CHAPTER 180

Tang Ruoyao slipped and Qin Yinong quickly reached out to support her.

Tang Ruoyao patted her back and said, "I'm fine."

She let out a sigh and looked in the direction of the sound.

Ningning sat on the sofa, holding a book high in her hands, covering her entire face. But today, Ji Shulan had braided her hair into a twist, dividing her long hair into two strands resting on her shoulders. With her fair complexion, her reddened ears were fully exposed.

"Do you think she's looking at the calligraphy book again?" Tang Ruoyao couldn't believe that this day would come so soon. She stood at the door, not moving, and whispered to Qin Yinong.

"Really?" Qin Yinong smiled slightly and said, "Do you see her holding a calligraphy book?"

"What if she looked at it before?"

"Then I don't know." Qin Yinong shrugged.

In her opinion, it was highly likely that Ningning had figured it out. Tang Ruoyao was the type of person that Ningning admired, and her care for her was meticulous. They had spent some time together recently, even though it wasn't too long. But there was a sense of familiarity between people, and over a month was not short.

However, Qin Yinong played a trick and intentionally didn't tell Tang Ruoyao, making her nervous and anxious for a while. She had subtly hinted to Tang Ruoyao several times that she didn't need to write essays for Ningning anymore. Tang Ruoyao, who was usually sharp-minded, hadn't received any of those messages. If this continued, in a year or so, the number of essays she had written for Ningning would surpass her own.

Half a minute had passed since Ningning called out "Mommy," but Tang Ruoyao remained frozen in her standing position, as if she had merged with the entrance and hadn't moved at all.

Qin Yinong couldn't bear to see her silly appearance, so she leaned over and whispered, "But I think if you don't respond when she calls you, she won't call you again in the future."

Tang Ruoyao let out a soft "ah" as if awakening from a dream.

A bright light flashed before Ningning's eyes. The square characters on the book were replaced by Tang Ruoyao's face, which was tense yet filled with anticipation. Tang Ruoyao took the book from her with one hand, half-kneeling in front of the child. Her attitude was friendly, like a gentle spring breeze and rain, as if afraid of startling her. She asked softly, "What did you just call me?"

Ningning was extremely shy, curling up as small as possible. She couldn't help but glance at Qin Yinong standing beside her.

Qin Yinong gave her an encouraging look.

Ningning gathered her courage, lifted her head to look at Tang Ruoyao for a moment, then quickly lowered her eyelashes, and softly but clearly said, "Mommy."

It was as if a thunderbolt struck Tang Ruoyao's heart, and she sat down on the ground.

She stumbled over her words, incoherent, "I-I'm sorry."

Ningning: "???" Did she not want to be her mommy anymore?

Qin Yinong found it both amusing and speechless. She reached out and helped her lover up, explaining to Ningning, "Your... Mommy was just too excited, she didn't mean to dislike it."

Ningning nodded and glanced at the still dazed Tang Ruoyao. Her little face blushed, and she jumped off the sofa, saying, "I'm going to find Grandma."

Qin Yinong waved her hand and said, "Go ahead, but be careful."

Qin Yinong poured a glass of water for Tang Ruoyao, who held it with both hands and sipped slowly. Gradually, her eyes reflected the face of a woman and her indescribable expression.

Tang Ruoyao: "..."

She tightened her grip on the cup, and without any hope, she asked, "Did I embarrass myself again?"

Qin Yinong raised an eyebrow, intending to say, "Don't you think you're trying too hard," but when she saw her pitiful appearance, she couldn't bear it and gently touched her face, saying softly, "No, you're very cute."

Tang Ruoyao received a small comfort and reluctantly curved her eyes at her.

She said dejectedly, saying, "I don't want to be like this either."

Her dream had come true, and her mind was buzzing. Just being able to speak was already good enough. What did she just say to Ningning?

Qin Yinong reached out and embraced her. "It's okay. She already has a good impression of you. It won't matter if you act silly occasionally."

Tang Ruoyao immediately looked up at her and pretended to be angry. "So, you think I'm silly too?"

Qin Yinong's eyes were filled with a moonlight-like smile as she continued the second half of her sentence, "Silly and cute."

"You're mean." Tang Ruoyao was teased and buried her face in the woman's arms.

Qin Yinong tightened her embrace.

After a while, Tang Ruoyao muttered to herself, "Why is my mind always blank, as if it's fragmented?"

Qin Yinong's lips curved slightly, and she echoed, "Indeed."

She spoke with a smile, implying something. Tang Ruoyao thought she was mocking her performance last night. Like driftwood floating on the sea, letting the waves dominate, or like a vine climbing tightly on a big tree, blushing deeply and burying her face even deeper.

