Chapter 23

Chapter 23

In order to prepare a meat dish for Ning Yuyi, Xie Yezhou and Zhuang Rong went fishing in advance.

The fish were raised in paddy fields, so none were particularly large.

By the time Ning Yuyi finished preparing the vegetarian dishes for the evening, Xie Yezhou and Zhuang Rong had already returned.

"Take a break first." Ning Yuyi poured two glasses of lemon preserved in sugar and salt that she had prepared the previous night, placing them on the table in the courtyard, inviting the two to rest.

Zhuang Rong initially wanted to decline. She just turned forty this year and has entered middle age. To avoid putting on weight, she rarely consumed sugary items.

However, not wanting to refuse Ning Yuyi's kind gesture and feeling quite thirsty, she took a gentle sip and found out Ning Yuyi had specially prepared the salt-preserved version for her.

Holding the glass with the lemon slices, Zhuang Rong lowered her head and smiled gently.

Such a thoughtful child, so endearing.

And so lovable.

The "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" dish was, in the end, not prepared.

It was too time-consuming and wasted too many ingredients. The production team hadn't even prepared enough, so in the end, Zhang Xueyong could only regretfully let Liu Tiancheng and the others off the hook.

At this, Liu Tiancheng let out a cold, derisive laugh and then... had no more strength left.

After dinner, Ning Yuyi was so exhausted that she couldn't even lift a hand. She lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Take a shower first." Xie Yezhou emerged from the bathroom, his wet hair still dripping. A dry towel hung around his neck. "I've adjusted the water temperature for you."

"Mmm..." Ning Yuyi responded weakly, forcing herself to get up and dragging her sore legs towards the bathroom.

After her shower, Ning Yuyi promptly collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

The next day's filming was much smoother.

By the time Ning Yuyi stepped into the courtyard, everyone else was already having breakfast.

Zhuang Rong beckoned Ning Yuyi over, saying, "Come here, I've served your porridge for you."

Yawning, Ning Yuyi made her way over to them. Just as she sat down, she heard Zhang Yang's disdainful snort.

Xie Yezhou immediately shot Zhang Yang a cold glance, "If you don't want to eat, then leave."

Direct and brutal, but effective.

Sure enough, Zhang Yang didn't dare to speak any further, simply lowering his head in silence.

The director also gave Zhang Yang a displeased look, deeply regretting why they had invited him for the first episode.

"Life, you see, always has its ups and downs," the assistant director remarked, standing beside the director. "You were initially reluctant to have Fenghua push Ning Yuyi into this, yet it turned out to be a great move. Now you're facing the downside."

The director pondered for a moment, then cheered up.

"In any case, Zhang Yang is here for just one episode. With some editing, it'll still be watchable."

……

After wrapping up the first episode, the director gave everyone a break. The second episode would be shot the following week.

Holding a cat carrier, Ning Yuyi bid Zhuang Rong and the others goodbye and boarded the program's sponsored vehicle.

"Heading home." Ning Yuyi carefully placed the carrier on the back seat and fastened its seatbelt to prevent it from shaking. "Hang in there, Sweetie, we'll be home soon."

Xie Yezhou deftly opened a can of cat food and slid it into the carrier.

"I need to check the process for pet transport," Ning Yuyi said, reaching for her phone.

"No need." Xie Yezhou grasped Ning Yuyi's wrist. "How are you still so thin?"

"The filming was exhausting. I'll recover in a few days," Ning Yuyi glanced at her wrist, "Besides, where have I lost weight?"

"You've lost weight," Xie Yezhou reaffirmed.

"..." Deciding to change the subject, Ning Yuyi asked, "Without pet transport, how will we get back?"

We're crossing the sea; we can't possibly take a ferry back.

If we really took that route, by the time we got home, it'd be time to return for more filming.

"Private jet," Xie Yezhou said, each word weighed in gold, as if he paid for each syllable. "It's waiting at the airport."

！！？

Ning Yuyi belatedly remembered Xie Yezhou's status as the scion of a wealthy family and couldn't help but grin.

With so many rich people in the world, why am I not one of them?

With a private jet, there's no need to wait in line. Ning Yuyi arrived home that night, settled her cats in the living room, and threw a blanket over them as a makeshift bed for the night.

"It's too late now; I'll buy you a cat bed tomorrow," she cooed, petting Sweetie's head. "Goodnight, Sweetie."

After her shower, Ning Yuyi cuddled with her pillow and decided to send Fan Zhongchuan a message about her return. To her surprise, she received a response almost instantly.

——Have you eaten yet?

Looking at her phone, Ning Yuyi happily replied.

——Not yet. It's too late, so I had some cookies. I'll eat properly tomorrow.

——I'll cook tomorrow. Will Mr. Fan come over to eat?

After sending those messages, there was no reply, as if they'd sunk into the abyss.

Ning Yuyi assumed Fan Zhongchuan was busy. After waiting for a while, she turned off her phone, disappointed, and lay down to sleep.

Just as she was drifting off, the doorbell rang.

The abrupt sound of the bell jolted Ning Yuyi awake. Expecting to see Zhou Er and ready to give him a piece of her mind, she stomped to the door in her slippers. However, to her astonishment, it was Fan Zhongchuan standing there.

"Brother?" Ning Yuyi, still emanating an air of confrontation, blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you dinner," Xie Yezhou gestured to the bag in his hand, which looked heavy. "Eat before sleeping."

Only then did Ning Yuyi realize why she hadn't received a response earlier. Judging by the timing, Fan Zhongchuan must've headed out to get dinner as soon as he saw her message.

"Thank you, brother," Ning Yuyi said, glancing back into her apartment. She opened the door wider, "Would you like to come in and join me?"

"Yes."

"I have cats inside. Are you allergic to cat hair?"

"No."

Xie Yezhou returned to the Xie residence.

The family shared a peaceful dinner together, but just before bedtime, they received investigative news.

It wasn't from the private detective they'd hired; it was news from the police department.

"We've found him."