply, “She doesn’t look easy to deal with. Be careful of her. Such a seductress, she’s good at whispering sweet nothings and enchanting men. Let Qingyuan deal with her.”

Her tone turned acidic when mentioning the female lead.

“…… Don’t worry, Mom, I’m not easy to bully either,” Ning Qiuxiu actually wanted to say that her mom was watching too many dramas.

Madam Ning nodded and then thought of another issue, saying with concern, “If Qingyue wakes up, will he really like you?”

“Of course, Mom. Why do you worry so much every day? It’s exhausting.”

“It’s all for you.” Madam Ning said with a tone of frustration.

Her eyes lit up with a new idea. “I heard that even a comatose person can still… well, why don’t you take the initiative and make him responsible? That way, he’ll have to be responsible for you.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

It’s not just watching too many dramas; it’s being addicted to melodramas.