However, Qin Yinong was actually thinking with great interest: When would be the best time to tell Tang Ruoyao about that matter? It was amusing to see her clueless and unknowing.

Or perhaps she would remember it herself? Would such a thing leave a physical memory?

Qin Yinong dismissed the latter possibility. If she could remember, she would have recalled it long ago when they were in the "True Colors" crew, sharing the same bed multiple times and embarking on passionate encounters.

Why didn't she notice her silliness before? Qin Yinong sighed with a tinge of melancholy in her heart and reached out to pinch the young woman's face.

Tang Ruoyao was confused by the pinch, "???"

Qin Yinong held Tang Ruoyao's hand again, gently pinching each finger joint one by one. Finally, she buried her head and lightly pecked the back of Tang Ruoyao's hand. She suppressed her laughter when she saw Tang Ruoyao's confused and puzzled gaze, cleared her throat, and pretended to be serious as she said, "Let me see how well my mom cooked."

Tang Ruoyao replied, "Okay."

She watched Qin Yinong's figure and couldn't help but feel that the other person was smiling, and they seemed very happy.

What did I do? Tang Ruoyao couldn't figure it out.

After the parent-child time in the evening, Qin Yinong stayed alone in Ningning's room and asked her about the change in addressing her. In her heart, she didn't have any doubts. It was just a mother's routine duty to pay attention to the little one's subtle changes.

Unexpectedly, the little one lay in bed with big watery eyes and said without any surprise, "Aren't you two already married?"

"Who said we were married?" Qin Yinong blurted out.

"My uncle said so."

"Uncle..." She only had one uncle, Tang Fei. She didn't know what misunderstanding was involved, but they would eventually get married anyway. Qin Yinong remained silent for a second and directly affirmed, "Your uncle is right, we are married."

Ningning showed a hint of dissatisfaction and asked in a childish voice, "Then why didn't you tell me? Aren't I a member of this family?"

Qin Yinong earnestly made up a story, "I wanted to surprise you, didn't I?"

Ningning seemed to believe her and said, "But you said on TV, and you even called Auntie Tang your 'loved one'."

Qin Yinong blushed a bit and said, "...You saw all that?"

Ningning nodded, "Uncle also said you were cheesy." She pointed at Qin Yinong's left cheek and said, "Mommy's blushy face."

Qin Yinong: "..."

She tugged at her ear and coughed uncomfortably.

That Tang Fei, why did he tell everything to the child?

Qin Yinong basically understood the whole situation. After coaxing the child to sleep, she went upstairs to report to Tang Ruoyao. Tang Ruoyao checked the time and saw that it was past nine in the evening. Tang Fei was probably still reading, so she walked to the bathroom and made a phone call.

She deliberately avoided Qin Yinong, who could more or less guess her intentions, and obediently played with her phone, keeping her head down.

Tang Fei was always happy whenever he received her call, full of energy as he exclaimed, "Sis!"

Tang Ruoyao got straight to the point, "Did you tell Ningning that Qin Yinong and I are already married?"

Tang Fei cheerfully replied, "Yeah, didn't she see the rings on your fingers? Sis, you're amazing! You're a winner in life! Truly admirable!"

"What a mess," Tang Ruoyao said irritably, "Why do you have such a big mouth? If I actually succeeded in proposing, wouldn't I tell you?"

Tang Fei suddenly stuttered, "Th-th-th-then... it didn't happen?"

Why would she wear a ring if they didn't get married! Are adults so casual nowadays? Can't they set a good example for teenagers?

Tang Ruoyao couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, "We got married."

Tang Fei was completely confused.

"Did you or did you not get married?"

"We didn't," Tang Ruoyao said with uncontrollable joy, "but it's almost like we did."

"...As long as you're happy." the teenager decided to focus on studying and not get involved in adult matters anymore.

Tang Ruoyao laughed again and said, "Xiaofei, I have to thank you."

Tang Fei twirled the pen in his hand and casually marked an "A" on the multiple-choice question in his test booklet. He continued to the next question and playfully said, "This little brother asks, where does the gratitude come from?"

Surprisingly, he was quite good at it.

"When did you learn to perform?" Tang Ruoyao asked with a smile.

"Just a hobby, I learned it casually," Tang Fei humbly replied. After a while, he couldn't help but say, "It's almost the end of the semester, right? Our school is having a variety show, and I signed up to sing 'The Romance of the Western Chamber.'"

"That's great, it's a way to improve yourself."

"Sis..." Tang Fei hesitated.

