Lu Xiao had been in the business world for many years and practised the essence of being a crafty merchant thoroughly. After Ji Dongyang spoke to him last time, he clearly hadn’t given up. In his words, “As long as the contract isn’t signed, I have a chance to steal.” Poaching was something he wasn’t unfamiliar with.

Ji Dongyang knew him well and went straight for the jugular. Last time, he only told him that Zhou Yining had been taken, but didn’t say by whom, so he wasted effort investigating. The more he couldn’t find out, the less he wanted to give up. He waited until Lu Xiao wanted to make a move again before pinching him hard.

Lu Xiao’s feeling right now was that cursing his ancestors ten thousand times wasn’t enough.

He punched Ji Dongyang on the shoulder. “You f*cking played me! Couldn’t you just say it directly?”

Ji Dongyang glanced at him coolly. “Say it directly, how?”

Lu Xiao glared at him, still a little disbelieving. “You really like that girl?”

Ji Dongyang said calmly, “Talk later. I’m going to film first.”

With that, he turned and left. Lu Xiao stood there, his expression a mix of emotions. He cursed a few more times under his breath. He never expected Ji Dongyang to play him for a woman. Too ruthless. He admitted he wasn’t a good person, but he wasn’t scummy enough to steal his brother’s woman.

However, he didn’t wait for Ji Dongyang to finish filming and left, probably out of anger.

They were filming the supporting roles’ scenes tonight, so Zhou Yining and Ji Dongyang could leave at 5 PM.

In the corridor, Ji Dongyang called out to her. “Zhou Yining.”

Zhou Yining turned back. “Hm?”

He said, “Come here for a moment.”

Zhou Yining followed him curiously. This was the first time Ji Dongyang had spoken to her like this on set. His mood was quite good.

The two walked into the restroom. A Ming, who was initially following them, didn’t enter. Seeing no one else, Zhou Yining closed the door and hugged him from behind, smiling. “What did you call me here for?”

Ji Dongyang glanced at the arms wrapped around his waist, turned around, and pressed her head down slightly. “What do you want to eat tonight?”

Zhou Yining looked up at him as if discovering a new continent, struggling against his hand. “You’re treating me to dinner?”

He said plainly, “Mm. Don’t want to go?”

Zhou Yining smiled, but paused the next second. “Next time. I’m having dinner with my dad tonight.”

Ji Dongyang lowered his eyes to look at her. “Okay, you go then.”

Zhou Yining smiled at him, hooked her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered in his ear, “I’ll come find you tonight.”

Ji Dongyang’s body tensed for a moment. He didn’t respond. Zhou Yining had already let go of him and turned toward the door. “I’m leaving.”

She met Zhou Lihui at a family restaurant. Zhou Yining arrived before him. When the waiter served tea, he couldn’t help but look at her a few more times. When Zhou Yining took the menu, the waiter couldn’t hold back. “Hello, are you Consort Ning from Taiping Dynasty?”

Taiping Dynasty had aired up to episode twelve over the past few days. Zhou Yining’s character, Consort Ning, appeared in episode ten, so only two episodes of her scenes had aired. She hadn’t expected to be recognised so quickly. She turned back and smiled at the waiter. “You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

Waiter: “…”

The waiter wanted to say he wasn’t mistaken. Consort Ning’s eyes and that small, unique mole on her cheek made for a very memorable face. The waiter looked at her a few more times before lowering his head.

When Zhou Lihui arrived, the dishes Zhou Yining had ordered had already been served. She looked at him. “Dad.”

Zhou Lihui looked apologetic. “The meeting ran late. Have you been waiting long?”

Zhou Yining nodded. “Half an hour.”

Zhou Lihui smiled slightly. “Hungry? Eat.”

Zhou Yining picked up her chopsticks and ate on her own. Since the Spring Festival wasn’t over yet, this counted as a New Year’s meal for the father and daughter. The first year Zhou Yining went abroad, she didn’t come back. The second year, she came back once for Zhou JiaHui’s birthday, ruined the party that night, and didn’t stay for the New Year. For the three years after that, even if she came back, she wouldn’t choose to return during the New Year.

