Ning Xi had always treated others with respect. Even if she had an impressive fiance, she never put on airs, nor would she ever cause others any embarrassment. Hence, when the crew saw her emptying the contents of her cup on Jiang Yuanpeng, the first reaction they had were: what exactly did Jiang Yuanpeng do to Ning Xi?
It was no wonder why everyone would think that way. Jiang Hongkai was reputed for his lecherous personality, and since Jiang Yuanpeng was his brother, in the eyes of others, one would assume that this characteristic ran in the blood of the brothers.
“Boss!” Jiang Yuanpeng’s assistant was dumbfounded. She had never expected Ning Xi to act this way. She hastily took out some paper napkins and handed them over to Jiang Yuanpeng. If it wasn’t because of their genders, she would have personally wiped Jiang Yuanpeng clean.
The liquid trickled down from Jiang Yuanpeng’s face into his neck, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. His neck was unbearably sticky, and his face immediately darkened. “It looks like no one has taught Miss Ning how to write the word ‘manners’.”
He was mocking Ning Xi’s parents’ untimely death, resulting in her inability to be brought up well.
When the staff who rushed towards them heard this, they felt that Jiang Yuanpeng had gone overboard. He could have said anything terrible, but to bring up the deceased in his words was seriously too much. If he met someone with a fiery temper, getting beaten up would already be too light a punishment.
Obviously, Ning Xi wasn’t a good-tempered person. Even though she didn’t beat Jiang Yuanpeng up, her reply didn’t spare him at all.
“No matter how ill-mannered I am, I can’t compare to your Jiang family.” She sniggered, “How did your brother and you manage to live without your conscience these years?”
Jiang Yuanpeng’s expression changed when he heard this, and the hand that was wiping off the juice froze as well. He stared fixatedly at Ning Xi, “Miss Ning, watch your words.”
What did she actually know? Why was she speaking with such a tone? Everything that happened that year, following Chen Zhenzhen’s suicide, were known to only a few. How did Ning Xi find out? Could it be that Chang Shi Gui had picked up some news from an unknown source, then shared it with Ning Xi?
Jiang Yuanpeng’s unnatural expression ignited the suspicion of everyone else. How many unscrupulous things have the two Jiang brothers done over the years to cause such a reaction over a couple of words?
To the bystanders observing the scene, what they didn’t lack most was their imagination. Within a few short minutes, everyone started imagining all sorts of contrived scenarios. The only common point was that the Jiang brothers were either the hateful villains or the scums in these melodramatic scenes.
“Pfft!” Ning Xi stifled a laugh, then placed her cup on the table and replied nonchalantly, “Mr. Jiang, a monetary debt should be repaid with money, and a blood debt should be repaid with a life. You don’t have to negotiate any terms with me. Moreover…” The taunting look on her face intensified, “What’s the deal with the Jiang family? My fiancé is the head of the Chang Enterprises. I can have anything I want.”
The bystanders: while this might not sound easy on the ears, but… it sounded logical.
In front of commoners, the Jiang Corporation was certainly reputable, but it couldn’t even compare to an arm of the Chang Enterprises. Ning Xi was currently Chang Shi Gui’s fiancée, so she would probably be even more wealthy than the Jiang family. Wasn’t Jiang Yuanpeng's act of coming here to stir up trouble with her, just humiliating himself?
As proven, the goddess who usually was full of gentle smiles could do massive damage when she spoke harshly.
Looking at Jiang Yuanpeng, whose face was now ashen as he fell into awkwardness and fury, everyone in the crew immediately felt confident. The director and producer stepped out bravely and politely invited Jiang Yuanpeng to leave so that he wouldn’t affect the production crew’s filming.
“No flowers can bloom for a hundred days, nor can someone have good fortune for a hundred days.” Jiang Yuanpeng tossed the paper napkin that he wiped his face with on the ground, glared at Ning Xi, then turned to leave.
“Wait.”
Jiang Yuanpeng stopped in his tracks, then turned back to look at Ning Xi, who had stopped him. “Could it be that Miss Ning has changed your mind?”
Ning Xi raised her chin slightly, then pointed at the used paper napkin, “Mr. Jiang needn’t concern yourself with what happens to me in future. However, Mr. Jiang’s act of littering is related to our crew. Please respect the work of our cleaners, and not haplessly litter. As the boss of a large listed company, don’t you know the logic of not littering?
Everyone turned away from Jiang Yuanpeng’s faltering expression, innocently pretending that they hadn’t seen or heard anything, but all of them were feeling unjust.
