Chapter 16

Zuo Mingran woke up early the next day and saw Yan Yunyang having breakfast in the dining room. Looking pale, she came down from upstairs like a wandering soul and sat down opposite him without saying a word. She let out a long sigh before greeting him, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Yan Yunyang's eye twitched. "What's wrong with you?"

Through their time together, he had come to understand Zuo Mingran's daily habits. Unless she had work arrangements, she would never wake up before 10 am. It was rare for her to be up early like today when there was nothing particular happening.

Zuo Mingran rested her elbow on the table, supporting her forehead with one hand. Still not fully awake, she mumbled, "Auntie invited me to go shopping today."

In reality, they had agreed to meet at 11 am, which would allow them to have lunch together. However, Zuo Mingran had a dream in the middle of the night and woke up in a daze. She couldn't fall back asleep and decided to come downstairs to find something to eat. Seeing that Yan Yunyang was still there, she came over to say hello.

Yan Yunyang looked up, his gaze falling on the red marks on her face. He said calmly, "If you don't want to go, then don't."

"It's not that," Zuo Mingran tucked her hair behind her ear, half-opening her eyes. "Since I have nothing else to do, it's nice to have someone accompany me for shopping. I'm happy about it."

Yan Yunyang swallowed the second half of his sentence silently. After a while, he softly responded with an "Hmm."

Waking up early ruined the whole day for Zuo Mingran. She yawned and tears welled up uncontrollably. Rubbing her face, she stood up and went to the fridge to grab a bottle of soda water. Waving her hand at Yan Yunyang, she said, "You go ahead, I'll just drink some water and go back to sleep."

"Wait," Yan Yunyang called out to her, "Since you've come down, have breakfast first before going back to sleep."

Zuo Mingran hesitated for a moment, feeling the chilliness of the soda water she was holding. Yan Yunyang glanced at it and continued, "Don't drink anything too cold in the morning. There's egg custard in the microwave."

Hunger overcame sleepiness, so Zuo Mingran put the soda water back in the fridge and gestured to him, "Alright, I'll wash my face and come down soon."

After finishing breakfast, Zuo Mingran, as usual, put the dishes in the kitchen before intending to go upstairs for a nap. However, Yan Yunyang walked over and handed her a card.

She instinctively took it and asked, "What's this?"

"It's my spare card," Yan Yunyang said. "You can use it for now, and I'll have my assistant give you a new one tomorrow."

"I don't want it," Zuo Mingran pursed her lips and handed the card back to him. "We agreed in our contract that pre-marital and post-marital property are separate. As a first-line actress, do you think I need shopping money?"

Yan Yunyang was in the process of fastening his shirt cuffs, and the card was thrown into his embrace. He quickly caught it and laughed helplessly, "That's not what I meant."

Zuo Mingran looked at him skeptically, adjusted her expression, and Yan Yunyang explained, "My mother didn't bring much luggage back, so she might buy a lot of things."

Zuo Mingran wasn't foolish and immediately understood.

Now she was Yan's legitimate wife, Liu Qinghe's daughter-in-law, so if they were going shopping with her mother-in-law, it was only natural for her, as the junior, to insist on paying the bills. Considering Liu Qinghe's spending habits, it was definitely going to be a significant amount.

After understanding this, Zuo Mingran took the bank card from Yan Yunyang and shook it. "Don't worry, I'll make sure our mom has a happy shopping trip."

Yan Yunyang raised his eyebrows, but quickly put on his glasses and returned to his usual elite demeanor. He glanced at the time on his wrist and said, "There's an important meeting at the company today, and I can't be absent. If I have time, I'll come to pick you up after it ends."

Zuo Mingran touched her ear. These words didn't sound like much, but when they reached her ears, they had an indescribable feeling.

While Yan Yunyang was still struggling with his cufflinks, previously when he lived alone, his assistant would usually just come in and call him. Occasionally, she would help him with something. But now that Zuo Mingran was here, considering her status as a female celebrity, Yan Yunyang had instructed his assistant to wait for him downstairs.

For some reason today, the cufflinks seemed to have a life of their own and couldn't be fastened no matter how hard he tried. Yan Yunyang tried in vain, and just as he was about to give up, Zuo Mingran, who couldn't stand watching, spoke up, "Let me help you."

