As soon as Ning Qiuxiu got out of the car, she almost had a heart attack when Miaomiao, who had heard the car and rushed out, started jumping and biting at her.

It seemed to have forgotten its previous fear and was acting as if it was happy to see her.

“Aw aw woo~” After being scolded, Miaomiao calmed down a bit and started to act cute.

“Miss Ning is back! Aw aw, I missed you so much~” The second one to come out was Jingjing, the very serious caregiver, who always had more energy than anyone else.

Ning Qiuxiu, tangled up with Miaomiao, called out to her, “Come and help me with the stuff.”

“Okay, okay, Miss Ning, don’t move! I’ll take care of it, just leave it to me!” Jingjing said eagerly as she walked over.

“…” Ning Qiuxiu looked at her with suspicion. “Did you do something to betray me again?”

“I didn’t!” Jingjing immediately denied. “I just missed you so much because it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.

I’ve been so distracted that I couldn’t even enjoy my tea or meals. Even going to the bathroom felt pointless without you.”

“…… Get lost,” Ning Qiuxiu said with a shiver. “If you’ve changed your preferences, go find a beautiful girl while you’re still young.”

Jingjing: “……”

When Ning Qiuxiu got home, she discovered it was unusually lively.

Lin Xitian, Zhan Qingyuan, Ji Weiliang, and Zhan Qingze were all there to visit Zhan Qingyue, and even Old Master Zhan had come.

The house, already lively, was even more bustling.

It seemed that Ning Qiuxiu’s “strong woman” image was no longer a secret among these people, and their reactions were mixed when they saw her.

Zhan Qingze was the first to approach. “Sister Qiuxiu, I’m sorry again for what happened last time. Please forgive me and don’t hold a grudge.”

Ning Qiuxiu sighed. “I forgot about it a long time ago. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have remembered.”

Zhan Qingze: “…… I won’t mention it again. qaq”

Lin Xitian looked hurt. “Sister Qiuxiu, you lied to me. You’re actually my sister-in-law and didn’t tell me. My heart is shattered.”

“I really didn’t mean to hide it. It was… well, the situation was complicated at the time. If you don’t believe me, ask Grandpa,” Ning Qiuxiu quickly shifted the blame.

“Yes, I told you I had reasons,” Old Master Zhan said with a resigned tone, having evidently explained this many times.

He then looked at Ning Qiuxiu. “But Qiuxiu, your strength… it wasn’t developed from taking care of Qingyue, was it?”

“No, no,” Ning Qiuxiu said, looking at Zhan Qingyue, who was sitting and smiling at her, and denied, “I’ve always been strong by nature.”

“It’s not just natural strength,” Zhan Qingyuan teased. “Not only can you carry bamboo, but you also handle paparazzi with ease.”

Zhan Qingyuan had mixed feelings towards Ning Qiuxiu.

On one hand, he was trying to resolve their past conflicts after being impressed by her, but she had countered him effectively.

On the other hand, he felt a pang of jealousy over Zhan Qingyue’s excessive favoritism towards her, as if she had taken something that was originally his.

This jealousy led him to poke fun at her.

However, the teasing made the expressions of both Zhan Qingyuan and Ning Qiuxiu subtly change.

Ji Weiliang, who had been silent, and Zhan Qingyue, who had been observing quietly, were also affected by the situation.

Originally, Zhan Qingyue was observing Ning Qiuxiu with a raised eyebrow.

His younger brother really knew her well.

Ning Qiuxiu had never been polite to Zhan Qingyue and said bluntly, “Just get lost.”

“Qiuxiu,” Zhan Qingyue said, “It seems there’s a problem with the things you left on the bed. Shall we go check it out?”

The “things on the bed” must be the charms! Since this trip was longer, Ning Qiuxiu had only hidden a few charms in the pillowcase of Zhan Qingyue’s bed.

What could be wrong?

Her heart skipped a beat. Had they been discovered?

“Why don’t you all sit here for a moment? I’ll be right back,” Ning Qiuxiu said, pushing Zhan Qingyue.

Lin Xitian said, “What things? I want to see too!”

Zhan Qingyue smiled at her. “Are you sure?”

“……” Lin Xitian, seeing his sly grin, suddenly thought that he might just be using this as an excuse to have a private moment, and her face turned red.

She quickly waved her hand, “No, no, you two go ahead.”

Since Lin Xitian, who was a bit naïve, had thought of that, so did the others.

Under everyone’s ambiguous gazes, Ning Qiuxiu, with a stiff upper lip, pushed Zhan Qingyue away and ran off.

Her innocence.

Ning Qiuxiu felt like she was having a string of bad luck lately, always getting tricked.

She thought she should draw a charm to bring some good luck and keep it with her.

But it seemed like, even if she was now his wife, and regardless of how pure their relationship was—never even holding hands—there was no way for them to be seen as innocent in the eyes of others…

“So, what’s wrong with my charms?” Once they were back in the room, Ning Qiuxiu asked Zhan Qingyue.

If he was just making excuses to trick her, she… well, there wasn’t much she could do.

So frustrating.

Zhan Qingyue said, “I accidentally spilled water on them.”