So what if he was a big boss? Just because he was a big boss, he could carelessly litter?
Jiang Yuanpeng’s assistant looked at her boss’ back view, striding away in anger, then looked at Ning Xi. Her face crimson, she then went to pick up the napkin on the floor. She had just picked up the first piece, and was about to pick up the second when a fair hand picked it up before she did.
She looked up, and was surprised to see that Ning Xi was the one who picked up the other piece.
Ning Xi smiled at her, then took away the napkin in her hand and threw it into the rubbish bin.
The assistant’s face reddened even more. She nodded at Ning Xi, then chased in Jiang Yuanpeng’s direction.
Even though she didn’t know what happened between her boss and this actress, from her point of view, this celebrity named Ning Xi was quite nice. She looked extremely pretty when she smiled, and the corners of her eyes would curve upwards like the prettiest crescent moons.
She was breathless when she caught up with her boss. She could faintly hear her boss on the phone, saying something like “since the person rejected a toast, we should force them to take a forfeit” [1]. She felt an inexplicable sense of uneasiness, but as her boss’ assistant, she needed to remain silent.
“Boss, you have a meeting with the boss of Chen Corporation in half an hour’s time,” she glanced at her watch as she reminded Jiang Yuanpeng of his schedule.
“Alright.” Jiang Yuanpeng boarded the car, then touched the collar of his shirt, his expression ugly. “Let me change my outfit first.”
“Roger.” The assistant saw the white shirt that was stained with orange juice and nodded.
Jiang Yuanpeng looked at this assistant disdainfully. The assistant that he had just changed wasn’t as intelligent as the previous one. If Chen Yunan hadn’t been taken away by the police, he wouldn’t have had to replace someone in that position. He couldn’t trust anyone else, so he had to appoint his trusted aide there.
If he had known that the matter from eight years ago would still be discovered today, he probably wouldn’t have helped his brother clear up the mess, no matter what. He even had to sacrifice a capable assistant. However… he touched the corner of his sleeve; so long as he was still in the Jiang family, the Jiang Corporation wouldn’t fall.
For the future of the Jiang family, he could only ask his brother to suffer for a bit now.
============================
“Why are you here?” Ning Xi hadn’t finished her scene, but she spotted Chang Shi Gui on the set.
“I didn’t have much on today, so I came earlier to take a look.” Chang Shi Gui didn’t tell Ning Xi that when she said that she missed him over the phone, he already couldn’t sit still. When he read historical materials in the past, he never understood how men could give up their empires for beauties. It was only until now that he understood why.
He was willing to become a fatuous ruler for Ning Xi, but Ning Xi was no bewitching imperial consort.
“Oh,” Ning Xi nodded, then handed her cup to him. It was filled with Chang Shi Gui’s hated juice, “Drink some water first. I’m filming the last scene, and I’ll be done for the day after that.”
Chang Shi Gui cared for her, but she understood Chang Shi Gui too. In the past, in order not to disturb her when she was working, he would never appear so early even though he would pick her up after. He came so early today, could it be like what he said over the phone, that he missed her?
“Mr. Chang,” Xiao Yang was carrying Ning Xi’s bag and sitting by the corner. When Ning Xi went to film, she then shifted in small steps until she was two steps away from Chang Shi Gui, “Are you here to stand up for Sister Ning?”
Hearing the words “stand up”, Chang Shi Gui furrowed his brows, but quickly regained his composure, “Tell me everything that happened.”
Thus, Xiao Yang detailed the entire process of how Jiang Yuanpeng had come to the set to cause trouble for Ning Xi, focusing primarily on Jiang Yuanpeng mocking Ning Xi’s manners and his warning that “no one could have good fortune for a hundred days.”
“I got it. Thanks for looking after Xixi.”
“Mr. Chang needn’t be so polite about it. It’s what I should do.” After sharing Ning Xi’s grievance, Xiao Yang hid in a corner, satisfied.
Sister Xixi might not care to tell tales, so she would do it. As she recalled how that old man actually cursed the longevity of Ning Xi and Chang Shi Gui’s relationship, she couldn’t resist scolding him inside.
So what if he’s from the Jiang family? In front of Mr. Chang, he was just a scum whose battle prowess was only five points!
Ning Xi didn’t know that her assistant had already secretly told Chang Shi Gui about the matter. After filming, she changed into a black winter dress. After removing her make-up, she didn’t put anymore on. She wanted to bring Chang Shi Gui somewhere; this place didn’t require her to dress up, and she also didn’t want to dress up glamorously there.