The two of them stood on the staircase, with Zuo Mingran slightly lowering her head, pulling Yan Yunyang's arm towards her, and quickly fastening the cufflink in three swift motions.

"Other hand."

Yan Yunyang obediently extended his other hand, and once everything was done, Zuo Mingran patted his shoulder with a serious expression and said, "Go on, do well at work."

Yan Yunyang: "..."

*

Although the PR departments had been busy all night, the online discussions about whether Zuo Mingran's marriage was fake remained high. On one hand, her fans defended her, and on the other hand, there were trolls and marketing accounts trying to exploit the situation, determined to dig up something on her.

For safety reasons, Zuo Mingran decided to give Shi Shuangxia a call to let her know about her plans.

Upon hearing that she was going out with Yan Yunyang's mother, Shi Shuangxia, who was originally against it, immediately agreed, "Sure, it's a good opportunity to show those people whether you're divorced or not."

Zuo Mingran sighed and said, "Sister Xia, you should know the kind of relationship I have with him. It's better not to involve Aunt Liu in these troublesome matters. She has just come back after a long time."

"I was just speaking casually," Shi Shuangxia said. "Those media are smarter than us. Have you seen them mentioning anything about Yan on the internet?"

Zuo Mingran thought for a moment and said in surprise, "Actually, they haven't."

Shi Shuangxia sneered, "Of course not. They are only targeting the weak ones. Forget about this matter, I'll have Mao Mao and An Ran follow you. If anything happens, contact me immediately."

An Ran was the new assistant, and Zuo Mingran felt relieved. After a few more words, she hung up the phone.

After having breakfast, Zuo Mingran didn't feel as tired as before. She lay on the bed for a while and then realized that she would start filming in a few days. After resting for half an hour, she took the script and entered the gym, walking slowly on the treadmill while reading her lines.

As the female lead, she had quite a few lines, all of which she had already marked with a highlighter. Looking at the bright green marks in front of her, Zuo Mingran suddenly got a headache.

Since graduating from college, she hadn't experienced this kind of last-minute cramming for a long time.

Time passed quickly, and after spending over an hour in the gym, Zuo Mingran took a shower, changed into casual clothes, and left.

For lunch, they went to a French restaurant. Due to the special nature of her identity, Zuo Mingran wore sunglasses and a mask, covering herself completely.

However, Liu Qinghe had considered everything. The driver drove directly into the garage through the VIP channel and entered the private room through the elevator. Except for the staff, they didn't encounter anyone else along the way.

After the meal, they went to a nearby shopping mall.

Since it was a working day, the mall wasn't very crowded. Zuo Mingran took off her mask, and the oversized sunglasses covered most of her face. Her high and straight nose and pointed chin had a perfect balance, making her look neither harsh nor sharp.

Shopping for women never had a specific purpose. Zuo Mingran and Liu Qinghe went from one store to another, trying on clothes they liked and buying what fit. Soon, the driver behind them was carrying bags of various sizes.

Considering Liu Qinghe's health, after more than an hour of shopping, they passed by a café. Zuo Mingran suggested, "Mom, let's have a cup of coffee."

The driver put the bags aside in the car first. Liu Qinghe nodded and walked into the café with Zuo Mingran.

The café had a nice ambiance, with a slightly vintage style. There were plenty of green plants placed around, and it wasn't crowded. Soft and soothing music played in the background as they sat at a window seat and ordered their drinks.

Liu Qinghe gently looked at Zuo Mingran as she stirred her coffee, and casually asked, "Has Yunyang ever bullied you?"

Zuo Mingran blushed slightly and replied, "No, Mom, he's always been good to me."

Liu Qinghe sighed, "That's good. Yunyang and his father... In the past, I stayed away for more than ten years out of anger towards his father. Now, thinking back, the one I regret hurting the most is Yunyang. He was so young then."

As she spoke about the past, Liu Qinghe's face turned somewhat melancholic. Zuo Mingran reached across the table and held her hand, persuading her, "Mom, don't think like that. Yunyang loves you very much; he's just not good at expressing it."

Liu Qinghe smiled and patted Zuo Mingran's hand, "Fortunately, Yunyang has you. That puts my mind at ease."