Tang Ruoyao knew what he was thinking after a brief pause, even without seeing him. She took the initiative to ask, "Will parents be invited to this variety show?"

Even though Tang Ruoyao couldn't see it, Tang Fei vigorously nodded and immediately said, "They will be."

The high school Tang Fei attended was a well-known school in the capital, emphasizing the comprehensive development of students' qualities in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, and aesthetics. The variety show was their major event, held in the auditorium with a formal atmosphere. The school even asked the students to inform their parents and invite them to attend. Tang Fei originally didn't want to bother Tang Ruoyao, but he couldn't suppress his inner expectations.

......

Qin Yinong scrolled through her phone and read dozens of pages of her new book before Tang Ruoyao finally came out of the bathroom.

"What did you talk about with Xiaofei for such a long time?" Qin Yinong inserted a bookmark and closed the book.

"He has a variety show next month, so I asked about the details." Tang Ruoyao placed her phone on the bedside table.

"Are you going to watch?"

"Yes."

"I want to go too."

"Let's go together. Will it be easy for people to recognize us?"

"I wasn't talking about that."

The woman sighed and reached out to grab the phone on the coffee table. She found a video from the album and called Tang Ruoyao over to watch.

Tang Ruoyao placed one hand on the armrest of the sofa and bent down.

On the screen was a stage with a pure white piano. Sitting in front of the piano was a girl wearing a pale white princess dress. The lighting made her fair skin appear translucent and her piano playing was ethereal and beautiful, like an elf fallen into the mortal world.

After finishing the piece, Qin Yinong gently touched the edge of the phone with her fingertip, freezing the screen on Ningning bowing and thanking the audience. She slowly said, "This was the literary and artistic performance held by Ningning's kindergarten this year. The teachers insisted that parents must attend, fearing that the children would forget. They even called our home phone. I was at home that day, but I didn't hear any news before that."

Tang Ruoyao asked, " She didn't tell you?"

Qin Yinong made a sound of agreement.

Tang Ruoyao placed her palm on Qin Yinong's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Not only that, she also asked my mom not to tell me."

Tang Ruoyao fell silent for a moment, sighing, "She's being too considerate."

Qin Yinong smiled bitterly, "The key is that I actually knew about it that day, but I still didn't go. My mom later told me that all the parents of her classmates went that day, except for me." She sighed, "Maybe because of that, she doesn't want to go to school anymore."

Qin Yinong's emotions visibly sank.

Tang Ruoyao looked at the side of the woman's face and suddenly blamed herself, "It's my fault."

Qin Yinong looked up, "Hmm?" What does it have to do with her?

Tang Ruoyao looked serious and said, "It's my fault for not showing up earlier."

Qin Yinong said, "..."

Tang Ruoyao continued, "As long as you're unhappy, it's all my fault."

Qin Yinong tilted her head slightly, suppressing the smile on her lips, and said with a gentle reproach, "Nonsense."

Tang Ruoyao moved to face her directly, squatting down, and held her hands with both of hers. With a smile on her lips, she said, "You enjoy listening, don't you?"

The woman pretended to be annoyed and said, "No."

"That's just me enjoying saying it," Tang Ruoyao good-naturedly went along with her, then said, "I'll find a way to deal with Ningning not liking school."

Qin Yinong frowned and blurted out, "You're not going to write another paper, are you?" There was a hint of displeasure in her tone.

Tang Ruoyao asked, "What?"

Qin Yinong's eyes showed a trace of annoyance, and she said, "It's nothing."

Tang Ruoyao, who had always been slow in this regard, finally had a humorous and absurd idea in her mind. She asked, "You're not jealous because I wrote an essay for Ningning, are you?"

Qin Yinong remained silent.

When she didn't speak, it usually meant she was tacitly agreeing.

The highly intelligent Qin scholar, Tang Ruoyao, fell silent as well.

When it came to Qin Yinong's way of getting jealous, there was nothing she couldn't imagine, and there was no limit to her jealousy.

Qin Yinong's thoughts were exposed, making her feel embarrassed and flustered. She immediately tried to pull her hand away, but Tang Ruoyao stopped her in time and said, "I won't do it anymore."

Qin Yinong twisted her hand a couple of times, but Tang Ruoyao held it firmly, and a smile blossomed at the corner of hereyes.

The two of them remained silent for a while.

Qin Yinong pulled her up and sat her in her lap, resting her chin on Tang Ruoyao's shoulder. She muttered, "I really shouldn't have come back home."

They always unintentionally talked about children, even though they had just started dating!

"Hmm? Why?" Tang Ruoyao asked.

Qin Yinong didn't answer directly, only saying, "Let's buy another house."