At the foot of Xiling Mountain was a few florists and shops that sold funerary items. The sales of these shops were good on some days, and bad on others. However, the shop owners would never joke or speak merrily with their clients. This was because the people who came here to purchase items were here to pay their respects for the deceased who was buried in this graveyard.
Ning Xi bought two portions of flowers, candles, incense, gold ingots, and other funerary items. Behind her, Chang Shi Gui didn’t say a word, but he also went ahead to buy two more bouquets of flowers, as well as the fruits to pay respects to the deceased.
Ning Xi didn’t stop him when she saw what he was doing, and she brought him to the stone steps at the foot of the mountain, and started climbing up.
It was noon, so there weren’t many people in the Xiling Mountain graveyard. The workers at the graveyard would sometimes pass by. The silence in the mountain made the area appear desolate. However, Ning Xi didn’t appear uncomfortable as she led the way. She pulled the dark green scarf around her neck, as she breathed out white smoke into the air.
When they were halfway up the mountain, Ning Xi turned and walked down a small path and stopped in front of a grave.
It was a husband and wife grave. However, the space wasn’t large, and there was a thick layer of dust on the tombstone. Chang Shi Gui’s gaze fell upon the picture on the grave. The man was cheerful and handsome, while the woman was beautiful and stylish. Xixi had inherited all the best features from this couple, hence from a single look, Chang Shi Gui was sure that this was the grave of Ning Xi’s parents.
“Dad, Mom,” Ning Xi sniffed, as she placed the flowers before the grave. “Your unfilial daughter is here to visit you.”
Chang Shi Gui bent down and placed the flowers in his hands too, then bowed towards the couple’s tombstone.
“The man who is bowing to you is your future son-in-law, the person whom your daughter has decided to spend the rest of her life with.” Ning Xi wiped the tears from her face, then kneeled down and placed the fruits and lit the candles.
Looking at the flickering flame on the candle, Ning Xi pursed her lips. “Your daughter is unfilial, you both have been sleeping underground for eight years, and without finding out the truth why.”
[1] An idiom that describes how someone might refuse something, only to be forced to do something worse later on.
Ning Xi had always treated others with respect. Even if she had an impressive fiance, she never put on airs, nor would she ever cause others any embarrassment. Hence, when the crew saw her emptying the contents of her cup on Jiang Yuanpeng, the first reaction they had were: what exactly did Jiang Yuanpeng do to Ning Xi?
It was no wonder why everyone would think that way. Jiang Hongkai was reputed for his lecherous personality, and since Jiang Yuanpeng was his brother, in the eyes of others, one would assume that this characteristic ran in the blood of the brothers.
“Boss!” Jiang Yuanpeng’s assistant was dumbfounded. She had never expected Ning Xi to act this way. She hastily took out some paper napkins and handed them over to Jiang Yuanpeng. If it wasn’t because of their genders, she would have personally wiped Jiang Yuanpeng clean.
The liquid trickled down from Jiang Yuanpeng’s face into his neck, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. His neck was unbearably sticky, and his face immediately darkened. “It looks like no one has taught Miss Ning how to write the word ‘manners’.”
He was mocking Ning Xi’s parents’ untimely death, resulting in her inability to be brought up well.
When the staff who rushed towards them heard this, they felt that Jiang Yuanpeng had gone overboard. He could have said anything terrible, but to bring up the deceased in his words was seriously too much. If he met someone with a fiery temper, getting beaten up would already be too light a punishment.
Obviously, Ning Xi wasn’t a good-tempered person. Even though she didn’t beat Jiang Yuanpeng up, her reply didn’t spare him at all.
“No matter how ill-mannered I am, I can’t compare to your Jiang family.” She sniggered, “How did your brother and you manage to live without your conscience these years?”
Jiang Yuanpeng’s expression changed when he heard this, and the hand that was wiping off the juice froze as well. He stared fixatedly at Ning Xi, “Miss Ning, watch your words.”
What did she actually know? Why was she speaking with such a tone? Everything that happened that year, following Chen Zhenzhen’s suicide, were known to only a few. How did Ning Xi find out? Could it be that Chang Shi Gui had picked up some news from an unknown source, then shared it with Ning Xi?
Jiang Yuanpeng’s unnatural expression ignited the suspicion of everyone else. How many unscrupulous things have the two Jiang brothers done over the years to cause such a reaction over a couple of words?
