“Cold?” Ning Qiuxiu asked.

She had just stepped out and realized she forgot to bring a blanket for Zhang Qingyue’s feet.

If he was cold, she would have someone bring it over.

“It’s fine,” Zhang Qingyue replied.

Ning Qiuxiu didn’t continue the conversation, and the two fell into a quiet walk.

After a while, Zhang Qingyue sighed lightly and spoke up, “Trouble on your mind?”

“Huh? Why do you ask that?”

“Looks like you’re preoccupied.”

Is it that obvious? Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t help but touch her face.

Being pretty doesn’t help much if it gives away all her emotions!

Ning Qiuxiu felt she had to say something or she’d burst.

She thought for a moment and asked, “Mr. Zhang, if it’s not too forward, what are your plans for the future? Are you going back to Zhuosen?”

Oh, she’s actually asking about his future now. Zhang Qingyue replied, “I was thinking it might be nice to be a model son-in-law.”

“……” Again with the teasing!

So, is he going back or not?

“Qingyuan is doing quite well,” Zhang Qingyue answered, as if he could hear her unspoken thoughts.

Ning Qiuzhu’s eyes lit up. “Then… have you considered starting an entertainment company or something?”

“……” Zhang Qingyue chuckled at her suggestion. “There must be a reason behind it. Tell me your reasoning.”

“I…” I can’t exactly say I know some people with unpredictable futures, so it would be great to bring them in now while they’re still under the radar, and later they could become big stars. “Well, I have some friends who are potential stars but are currently struggling. If you’re not going back to Zhuosen, we could discuss this.”

As she spoke, Ning Qiuxiu felt a bit nervous.

She leaned forward slightly to gauge Zhang Qingyue’s expression, only to find his face as calm and unreadable as ever.

“Qiuxiu,” Zhang Qingyue called her name.

“Hmm?”

“If your suggestion were from one of my subordinates, it would already be marked as a reject with just that first sentence.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……I’m not one of your subordinates!”

I’m your wife, and shouldn’t I get some special consideration?

“From a certain perspective, you are,” Zhang Qingyue said, his tone suddenly becoming ambiguous.

“……” Ning Qiuxiu took a moment to realize what he meant, her face turning red with embarrassment and anger. “Hmph, you pervert!”

Zhang Qingyue, accused of being a pervert by his wife, felt wronged.

He straightened his expression and said, “I’ll give you another chance.”

“……” Just listen to what’s being said!

“If you can’t think of anything right away, you can go back and think about it slowly and make a simple proposal.” Zhan Qingyue said with a serious tone.

Ning Qiuxui didn’t expect Zhan Qingyue to be so earnest, not even pretending to be casual like he usually did when he was coaxing or deceiving her.

Feeling a bit sulky, she said, “If you don’t want to, then don’t drag things out.”

Seeing her upset, Zhan Qingyue smiled helplessly and said, “Qiuxui, starting a business is just an idea that everyone can have. To stand out, the idea must be extraordinary. If you don’t even have a convincing reason, and I blindly invest resources and money, do you think the Zhan and Ning families can afford to lose?”

Alright, Ning Qiuxiu understood what Zhan Qingyue meant.

She realized her proposal had been too abrupt and might have seemed half-baked to him.

Zhan Qingyue was steady and smart—how could he possibly do something impulsive just because of a pretty face?

Ning Qiuxui felt dejected.

She had thought this idea was great, even fantasizing about the couple dominating the entertainment industry together.

She had underestimated the complexity of the situation.

“However,” Zhan Qingyue continued, “the idea is good. I’ll give you two days to come up with a brief proposal for me.”

Oh, come on!

Her enthusiasm was already dampened, and now he wanted her to do this?

She had never worked in an office before and was less competent than a basic professional.

The result would probably lack basic logic and be mocked for its lack of brilliance.

She didn’t want to embarrass herself.

“Only those who don’t get discouraged or give up can see success.” Before Ning Qiuxui could refuse, Zhan Qingyue forcefully served her some motivational words.

“I don’t want to succeed.”

“Believe in yourself, future boss lady.” The enemy’s tactics were upgraded again.

“……”

Alright then, doing it won’t hurt, at most she’ll get mocked by him.

Her skin was thick enough; she wasn’t afraid!

That evening, after Zhan Qingyue’s caregiver had settled him and left, he lay on the bed and took out his phone.

He pulled up Zhan Qingyuan from his contacts and, just as he was about to call, remembered that the other party had a nightlife. Instead, he opened WeChat and slowly typed a message.

【Zhan Qingyue: How many entertainment industry connections do you have?】

Before long, Zhan Qingyuan replied with a voice message: “It’s alright. Why are you asking this? You don’t actually want to promote Ning Qiuxui, do you, bro?”

The background noise on Zhan Qingyuan’s end was quite loud, likely from some bustling place.

Seeing that he hadn’t gone to bed, Zhan Qingyue decided to call him directly.

“Hey, bro.” After a while, the call was answered, and the background noise had diminished, probably because he found a quieter spot.

“Compile all the resources you have, including any connections you might have, and send them to me.” Zhan Qingyue said.