Tang Ruoyao: "!!!"

Does that mean a marital home?

Qin Yinong continued, "We can decide on the interior design ourselves. You don't like the style of the current one we live in, right? You said it was too dark and looked gloomy."

Tang Ruoyao remained silent for a moment and said, "...When did I say that?"

She had only thought about it yesterday. Could it be...

As expected, Qin Yinong said, "You told me last night. Did you forget?" She suddenly laughed, "I forgot, you have memory lapses."

Tang Ruoyao didn't catch the fleeting amusement in Qin Yinong's eyes and nervously swallowed.

"What... What else did I say?"

"You said a lot. I asked you something, and you answered everything." Qin Yinong touched her face and smiled, revealing her snow-white teeth. She said, "You were especially obedient."

Tang Ruoyao's vision blurred for a moment.

Did she accidentally reveal her secret plan to save money for a dowry?

How could Qin Yinong not notice her abnormality, but she deliberately didn't expose it, letting the young woman get nervous. Tang Ruoyao didn't talk much at that time because besides her most instinctive reactions, she couldn't speak, let alone have a normal conversation with Qin Yinong.

While she was soaking in the bathtub, feeling drowsy and on the verge of falling asleep, she accidentally let slip a sentence. Qin Yinong had just struck up a conversation with her, but she immediately tilted her head and fell asleep, appearing as if she were unconscious and unaware of her surroundings.

Qin Yinong watched Tang Ruoyao's figure as she entered the bathroom, a smile forming at the corner of her lips. She humorously thought to herself, 'When did I become so mischievous?'

At home, Tang Ruoyao found it difficult to let go. Despite the good soundproofing, she insisted on clenching her teeth and not making a sound. After that one time, they embraced each other and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, the online world was still buzzing with activity.

There were so many aspects to dissect from the interview at the Golden Magnolia Awards night. Entertainment media and netizens were eager to analyze every frame. Of course, Qin Yinong was the one who stood out the most. She dominated the trending topics one after another, with each one ranking first. Tang Ruoyao, who was mentioned alongside Qin Yinong that night, was also thrust into the limelight.

[Tang Ruoyao and Qin Yinong at odds]

During the peak of the next evening's online traffic, it became a hot trend.

In the video, Tang Ruoyao initially had a smiling expression and was friendly during the interview. However, when the reporter brought up the topic of Qin Yinong, she subtly paused and began responding in an official manner. As the reporter's questions delved deeper, her expression grew colder, and she eventually excused herself.

As mentioned before, Tang Ruoyao and Qin Yinong had completely opposite public images. One was seen as a pure and untainted goddess, while the other was associated with scandals and represented the unwritten rules of the entertainment industry. Under this trending topic, the majority of comments praised Tang Ruoyao while criticizing Qin Yinong.

[Taking Tang Tang away, marketing accounts should not incite conflicts]

[What's wrong with the fans this year? Can't they be happy even when praising their idol?]

[Don't compare with senior artists, focus on our own]

[I just think Tang Ruoyao is great, both in virtue and talent. The entertainment industry needs such a good actress like her. Support banning Qin Yinong]

[If we say that netizens don't know the truth, then we can trust the words of actors who have worked with her, Qin Yinong has a bad character]

Fans, bystanders, and haters were all engaged in a heated battle.

Mu Qingwu was busy trying to suppress the trending topics, realizing that Tang Ruoyao had been used as a scapegoat. Last year, the media had tied Tang Ruoyao to Qin Yinong in a publicity stunt called "Little Qin Yinong." Under normal circumstances, this would have infuriated Qin Yinong's team, and they would have retaliated multiple times. If it weren't for the close relationship between Qin Yinong and Tang Ruoyao behind the scenes, this move would have been devastating.

While handling the public relations, Mu Qingwu didn't forget to call An Ling and explain the situation.

An Ling was speechless. "Do I look like such a foolish person?"

Mu Qingwu replied cautiously, "Just to be on the safe side."

After a two-second pause, An Ling said, "I understand. Thank you for your hard work."

Mu Qingwu naturally replied, "You're welcome."

After hanging up the phone, she suddenly realized that Tang Ruoyao was her artist, yet she was being portrayed as someone who was merely helping out.

Regardless of the circumstances, after this incident, the rumors of discord between Tang Ruoyao and Qin Yinong were completely confirmed.

Since their graduation ceremony last year, they had garnered a group of shippers. When they announced that they would co-star in the movie "True Colors," various rumors started circulating, and the number of fans grew exponentially. However, it had already been six months since the movie finished filming, and the two of them had no interaction whatsoever. The fans gradually lost interest, and the hype cooled down significantly.