To the bystanders observing the scene, what they didn’t lack most was their imagination. Within a few short minutes, everyone started imagining all sorts of contrived scenarios. The only common point was that the Jiang brothers were either the hateful villains or the scums in these melodramatic scenes.
“Pfft!” Ning Xi stifled a laugh, then placed her cup on the table and replied nonchalantly, “Mr. Jiang, a monetary debt should be repaid with money, and a blood debt should be repaid with a life. You don’t have to negotiate any terms with me. Moreover…” The taunting look on her face intensified, “What’s the deal with the Jiang family? My fiancé is the head of the Chang Enterprises. I can have anything I want.”
The bystanders: while this might not sound easy on the ears, but… it sounded logical.
In front of commoners, the Jiang Corporation was certainly reputable, but it couldn’t even compare to an arm of the Chang Enterprises. Ning Xi was currently Chang Shi Gui’s fiancée, so she would probably be even more wealthy than the Jiang family. Wasn’t Jiang Yuanpeng's act of coming here to stir up trouble with her, just humiliating himself?
As proven, the goddess who usually was full of gentle smiles could do massive damage when she spoke harshly.
Looking at Jiang Yuanpeng, whose face was now ashen as he fell into awkwardness and fury, everyone in the crew immediately felt confident. The director and producer stepped out bravely and politely invited Jiang Yuanpeng to leave so that he wouldn’t affect the production crew’s filming.
“No flowers can bloom for a hundred days, nor can someone have good fortune for a hundred days.” Jiang Yuanpeng tossed the paper napkin that he wiped his face with on the ground, glared at Ning Xi, then turned to leave.
“Wait.”
Jiang Yuanpeng stopped in his tracks, then turned back to look at Ning Xi, who had stopped him. “Could it be that Miss Ning has changed your mind?”
Ning Xi raised her chin slightly, then pointed at the used paper napkin, “Mr. Jiang needn’t concern yourself with what happens to me in future. However, Mr. Jiang’s act of littering is related to our crew. Please respect the work of our cleaners, and not haplessly litter. As the boss of a large listed company, don’t you know the logic of not littering?
Everyone turned away from Jiang Yuanpeng’s faltering expression, innocently pretending that they hadn’t seen or heard anything, but all of them were feeling unjust.
So what if he was a big boss? Just because he was a big boss, he could carelessly litter?
Jiang Yuanpeng’s assistant looked at her boss’ back view, striding away in anger, then looked at Ning Xi. Her face crimson, she then went to pick up the napkin on the floor. She had just picked up the first piece, and was about to pick up the second when a fair hand picked it up before she did.
She looked up, and was surprised to see that Ning Xi was the one who picked up the other piece.
Ning Xi smiled at her, then took away the napkin in her hand and threw it into the rubbish bin.
The assistant’s face reddened even more. She nodded at Ning Xi, then chased in Jiang Yuanpeng’s direction.
Even though she didn’t know what happened between her boss and this actress, from her point of view, this celebrity named Ning Xi was quite nice. She looked extremely pretty when she smiled, and the corners of her eyes would curve upwards like the prettiest crescent moons.
She was breathless when she caught up with her boss. She could faintly hear her boss on the phone, saying something like “since the person rejected a toast, we should force them to take a forfeit” [1]. She felt an inexplicable sense of uneasiness, but as her boss’ assistant, she needed to remain silent.
“Boss, you have a meeting with the boss of Chen Corporation in half an hour’s time,” she glanced at her watch as she reminded Jiang Yuanpeng of his schedule.
“Alright.” Jiang Yuanpeng boarded the car, then touched the collar of his shirt, his expression ugly. “Let me change my outfit first.”
“Roger.” The assistant saw the white shirt that was stained with orange juice and nodded.
Jiang Yuanpeng looked at this assistant disdainfully. The assistant that he had just changed wasn’t as intelligent as the previous one. If Chen Yunan hadn’t been taken away by the police, he wouldn’t have had to replace someone in that position. He couldn’t trust anyone else, so he had to appoint his trusted aide there.
If he had known that the matter from eight years ago would still be discovered today, he probably wouldn’t have helped his brother clear up the mess, no matter what. He even had to sacrifice a capable assistant. However… he touched the corner of his sleeve; so long as he was still in the Jiang family, the Jiang Corporation wouldn’t fall.
For the future of the Jiang family, he could only ask his brother to suffer for a bit now.