“Did they take them to be washed?” Ning Qiuxiu asked anxiously.

Zhan Qingyue glanced at the bed and noticed two identical pillows side by side.

He usually slept on the right side, so the pillow on the left was the one Ning Qiuxiu had stuffed with talismans.

Ning Qiuxiu removed the pillowcase and found that the pillow was damp.

The talismans she had inserted were now soaked and the symbols drawn on them had smeared.

It was a complete waste of effort.

Her heart ached from the loss.

“Sorry,” Zhan Qingyue said, sensing her distress. “I accidentally knocked it over while reaching for a drink.”

“It’s fine,” Ning Qiuxiu said, trying to stay positive. “But how did you suddenly knock it over? Is there any new issue?”

Zhan Qingyue replied, “It was just an accident. It’s unavoidable.”

He had only recently woken up, and while the talisman water had helped him recover faster, brain injuries took time to heal completely.

Occasionally, his nerves might not respond as expected, which was beyond his control.

All he could do was adapt and wait for his brain to regain full control.

“You’re recovering quickly and well, so don’t stress!” Ning Qiuxiu said awkwardly, trying to offer comfort.

Zhan Qingyue, not taking the opportunity to tease her, smiled lightly and said, “I won’t let Madam Zhan down.”

Ning Qiuxiu, suddenly feeling a bit flustered, thought of something else. “Oh, I brought you a gift. Let me have it brought up!”

Zhan Qingyue was about to say it wasn’t urgent and could wait, but Ning Qiuxiu had already called the butler.

The butler acted quickly, and soon the gift arrived.

Ning Qiuxiu proudly displayed her gifts: cute animal squishies that wouldn’t lose shape, a squishy egg-laying chicken, and a fidget spinner.

Zhan Qingyue couldn’t help but twitch his lips, wondering if he really seemed like someone who needed these stress-relief toys.

“And this,” Ning Qiuxiu said, presenting the last item, “a decision-making orb. It has nine possible answers and outcomes.

If you ever need to make a decision while you’re recovering and working, use it for fun. Of course, don’t rely on it for serious matters, just spin it for some light-hearted entertainment.”

“Alright,” Zhan Qingyue said with a hint of amusement, not sure where Ning Qiuxiu had found these little things. “Thank you, it’s very thoughtful. I’ll accept them.”

“You… don’t mind them, do you?” Although the items had only cost less than 200 yuan in total, Ning Qiuxiu, used to having a thick skin, said, “Well, it’s the thought that counts, right?”

Zhan Qingyue replied, “I don’t mind.”

“Oh! I’m glad you don’t mind. So,” Ning Qiuxiu, acting a bit obsequiously, walked over to him and started massaging his back. “About the entertainment company matter, are we still going to do it?”

Here was the catch.

Zhan Qingyue chuckled and said, “Let’s see your sincerity.”

“What sincerity?”

“Fang Jinran—” Zhan Qingyue deliberately stretched the sound.

Ning Qiuxiu immediately understood and said, “He’s really just an industry friend. There’s nothing between us. You can see the WeChat messages he sent me that day.”

Ning Qiuxiu showed him her WeChat conversation with Fang Jinran.

Zhan Qingyue glanced at it, satisfied with what he saw, but said, “I’m not referring to that.”

“Then what?” Ning Qiuxiu pouted.

It seemed you couldn’t link Zhan Qingyue with jealousy.

“It’s complicated with his company’s contracts. If you want to help him, it won’t be easy. You’d have to deal with a big lawsuit and possibly lose a lot of money.”

“Oh,” Ning Qiuxiu didn’t understand these things. “Then I’ll try my best to help. If it doesn’t work out, it’s fine. But Mr. Zhan, you know quite a lot, even about this.”

Zhan Qingyue said, “I just see it as a business opportunity.”

Ning Qiuxiu asked, “…?”

“Fang Jinran is a potential asset.”

Ning Qiuxiu was puzzled, “??? Why am I trying to understand Zhan Qingyue with a common mindset?”

“Also,” Zhan Qingyue suddenly looked at her with a teasing smile, “Big Power Qiuxiu, you’ve once again refreshed my understanding of you.”

“… Big Power Qiuxiu my foot!” Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t help but curse. “That’s such an ugly nickname!”

“Hmm, I don’t have a sister,” Zhan Qingyue said seriously. “But I’m curious, what’s your strength’s limit?”

“It’s not very high,” Ning Qiuxiu tried to save face, “I can lift about 10 people, maybe 11 at a stretch. Just a bit stronger than average.”

“A bit stronger, how much is that?” Zhan Qingyue wasn’t easily convinced.

“For example…” Facing Zhan Qingyue’s probing questions, Ning Qiuxiu felt she had to be very careful with her answers to avoid being caught in a lie.

She looked around for something to measure against.

Her gaze fell on Zhan Qingyue, and she suddenly had an idea to shut him up.

She quickly walked over, caught Zhan Qingyue off guard, and lifted him from the wheelchair.

Holding him in her arms, she weighed him a bit and shyly said, “This is my limit.”

Zhan Qingyue, being held like a princess for the first time, was left speechless, “…??”