Zuo Mingran's cheeks flushed, and she was about to say something when a slightly sharp female voice interrupted them.

"Qinghe sister?"

Caught off guard, Zuo Mingran watched as a glamorous woman approached them and sat down on the chair next to Liu Qinghe without any hesitation.

It was clear that the woman knew Liu Qinghe, and when Zuo Mingran glanced behind her, she saw a familiar figure.

Raising an eyebrow and looking at the similar features of the two women, Zuo Mingran quickly guessed the woman's identity.

"Qinghe sister, you didn't even tell us when you came back. You have no idea how much we've been waiting for you," the woman said. "If it weren't for Zhenzhen telling me, would you have kept us in the dark?"

Liu Qinghe frowned slightly, her tone distant, "I simply returned to the country. There was no need to make a big fuss. I had planned to settle down first before telling you. I didn't expect to run into Zhenzhen."

Saying that, Liu Qinghe looked at Zuo Mingran and introduced her, "Ranran, this is the wife of the CEO of Shao Hua Company and Zhenzhen's mother, Tian Min."

Zuo Mingran smiled at the woman, "Hello, Mrs. Fan. I'm Zuo Mingran."

"Oh, there's no need to be so polite. Just call me Auntie Tian," Tian Min said, looking Zuo Mingran up and down. She then smiled and asked, "Why are you still wearing sunglasses indoors? Aren't you afraid it'll be inconvenient for Mrs. Fan?"

Zuo Mingran maintained her smile and replied, "It's crowded, I didn't want to cause any inconvenience for Mrs. Fan."

Tian Min covered her mouth and chuckled, "That's right, you're a big star. We can only see you on TV normally."

Zuo Mingran glanced at Fan Zhenzhen, who was standing there, not knowing if it was because she had learned her lesson yesterday, but she was surprisingly quiet today. After greeting Liu Qinghe, she stood obediently on the side, showing a somewhat elegant and graceful demeanor.

Tian Min then pulled Liu Qinghe aside and said a few words to her, completely ignoring Zuo Mingran's presence. A few minutes later, Liu Qinghe coughed and smiled atTian Min, "You two go ahead, there are a few more shops I haven't been to yet."

Upon hearing this, Fan Zhenzhen hurriedly took half a step forward, as if she wanted to say something, but was discreetly pushed back byTian Min.

"Alright then, Qinghe, you go ahead, we'll treat you to a welcome banquet in a couple of days, you must come, okay?"

Nodding, Liu Qinghe replied gently, "I will definitely come."

It wasn't until Zuo Mingran and Liu Qinghe's figures completely disappeared from view that Fan Zhenzhen stomped her foot in anger, pullingTian Min's sleeve and complaining, "Mom, why did you let them go? Shouldn't we have gone shopping together with Aunt Liu?"

Tian Min scolded her with a reproachful tone, tapping her forehead, "How did I teach you? Girls should be reserved, unlike you, who eagerly puts yourself forward and makes people look down on you, do you understand?"

Fan Zhenzhen pouted, dissatisfied, "But that's Yunyang gege."

"He's just your half-brother, where did you get the idea of other brothers from?"Tian Min said exasperatedly, "You, oh you, I told you to make me proud, but instead you just embarrass me."

Annoyed, Fan Zhenzhen turned her head away.Tian Min looked towards the window where Zuo Mingran had left and said disdainfully, "He's just an actor, after all, it's difficult for him to climb higher in society. He should know what kind of family background he comes from, yet he acts like a treasure. It's ridiculous to hear."

The waiter brought over two cups of coffee.Tian Min put two sugar cubes in hers, stirred it with a spoon, and said to Fan Zhenzhen, "Alright, wait for a few days until your father comes back, and I will have him arrange a birthday banquet for you. By then, there will be all kinds of good men, who cares about Yunyang."

Fan Zhenzhen's face lit up and she leaned onTian Min's shoulder, acting spoiled, "Mom, I knew you loved me the most."

Tian Min pinched her cheek and sighed, "If I don't love you, who will I love? That brother of yours, I will never be able to get close to him in this lifetime! You're my only daughter, and I'll rely on you for a good life in the future!"