============================
“Why are you here?” Ning Xi hadn’t finished her scene, but she spotted Chang Shi Gui on the set.
“I didn’t have much on today, so I came earlier to take a look.” Chang Shi Gui didn’t tell Ning Xi that when she said that she missed him over the phone, he already couldn’t sit still. When he read historical materials in the past, he never understood how men could give up their empires for beauties. It was only until now that he understood why.
He was willing to become a fatuous ruler for Ning Xi, but Ning Xi was no bewitching imperial consort.
“Oh,” Ning Xi nodded, then handed her cup to him. It was filled with Chang Shi Gui’s hated juice, “Drink some water first. I’m filming the last scene, and I’ll be done for the day after that.”
Chang Shi Gui cared for her, but she understood Chang Shi Gui too. In the past, in order not to disturb her when she was working, he would never appear so early even though he would pick her up after. He came so early today, could it be like what he said over the phone, that he missed her?
“Mr. Chang,” Xiao Yang was carrying Ning Xi’s bag and sitting by the corner. When Ning Xi went to film, she then shifted in small steps until she was two steps away from Chang Shi Gui, “Are you here to stand up for Sister Ning?”
Hearing the words “stand up”, Chang Shi Gui furrowed his brows, but quickly regained his composure, “Tell me everything that happened.”
Thus, Xiao Yang detailed the entire process of how Jiang Yuanpeng had come to the set to cause trouble for Ning Xi, focusing primarily on Jiang Yuanpeng mocking Ning Xi’s manners and his warning that “no one could have good fortune for a hundred days.”
“I got it. Thanks for looking after Xixi.”
“Mr. Chang needn’t be so polite about it. It’s what I should do.” After sharing Ning Xi’s grievance, Xiao Yang hid in a corner, satisfied.
Sister Xixi might not care to tell tales, so she would do it. As she recalled how that old man actually cursed the longevity of Ning Xi and Chang Shi Gui’s relationship, she couldn’t resist scolding him inside.
So what if he’s from the Jiang family? In front of Mr. Chang, he was just a scum whose battle prowess was only five points!
Ning Xi didn’t know that her assistant had already secretly told Chang Shi Gui about the matter. After filming, she changed into a black winter dress. After removing her make-up, she didn’t put anymore on. She wanted to bring Chang Shi Gui somewhere; this place didn’t require her to dress up, and she also didn’t want to dress up glamorously there.
At the foot of Xiling Mountain was a few florists and shops that sold funerary items. The sales of these shops were good on some days, and bad on others. However, the shop owners would never joke or speak merrily with their clients. This was because the people who came here to purchase items were here to pay their respects for the deceased who was buried in this graveyard.
Ning Xi bought two portions of flowers, candles, incense, gold ingots, and other funerary items. Behind her, Chang Shi Gui didn’t say a word, but he also went ahead to buy two more bouquets of flowers, as well as the fruits to pay respects to the deceased.
Ning Xi didn’t stop him when she saw what he was doing, and she brought him to the stone steps at the foot of the mountain, and started climbing up.
It was noon, so there weren’t many people in the Xiling Mountain graveyard. The workers at the graveyard would sometimes pass by. The silence in the mountain made the area appear desolate. However, Ning Xi didn’t appear uncomfortable as she led the way. She pulled the dark green scarf around her neck, as she breathed out white smoke into the air.
When they were halfway up the mountain, Ning Xi turned and walked down a small path and stopped in front of a grave.
It was a husband and wife grave. However, the space wasn’t large, and there was a thick layer of dust on the tombstone. Chang Shi Gui’s gaze fell upon the picture on the grave. The man was cheerful and handsome, while the woman was beautiful and stylish. Xixi had inherited all the best features from this couple, hence from a single look, Chang Shi Gui was sure that this was the grave of Ning Xi’s parents.
“Dad, Mom,” Ning Xi sniffed, as she placed the flowers before the grave. “Your unfilial daughter is here to visit you.”
Chang Shi Gui bent down and placed the flowers in his hands too, then bowed towards the couple’s tombstone.
“The man who is bowing to you is your future son-in-law, the person whom your daughter has decided to spend the rest of her life with.” Ning Xi wiped the tears from her face, then kneeled down and placed the fruits and lit the candles.
Looking at the flickering flame on the candle, Ning Xi pursed her lips. “Your daughter is unfilial, you both have been sleeping underground for eight years, and without finding out the truth why.”
[1] An idiom that describes how someone might refuse something, only to be forced to do something worse later on.