It seemed it had been many years since she had eaten a meal with Zhou Lihui so calmly.

The last time was before she went abroad.

Zhou Lihui looked at her, feeling more and more that he owed his daughter over the years. He only learned about what Xia Yun had done to her through her psychologist, Mike, when she was seeing him. Zhou Yining had never told him these things. Before she was seven, she was quiet and well-behaved. After Qin Yuan returned, she became very silent for two years. Starting from age ten, her temperament changed drastically, perverse, irritable, rebellious. Occasionally, she would look at him coldly. That look reminded him of Qin Yuan; her eyes were too much like Qin Yuan’s.

Back then, he thought it was just a teenage girl’s rebellious phase. Plus, with Xia Yun and Zhou JiaHui there, Xia Yun was gentle, Zhou JiaHui knew how to coax people and say sweet things, always making the adults happy, it was completely different from Zhou Yining. To be honest, at that time, he did somewhat want to avoid this rebellious daughter who resembled Qin Yuan.

During the dozen years when she needed care the most, Zhou Yining was left to her own devices. What kind of personality she grew into, what she liked, what she didn’t like, happy things at school, she never told him. Even when she caused trouble at school, the driver handled it. He gave her whatever she wanted, but aside from that, he never truly cared for her.

During the years Zhou Yining underwent psychological treatment in the UK, he went to visit whenever he had time, but by then, Zhou Yining’s rejection of him had reached the level of disgust. And the fuse for Zhou Yining’s illness was lit by him.

All these years, he had wanted to find a chance to make it up to her. She said she wanted to enter the entertainment industry to act, so fine, he let her go.

For the movie The Heart Knot, Wei Zhong was a famous director, and Ji Dongyang was a Movie King. Undoubtedly, it was a high-profile, major production. But he hadn’t expected the script’s content to be like that.

Only then did he realise he was still terribly wrong, no different from before always shoving “good things” at her, thinking that was compensation.

Zhou Lihui looked at Zhou Yining and sighed. “Ningning, if filming this movie is too forced or painful, we won’t do it.”

Zhou Yining hadn’t expected him to be still thinking about this. Her chopsticks paused, but she repeated, “I will finish filming.”

After the meal, Zhou Lihui wanted to drive her back, but Zhou Yining refused. “I drove myself. You should go back early.”

She said she would have a meal with him, so she just had a meal, ate, and left immediately.

Zhou Lihui seemed to age a few years in an instant. When he returned home, he saw Xia Yun alone in the living room, watching TV. The TV was showing Taiping Dynasty. Consort Ning, played by Zhou Yining, leaned lightly in the Emperor’s arms, her eyes charming. Looking at her… she felt very unfamiliar.

This was his daughter.

Xia Yun turned back and saw him. She quickly changed the channel, smiling as she walked over to take his briefcase. “Why are you back so early from your social engagement tonight? You don’t seem to have been drinking either.”

Zhou Lihui glanced at her. “I had dinner with Ningning tonight.”

Xia Yun‘s expression changed, but she held back and didn’t say anything. Zhou Lihui turned to go upstairs, but she suddenly chased after him. “Lihui, just you and Yining eating? No one else?”

Zhou Lihui frowned. “Who else did you think?”

Xia Yun‘s face looked unpleasant. For so many years, she rarely blushed with anger at Zhou Lihui, let alone argued. This time, it seemed she couldn’t hold back. “Don’t you think you’ve become a little cold to me these past few years? Ever since Yining went abroad, you’ve often run off to the UK. Are you unable to forget Qin Yuan and still thinking of getting back with her? If you are, just say it straight. You’ve been giving me attitude for years. How much did you invest in that show Zhou Yining is filming? Such a huge sum of money, and you didn’t even say a word to me. Do you still consider me your wife?”

As she spoke, her eyes turned red. Zhou Lihui’s face became even stiffer. “How did you know about that?”

Xia Yun: “How could I not know? It’s such a large sum.”

After a long while, Zhou Lihui said, “This is what I owe her. And what you owe her.”

