Ning Qiuxui originally planned to visit her parents on New Year’s Day, but they couldn’t wait and came over themselves.

Since Zhan Qingyue had helped Ning’s family through a crisis, Ning’s father now saw Zhan Qingyue as a savior, thinking he must have been blessed by his ancestors to get such a good son-in-law.

After some polite conversation, Ning’s father suddenly became serious and said to Zhan Qingyue, “Qingyue, you’re much better at management than me. I plan to step back once you’re fully recovered and let you take over Ning He.”

“Cough, cough, cough,” Zhan Qingyue hadn’t even responded when Ning Qiuxui choked on her father’s words. “Dad, don’t joke around.”

“This isn’t a joke; it’s well thought out,” Ning’s father said, glaring at her. “Qingyue is so outstanding. I trust him to manage Ning He. Also, when will you two get your marriage certificate?”

“……” Ning Qiuxui was baffled by the sudden mention of getting a marriage certificate and felt unfairly pressed about marriage.

“Right, while you’re still young, you should have a child. It’s better to have kids while you’re young; they’ll be smarter. Look at me, I was 28 when I had you, and you’re so silly. Luckily, Qingyue doesn’t mind,” Mrs. Ning’s added.

“？？？” Was that a personal attack?

Zhan Qingyue smiled and said, “I don’t mind. You’re very cute.”

“……” Ning Qiuxui thought, “You can just leave.”

This made Ning’s Mother even more enthusiastic. “Exactly! I’m free anyway and can help take care of the baby. Nowadays, you can’t trust nannies and babysitters—they abuse children so much, and kids can’t speak up. Just thinking about it makes me anxious.”

“Yes, yes,” Ning’s Father agreed. “It’s better to have family help with the baby rather than blindly trusting those nanny agencies.”

Ning Qiuxui: “……”

She had given up on struggling.

Why do her parents always have such strange topics and ideas?

Ning’s mother then asked Zhan Qingyue, “Qingyue, do you prefer a boy or a girl?”

“Me?” Zhan Qingyue glanced at the exasperated Ning Qiuxui and said, “As long as it’s a baby from Qiuxui, I’ll like it.”

Ning Qiuxui: “……”

“Why would I give birth to a big-headed ghost?”

Unable to continue a pleasant conversation with them, Ning Qiuxui decided to check on Miaomiao, who had been locked in the small living room for a while.

As she got up and walked quickly towards the small living room, she didn’t hear Ning’s mother criticizing her: “Oh dear, getting shy so easily. Our Qiuxui just has thin skin and can’t handle teasing.”

Thin skin…

Zhan Qingyue thought it was interesting to describe Ning Qiuxui this way, but he didn’t call her out and just smiled, “After all, she’s a girl.”

Ning’s father returned to the topic of Zhan Qingyue taking over Ning He, and since Ning’s mother didn’t understand business matters and hadn’t talked to Ning Qiuxui in a while, she also went to the small living room to find her.

Miaomiao, restricted to the small living room, was very unhappy but didn’t dare to act out for fear of being punished with bitter melon.

It lay by the door, looking innocent and pretending to be weak and helpless, hoping to evoke its owner’s sympathy.

This trick had worked many times before in G City.

Whenever Miaomiao acted this way, the staff would take it out for a walk.

However, when Ning Qiuxui entered the room, she didn’t notice Miaomiao behind the door and almost bumped into it.

Fortunately, Miaomiao reacted quickly and jumped away, avoiding disaster.

Seeing Ning Qiuxui, Miaomiao immediately lay down, looking pitiful and as if it desperately needed to go out for a walk.

“Hmm?” Ning Qiuxui was indeed drawn to Miaomiao, squatting down to pet its drooping head. “Is it the new environment bothering you, you southern dog?”

Unfortunately, Miaomiao couldn’t understand human language.

Observing Ning Qiuxiu’s reaction, it thought its act of looking pitiful was successful.

It weakly wagged its tail, practically wanting to write “I want to go out and play” on its forehead.

To Ning Qiuxiu, Miaomiao was always full of energy, mischievous and lively.

Seeing it suddenly looking so weak, her heart softened. “I forgot you’re not used to being here. Don’t worry, I’ll ask the housekeeper to take you to the vet.”

Miaomiao couldn’t understand her words, but it had a conditioned reflex to the words “vet,” remembering the place where it had lost its manhood forever!

Upon hearing those words, it instantly perked up and dashed several meters away, pressing its backside against the wall and looking at Ning Qiuxiu warily.

Ning Qiuxiu: “???”

What the heck, this dog was faking illness! It was outrageous.

While Ning Qiuxiu was wondering if this dog was faking illness and if it had some conspiracy like its owner, Madam Ning knocked and entered the room. Seeing Miaomiao in a standoff with Ning Qiuxiu, looking fierce and intimidating, she asked, “Why do you have such an aggressive dog? What’s it doing? Is it going to bite you?”

Ning Qiuxiu said, “No, it’s just being silly, looking for a beating.”

Miaomiao feared its owner but didn’t recognize Madam Ning.

It thought its owner was going to take it to the vet to remove another precious part.

Seeing a strange woman enter and appear frightened, it suddenly felt bold and barked at Madam Ning.

Madam Ning was terrified of cats and dogs, which she considered foolish creatures.