On the day of the Golden Magnolia Awards ceremony, the shippers had a momentary surge of excitement. Screenshots were taken, discussions were held, and they even made a three-person version of the "Fox Spirit" meme with Haomei Hua. It was like a grand celebration before the apocalypse. Little did they know that the end would come so quickly. On that same day, with just one glass shard, the fans of Qin Yinong and Tang Ruoyao engaged in another round of online quarrels, creating a heated atmosphere.

The dwindling ship was trembling in the midst of this battlefield.

But this was just a small part of the overall situation, far from the whole picture.

Xingqi Entertainment, which was heavily criticized by Qin Yinong, selectively released photos and videos from the interview night. As the saying goes, when the wall falls, everyone pushes. Qin Yinong's bodyguard pushing the reporters could be somewhat understandable the last time, but this time, it was a formal indoor interview with many security guards present. Yet, Qin Yinong still acted arrogantly and domineeringly. This narrative portrayed her as having a poor character, and the entire internet was filled with criticism.

An Ling decided to take decisive action and released the complete version of the interview, while also sending a legal letter to Xingqi Entertainment. Weren't they accused of being arbitrary and dictatorial? Then they would be arbitrary and dictatorial to the end.

Xingqi Entertainment was also frightened and didn't want to fall behind Xisi Studio. They reluctantly deleted their Weibo account.

As the saying goes, extreme methods often lead to backlash. The "black and red" trend that was popular in previous years originated from this situation. Qin Yinong's negative aspects had been discussed repeatedly over the years, and netizens had grown tired of them. The repetitive accusations and counter-accusations became monotonous.

Public opinion began to shift.

[Everyone is criticizing, are we wearing colored glasses to judge people? Objectively speaking, was there anything wrong with what Qin Yinong said when she confronted the reporters?]

[The accuracy and truthfulness of the news, the journalists should return to their classroom days.]

[There are no real journalists anymore, they are all paparazzi and self-media, willing to do anything for attention. Do you remember the female doctor who committed suicide after being cyberbullied?]

[Going off-topic here, but I found that segment really satisfying. What happened?]

[The person above is not alone. I've already rewatched it several times, especially the part where Qin Yinong turned the tables on the reporter. She's so domineering, the Emperor Qin indeed.]

[Even if Qin Yinong is acting high and mighty, she was already a big shot to begin with. Her clearing the red carpet at this year's Golden Magnolia Awards doesn't prove anything. Who else gets that kind of treatment? Some comments are confusing.]

[I wonder how many die-hard fans are taking advantage of the situation to attack her. I can see through their tricks. As long the queen is alive, you will always be just a talented person. You're not even worthy of being a concubine. Disgusting!]

Qin Yinong didn't pay attention to all of this. She was informed about the trends in online public opinion by An Ling, who summarized them and relayed the information over the phone.

At that time, Qin Yinong was looking at real estate properties in the capital city. There were various promotional brochures scattered on the desk in her study. Her phone buzzed, and she lifted her palm, her lips kept moving as Guan Han, who was introducing basic information to her, momentarily fell silent.

"An Ling." She answered the phone, still holding a brochure, flipping to the page with the floor plans.

An Ling gave a brief summary and said, "The situation is more or less as I imagined. Public opinion is under control."

Qin Yinong responded indifferently, "Hmm, I'll treat you to a meal later."

Her absent-mindedness leaked through the phone line, and An Ling curiously asked, "What are you doing?"

"Buying a house."

"For investment?"

"For personal use."

"Don't you already have several properties?"

"It's for my wedding." Qin Yinong said casually.

An Ling didn't process it at first, but then she exclaimed, "Oh, a wedding house! A wedding house is great. Which small...?" Her tone suddenly increased by eight decibels, "Wedding house!"

Qin Yinong held the phone at a distance, raised an eyebrow lightly, and calmly said, "Is there something strange about that? You seem so surprised."

An Ling coughed twice, laughed, and said, "No, I just wanted to ask, when are you two getting married?"

Qin Yinong thought for a moment and said, "In a few months, I'll let you know then."

She couldn't wait any longer. As soon as she got the ring, she would propose to Tang Ruoyao.

Tang Ruoyao was attending a brand endorsement event, which happened to be a jewelry brand.

The display case showcased various dazzling diamond rings.

When she returned home that day, there was an additional red velvet box in her bag.

Author's Note:

It's time for a speed competition!

Qin Yinong: I'm the faster one.

Tang Ruoyao: I can testify! Sister is right!

Readers who support the pairing: Oh no! Please continue --

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