Xia Yun stood frozen on the spot, watching him go upstairs without another word.

…

Zhou Yining arrived at the hotel. While parking in the underground garage, perhaps due to the keen awareness she had developed from being with Ji Dongyang, she intuitively felt a flash from the black car diagonally across from her. She frowned and didn’t get out of the vehicle. After waiting for a while, she saw a tall figure walk out of the elevator. It was Ji Dongyang, dressed in his usual attire: a long down jacket, a hat, and a mask.

She watched him get into his car and reverse smoothly.

Suddenly, the phone beside her rang. She looked; it was him calling.

She quickly answered. Ji Dongyang’s voice was a bit heavy. “Stay home tonight. I have something to deal with.”

Zhou Yining pursed her lips. He had already driven the car out. She asked, “What is it?”

“Some family matters.”

Zhou Yining didn’t ask further. She said, “Okay,” and hung up. She didn’t tell him she was right behind him. That paparazzi car was already following close behind, chasing after Ji Dongyang.

She followed as well. Ji Dongyang, as usual, chose small roads, sped up, and wound around, shaking off not only the paparazzi but also his girlfriend.

Zhou Yining had no choice but to drive home.

Ji Dongyang was going to see Lu Xiao. Lu Xiao was waiting for him at a teahouse.

Lu Xiao was still a bit disgruntled about the Zhou Yining matter. Seeing him arrive, he didn’t give him a pleasant look. “To apologise, you should at least offer wine, right? Tea isn’t sincere enough.”

Ji Dongyang smiled briefly, then quickly composed his expression. Lu Xiao asked again, “How long have you been together?”

Ji Dongyang: “Not long.”

Lu Xiao: “Serious?”

Ji Dongyang looked at him. Lu Xiao understood. If he weren’t serious, he wouldn’t have played him like that, guarding against him like a thief.

How to describe his friendship with Ji Dongyang? Ji Dongyang started acting in his teens. By the time Lu Xiao was in college, Ji Dongyang had already saved quite a bit of money. Back then, Lu Xiao was thinking about investing in a business with someone and mortgaged his family’s only house. Unexpectedly, he lost everything in the end. He was only 20 years old and nearly broke down.

It was Ji Dongyang who lent him money to turn things around. In those years, he invested constantly. At first, he always lost more than he earned. Ji Dongyang seemed to trust him unconditionally; as long as he asked, Ji Dongyang would lend. Money truly seemed like an external possession to Ji Dongyang. But Lu Xiao somewhat understood his family situation. At that time, Ji Dongyang was still too young. If he hadn’t lent the money to Lu Xiao for investment, it would have been drained away by Ji Dongyang’s parents anyway. Who would have thought the disciplined and strict Ji Dongyang had a pair of parents addicted to gambling, who also got involved with that stuff?

It could be said that Ji Dongyang propped up Lu Xiao’s current status. Ji Dongyang never mentioned repayment. After all, his own value had risen over the years, and he didn’t lack that amount. However, Lu Xiao counted that money as Ji Dongyang’s shares in the company. Ji Dongyang had a stake in his company and received dividends every year.

Ji Dongyang spoke frankly. “Go back and handle something for me tomorrow. Yang Xun can’t get away.”

Lu Xiao understood immediately. “That mess with your parents again?”

Ji Dongyang didn’t speak, just nodded lightly.

Lu Xiao suddenly asked, “You’ve been working like your life depends on it these past two or three years. Do you really plan to film a few more movies while you can and then retire behind the scenes?”

Ji Dongyang smiled self-deprecatingly. He suddenly wanted a cigarette but held back. He said calmly, “I have that plan.”

Lu Xiao sighed. “I’ve always said you’re too perfectionistic. Which artist doesn’t have a few black spots? As long as the storm passes, it passes. They still get by just fine.”

Hiding everything from heaven and earth for so many years was indeed exhausting. The pressure was unimaginable. Ji Dongyang actually stopped caring about exposure long ago. In his words, he didn’t want to drag out a feeble existence anymore.

“Let’s talk after finishing this movie.”

“This won’t be your last movie, right?”

“No.”

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