She instinctively took a few steps back and bumped into a shelf.

With a crisp “crash,” something fell to the ground.

The sudden noise startled all three of them.

Ning Qiuxiu quickly looked over and saw the item on the ground broken in two.

She felt a wave of dread.

Oh no, wasn’t this the decoration Zhan Qingyue’s aunt’s child wanted during a family dinner after Zhan Qingyue was discharged from the hospital?

Zhan Qingyue had threatened to compensate tenfold if it was damaged!

The housekeeper had said it was something Zhan Qingyue had specially ordered, with significant meaning. Now it was broken in two.

If she blamed Miaomiao, would the dog end up as hotpot?

“Oh my, that scared me,” Madam Ning said, clutching her chest and breathing heavily.

Seeing Ning Qiuxiu’s serious expression as she picked up the broken pieces, her still-pounding heart tightened. “Did something valuable break?”

“Nothing much, just a decoration. I’ll ask the housekeeper to replace it later,” Ning Qiuxiu said nonchalantly.

She couldn’t blame Miaomiao—it could cost the dog its life.

She couldn’t let her mom take the blame either. Ning Qiuxiu would have to bear this burden herself.

But Zhan Qingyue would certainly use this as an excuse to give her a hard time.

She’d better not admit it and secretly order a new one to replace it.

Hopefully, Zhan Qingyue wouldn’t notice the switch!

Ning Qiuxiu thought this plan was pretty good.

After confirming once more that Miaomiao was just a fierce-looking but actually timid dog, Madam Ning finally relaxed and sat down at the farthest point from it.

She called Ning Qiuzhi over to sit with her, taking her hand and saying, “What your father and I said wasn’t a joke.

You should persuade Qingyue to get the marriage certificate and have a baby soon.

That way, you can secure your position as his primary wife.

Otherwise, with Qingyue being so excellent, once he’s fully recovered, various women will try to seduce him, and you’ll have no advantage.”

Ning Qiuxui: “……Mom, really, you should watch fewer palace dramas and idol shows.”

“You ungrateful child,” Ning’s mother said, getting frustrated. “What palace dramas and idol shows? These are real-life examples. Do you think the world of men is as simple as you imagine? Just because he loves you now doesn’t mean he will forever.”

“……” She didn’t think that way.

“Look at Qingyuan. He was crazy about that woman and ended up with her, even though he shouldn’t have. A man who can be stolen once can be stolen a second time.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Ning Qiuzhi said, sounding shocked, “Qingyuan had relations with another woman? Who?”

“That woman, the one who used to pursue Qingyue, named Qing, I heard from my friend. Qing is her niece. It’s a good thing you didn’t choose him. He’s unreliable and a womanizer.”

Ning Qiuxui: “……”

It seemed like she had figured out a big, dramatic plot twist between the leads.

Based on her experience from years of reading web novels, the love and hate entanglement between the leads and Jia Qing might look like this:

After Jia Qing became disappointed with Zhan Qingyue, she shamelessly pursued Zhan Qingyuan.

In the story, Ning Qiuxui’s character is replaced by Jia Qing after being discarded, serving as an obstacle to the leads’ romance.

When the storyline involving Jia Qing couldn’t proceed as planned, and seeing the leads happily together, Jia Qing, feeling resentful, resorted to a dirty trick.

This likely involved drugging, compromising situations, and other melodramatic scenes typical in novels.

This caused misunderstandings between the leads, leading to a breakup.

Zhan Qingyuan, troubled by Jia Qing’s manipulations, decided to hand over the company to Zhan Qingyue, thinking that by becoming clean, Jia Qing would give up on him.

Meanwhile, Zhan Qingyuan’s genuine feelings touched the female lead, who gave him another chance.

They reunited and lived happily ever after.

“……” She really should consider writing novels with her imagination.

Ning’s mother continued, “It’s not that I don’t trust Qingyue. After all, he and Qingyuan are brothers, connected by blood. And whether you have a child now or later doesn’t make much difference.”

Still reeling from the melodrama involving the leads, Ning Qiuxui responded vaguely, “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s the spirit!” Madam Ning said cheerfully. “Although Qingyue says he likes whatever you give him, he’s just saying that to make you happy. He definitely prefers a son, so make sure your belly does its job.”

“???” She said she wasn’t addicted to palace drama!

Ning Qiuxiu was taken aback.

How could she possibly control whether she had a boy or a girl?

Plus, didn’t her own parents only have one daughter?

After dinner, Ning’s parents left.

Mr. Ning seemed in a bad mood, and Ning Qiuxiu guessed it was because Zhan Qingyue had rejected his request to take over.

Mr. Ning, who had little interest in business and had decided to step back, found his plans thwarted and was feeling disappointed.

Ning He wasn’t a particularly profitable company and had been on the brink of bankruptcy.

It wouldn’t be easy to recover, and someone like Zhan Qingyue wouldn’t be held back by such a company.

Ning Qiuxiu fixed the broken ornament with glue, placing it back so that no one would notice the repair.

She also contacted the company that did custom orders and ordered a new piece.

The next day, she received a local delivery from Madam Ning.

It was a book titled The Secret to Having a Son.

Ning Qiuxiu: “…”

Truly a mother’s concern.