“Wait a minute,” Zhan Qingyuan wondered aloud, “Ning Qiuxui is quite a charmer, huh? You’re actually getting personally involved to help her. If you’re taking action, it’s probably to make her a top star or something. I’m feeling a bit jealous here,” he said with a hint of sourness, “Bro, you’re really nice to her.”

“Not really.” He would get annoyed otherwise.

“Then you should be nicer to your younger brother,” Zhang Qingyue’s voice unconsciously carried a hint of petulance. “You should get better soon; I’m counting down the days until you return to Zhuosen so I can finally take a break.”

“Not going back. Your sister-in-law wants to start an entertainment company, so I’m thinking of giving it a try.”

“……” Zhang Qingyuan, who had been casually leaning against the wall with one leg propped up and the other bent over it, almost lost his balance upon hearing this. “Bro, are you serious? An entertainment company?!”

No wonder he had been asking for resources—it was for this.

Zhang Qingyuan’s frustration intensified, feeling like he was not just eating lemons but an entire pomelo.

“Hmm, don’t tell anyone or ask her about it.”

Not only was he not allowed to ask her, but Zhang Qingyue’s brother was also feeling both sour and bitter.

He tried to wake him up, “Bro, I get that you want to pamper her, but this is way too ambitious. Are you serious?”

His brother, who had always been calm and composed, seemed to be completely infatuated by her!

He was considering entering a new industry—starting an entertainment company, which was not just about money but also required resources and connections.

For an outsider to start from scratch, it was incredibly difficult.

How deeply was his brother infatuated?

“Right now, it’s just a vague idea. It’s getting late, so I won’t keep you. Talk to you later.” Zhang Qingyue ignored his brother’s complaints and ended the call.

Zhang Qingyuan: “……”

He was so frustrated.

As Zhang Qingyuan put away his phone, he saw Ji Weilang coming out from the private room.

Noticing his frown, she walked over and asked with concern, “Did you drink too much?”

“No, I just got a call from my brother.”

When Ji Weilang heard “my brother,” her expression subtly changed.

“Let’s go back in and sit for a while longer before we head home.” Zhang Qingyuan, preoccupied with the phone call from Zhang Qingyue, didn’t notice her change in mood.

He reached out and took her hand, leading her back to the private room.

On the other side, Zhang Qingyue, who had created a “pampering wife” persona for himself, found the situation a bit childish and amusing as he hung up the phone.

He wasn’t actually planning to dive into the entertainment industry just because of Ning Qiuxiu’s comment.

The entertainment industry occupies a large portion of the country’s resources and is an ever-popular field.

Being part of it could ensure a lasting presence in the future.

If the opportunity arose, it was worth considering.

Zhang Qingyue had some resources and connections in this area already.

He had also previously invested in a chain of offline cinemas…

He was using Ning Qiuxiu’s wish as a reason for this consideration, partly because she had brought it up, which sparked the idea, and partly because he had learned about some of her past…

Ning Quixui got up early the next day.

She was someone who would act immediately on her decisions.

After having breakfast, she settled into her room and began to ponder deeply.

However, although the idea seemed simple, putting it into writing proved quite difficult.

Ning Qiuxui opened a Word document and stared at the blank page for a long time, realizing how hard it was to draft a brief proposal.

First, she didn’t know what a brief proposal looked like.

Okay, she could search it on Baidu, and copying the format would suffice.

Secondly, she found that since she had graduated so long ago, she had forgotten most of what she learned, and her writing was quite lacking.

She could only use a very elementary narrative style: I think starting an entertainment company is a good idea, and here are the reasons why, etc.

Ning Qiuxui wrote a paragraph, looked back at it, and was almost in tears from frustration.

Calling it elementary school level might even be an insult to elementary school students.

So, Ning Qiuxiu kept typing and deleting, deleting and typing.

After a whole morning, the document only had a few words: Brief Proposal on Starting an Entertainment Company.

“……” Readers would be heartbroken and viewers would shed tears.

Why was she making things so difficult for herself?

Aren’t stars unhappy?

Aren’t wealthy wives dissatisfied?

Is she lacking money to spend?

Ning Qiuxui closed her laptop and decided to go downstairs for a walk.

Maybe inspiration would strike her.

As she walked downstairs, she encountered a woman coming out of the study.

The woman appeared to be in her 40s, dressed in casual business attire with her hair pinned up, looking neat and professional.

She was probably a guest of Zhan Qingyue, perhaps a business partner who had just finished discussing something with him.

The woman also noticed Ning Qiuxui coming downstairs and politely nodded at her.

Ning Qiuxiu smiled back.

The woman didn’t seem interested in chatting.

Just then, the butler came over, first greeting Ning Qiuxiu politely and then addressing the woman, saying, “Dr. Pan, I’ll see you out.”

So, she was a doctor.

Ning Qiuxiu wondered why Zhan Qingyue had a doctor in the study.

But she didn’t think too much of it.

Zhan Qingyue had always been unconventional, much like having a silly husky as a pastime.

Ordinary people like her couldn’t guess his thoughts.

As she walked downstairs and approached the coffee table to find a glass of water, she noticed a business card on the table.

Curious, she glanced at it and saw: Pan Nianyun, Psychologist.

“……” What’s going on here?!