"I never thought Chairman Ning would take time out of his busy schedule to come to our opening ceremony! It really is such an honor!" Director Guo exclaimed.
"Come, Chairman Ning, sit over here!" Producer Wang offered his seat so that Ning Yaohua could sit next to his daughter.
Ning Yaohua’s expression was filled with fatherly love when he looked at Ning Xueluo. "You’re too polite, Director Guo. My daughter is under your care."
"Chairman Ning, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and your daughter is already so outstanding, she doesn’t need my care at all!"
"This child is usually so busy, I rarely see her. If it wasn’t for my trip here today, this father would never see her at all!" While Ning Yaohua might sound annoyed, the expression on his face was indulgent.
"Hahaha, Xueluo is so hardworking, you should be happy. But Xueluo, you’re also in the wrong, no matter how busy you are, you should still go home to visit!" Director Guo scolded.
"Yes, Director, I’m wrong! Dad, don’t be mad. Tomorrow night, I’ll come home for dinner!" Ning Xueluo cajoled as she hugged Ning Yaohua’s arm, acting like an obedient daughter.
"See, even I need the director to say some words on my behalf for her to find time to visit!"
"Dad, there’s so many people here ah, give me some face!"
"Yes yes yes, you’re a big star now, I can’t say anything anymore!"
…
Ning Xi thought she had already steeled her heart, but seeing this good show put on by this benevolent father and filial daughter, her chest felt so stuffy that she wanted to run away.
While her emotions were in turmoil, she thankfully was able to maintain a serene expression. She breezily engaged the screenwriter sitting beside her in conversation, as though she had not noticed the commotion.
She could pretend not to have noticed, but some people didn’t feel the same. Ning Yaohua’s gaze was like a knife stabbing through her. Her appearance at the opening ceremony was an embarrassment to him.
In the end, Ning Xi escaped the room by excusing herself to the restroom. She walked to an open window at the end of a hallway for some fresh air.
She grabbed some cigarettes and a lighter from her bag, but contemplated for a while before putting them back.
She was trying to quit smoking.
Today was the first time in a while she felt the urge to smoke.
The night breeze blew on her face and made her feel a bit better.
At that moment, there were footsteps behind her.
Ning Xi’s back stiffened, but when she turned around, her expression was impenetrable, like a mask. "Chairman Ning came looking for me?"
Ning Yaohua looked at her with a severe expression, extremely unhappy with the way she was dressed.
Ning Xi looked down with a small smile. "Ah, Chairman Ning, back in the other room, you kept staring at me. Aren’t you afraid others will misunderstand that gaze?"
After all, to outsiders, he was a sponsor and she was a beautiful, small-bit celebrity. It was very easy to develop false impressions about their relationship.
"You bastard, what do you think you’re saying?" Ning Yaohua was immediately enraged.
Ning Xi furrowed her brow. "Obviously I’m speaking in a human language. Does Chairman Ning not understand human language?"
"You…" Ning Yaohua lifted his hand.
Before it could fall, a delicate hand grabbed and held it in place.
There was no way she would let Ning Yaohua hit her again.
He had no right.
Ning Yaohua was almost angered to death and snatched his hand away. "You better quit this role right now. You would just be an embarrassment to me if you continue like this in public!"
Ning Xi’s expression went cold. "I got this role honorably, how is that an embarrassment?"
"You always have to copy whatever Xueluo wants to do. Look at you, you can’t possibly compete with her. Rushing into the entertainment industry, are you just waiting for someone to find out about that incident to shame my Ning family?" Ning Yaohua glared at her, his eyes filled with extreme disdain.
To this day, there were still people who would joke about how Ning Yaohua’s daughter had drunk the lemon water meant for washing hands, and how she had worn counterfeit clothes to a banquet. If people were to find out about the incident from back then, would he still have any pride left?
At Ning Yaohua’s words, Ning Xi went pale.
That night, that stranger, that dead baby…
This was her weakness.
That year, the Ning family had hushed up everything for fear of the shame, and Ning Xueluo kept quiet for fear of being exposed herself, but that was still Ning Xi’s darkest nightmare.
"I’m giving you face letting you leave on your own terms, but if you refuse to, then don’t blame me for not acknowledging our father-daughter relationship."
"Oh, so there’s actually still a father-daughter relationship between us…"
"Dad, Xiao Xi… what’s going on?" Ning Xueluo’s astonished voice came from behind them.
Noticing Ning Xueluo, Ning Yaohua immediately switched to a loving expression. "Nothing for you to worry about. When you go back later, ask your company if they can find a better second female lead.
The meaning behind his words being that Ning Xi should be replaced.
Ning Xueluo was pleased, but put on a nervous face. "Dad, why? The role of second female lead has already been given to Xiao Xi ah!"
"It’s good enough if she can do small roles and cameos, but how can she possibly play such an important role? I didn’t invest 30 million yuan into this drama for her to fool around!"
"But dad, Xiao Xi put in a lot of effort to get the role…"
"Xueluo, don’t defend her anymore. I’ve told you before not to help her, but you never listen! You still actually complimented her in front of the reporters! Does she even deserve all that praise?"
"But Xiao Xi is still your…"
"Be quiet, such things must never ever be mentioned. I’ve already said it before, you are my only daughter!"
"Dad, don’t be mad. I won’t say anything else, alright?"
"I still have business to attend to, so I’m leaving first. When you have time, help me persuade her to stop being stubborn!" Ning Yaohua gave Ning Xi one last cold look that told her to behave herself before turning around to leave.
After Ning Yaohua left, Ning Xueluo’s sweet and obedient expression changed, as she said innocently, "Ning Xi, don’t say this time that I wanted to make things hard for you. Originally, I was going to give you a chance. What a pity…"
"Ha…" Ning Xi couldn’t help but laugh, but it was a sorrowful sound.
Who could possibly have guessed that in the end, the person to destroy all her efforts and throw her back into the dust would be her own father.
She had worked hard for so long, devoted herself to preparing for the role, but for what?
Just like that, everything was gone…
When the opening ceremony ended, it was a little past eleven.
Looks like it’s true that it’s easy to get drunk when you’re upset.
Ning Xi felt that she hadn’t drunk that much that night, but when she got up, she was unsteady and her head throbbed painfully.
So of course it was right at this moment that she saw the one person who would make her feel even worse…
Su Yan…
Beside her, the cast and crew, especially the ladies, were loudly expressing their surprise when they saw the person approaching.
"Ah! It’s Young Master Su! He’s so handsome! He’s actually a hundred times better looking in person than what rumors say!"
"He must be here to pick Ning Xueluo up! I’m so jealous, she has a great acting career, comes from such a good family, and her boyfriend is so handsome! As expected of the Winner at Life!"
"These types of people were already winners since they were born, we don’t even have the right to be envious!"
…
Ning Xi used the wall as support, her gaze frozen on the man walking towards Ning Xueluo.
The Su family had done well in recent years. Su Yan’s status was like a boat on a high tidal wave, while Ning Xi was a faded shadow of his past.
The boy back then who had been convalescing in the countryside due to his lung illness, who had become her warm and gentle Brother Yan who would always read to her — that boy had already died with the passing of time.
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