Butler Zhao said firmly, “The eldest lady is the Queen , the son-in-law is the Queen Consort, and you, sir, are just a small king.”
[No Quality to Help Myself: Wrong! The eldest lady is the big king, the son-in-law is just the small king, and you’re nothing more than salary capital, ready to scatter without our Ningning’s family.]
[I’m Okay Without Me: Butler Zhao really knows how to distinguish priorities.]
[Baozi: Dad Shi and Butler Zhao are so cute.]
Shi Ning listened to the back-and-forth bickering between her father and Butler Zhao on the phone, then glanced at the scrolling barrage comments in the air [barrage = real-time floating comments on screen, common in Chinese livestreams], the corners of her lips lifting into a smile.
Mu Tiantian, sitting right next to her, couldn’t quite hear everything, but from what little reached her ears, it sounded less like arguing and more like a warm, playful exchange.
Mu Tiantian’s eyes turned slightly red from envy. “Ningning, your dad is so good to you.”
Her own biological father, once he remarried her stepmother, became no different from a stepfather to her. In her heart, it was better to have no father at all.
In the past, Shi Ning would have only said her father was terrible.
But now, she nodded with quiet certainty. “Yes—he’s the second-best dad in the world.”
Of course, Shi Guoqiang lost the argument in the end. With just one sentence about working overtime, Butler Zhao immediately shut up and admitted defeat.
Shi Guoqiang, unwilling to back down entirely, shouted, “I’ll strive to become the number one dad from now on!”
Shi Ning chuckled softly. When she looked up, she caught the way Mu Tiantian’s eyes shone with envy—her expression almost reading: I also want a dad like that.
Raising her brows, Shi Ning said lightly, “We’re good sisters. My dad is your dad too. Next time, I’ll take you home with me.”
For years, she had fought bitterly with her father, so she never brought any friends home—always feeling embarrassed by him.
Mu Tiantian quickly waved her hands. “I can go home with you, but let’s forget about sharing dads. Even good sisters need boundaries.”
Shi Guoqiang, however, picked up on the important words. He asked hurriedly through the phone, “Ningning, you’re coming home? When? Are you bringing friends? How many? Should we throw a party? What theme do you want? Bring more friends—Dad will have the staff prepare everything.”
Before Shi Ning could answer even one question, he added, “How about today? There’s still time.”
Shi Ning had never held a party at home.
Back when she turned eighteen, Shi Guoqiang had prepared a grand coming-of-age banquet for her. But because of a father-daughter quarrel, Shi Ning ran away from home that very night. Proud and stubborn, neither side gave in.
And so, in the end, that banquet was handed over to Shi Qingyin instead—celebrated as her birthday party and her coming-of-age ceremony.
The thought of it now filled Shi Guoqiang with renewed resentment toward his niece. Over the years, because of her, he and his precious daughter had missed out on so many moments together.
Butler Zhao gently reminded, “Mr. Shi, you should follow the eldest miss’s lead. Don’t pressure her too hard, or she won’t speak to you for three days.”
This time, Shi Guoqiang quickly took the advice. Nodding repeatedly, he softened his voice on the phone. “Daddy will listen to Ningning. Tell me what you want.”
His tone was cautious yet warm.
Shi Ning, too, had changed. Instead of cutting him off impatiently, she patiently let him finish before replying.
“No banquet today. I’m not coming home for dinner either. Another day, I’ll come.”
“Alright, I’ll listen to Ningning.”
“I’m out with a friend. I’m hanging up now.”
“Is your money enough? Daddy will transfer you some more—”
Shi Ning laughed. “I have Qin Heye’s main card. It’s enough to buy your company.”
“That’s his money. Daddy’s money is Daddy’s money—”
The two had already agreed to hang up, but Shi Guoqiang couldn’t stop. As long as she didn’t press the button, he would keep adding something new.
Finally, Shi Ning said a firm goodbye and hung up on him, a little ruthless.
Mu Tiantian stirred her coffee, her lips curved in happiness for her friend. “Your relationship with your dad is so much better now than before. Back then, you two didn’t look like father and daughter at all—you looked more like enemies.”
When enemies meet, jealousy burns brighter, making you wish the other person would just vanish.
Shi Ning set her milk tea aside. “Before, because of Shi Qingyin’s constant instigation, the relationship between my dad and me was terrible. But now that the misunderstanding has been cleared, things naturally got better.”
She glanced at Mu Tiantian. “Will you and Uncle Mu also be provoked like this? Why don’t you try bowing your head first and admitting your mistakes? Maybe your father-daughter bond will heal.”
Mu Tiantian twisted her lips into a bitter smile. “Forget it. Men are different. Your mother passed away twenty years ago, yet your father never remarried. My situation is… different.”
She let out a laugh. “My mother is still alive, and my stepsister and I were even born on the same day. Don’t bring up my disgusting family. Let’s go shopping—it’s been forever since I went with you.”
“Alright.”
Shi Ning grabbed her bag, leaving her milk tea behind.
Mu Tiantian frowned. “You’re not taking your milk tea? You’ve barely drunk any.”
“It’s my period,” Shi Ning explained. “Qin Heye doesn’t let me drink iced drinks.”
Mu Tiantian teased with a smile. “So strict. Everything out of your mouth these days is about Qin the Great Demon King.” (nickname: powerful, domineering man, often used half-jokingly in romance novels)
In the past, Shi Ning used to talk about Shen Xizhou all the time. Now someone else’s name was constantly on her lips—clearly, she was in love.
Mu Tiantian thought to herself: I was going to give Ningning a big gift today, but it seems the timing isn’t right. I’ll save it for later.
Shi Ning only smiled faintly, saying nothing.
Mu Tiantian asked more seriously, “You’re not really in love with Qin Heye, are you?”
Shi Ning actually considered the question carefully. She had originally teased and flirted with Qin Heye because of the barrage spoilers—hoping to change her doomed ending.
But after spending so much time together, she discovered Qin Heye was not only powerful, but also truly an exceptional man.
Her heart often skipped a beat because of him. His kisses left her breathless. Even their intimacy that night—something she had dreaded—turned out unexpectedly harmonious. She hadn’t felt disgusted at all. Instead, there was even a trace of longing.
After serious thought, she admitted softly, “I think… I like him a little.”
Then shame crept in. “Am I falling for someone else too quickly? I don’t like Shen Xizhou anymore. Does that make me a scumbag?”
But when she thought of Shen Xizhou, all she felt was revulsion.
That man was truly trash.
Mu Tiantian gave her a look of disbelief. “How does this make you a scumbag? It wasn’t you who cheated. Honestly, I think it’s already too late for you to fall in love again—you wasted three years on that bastard. You should’ve moved on sooner.”
“Don’t tie yourself down with some false morality. Love isn’t about liking one person for a lifetime. There are thousands of handsome men out there—if one isn’t good, find a better one.”
“If you obsess over one man, you’re just a pathetic ‘licker’ (internet slang: one-sided devotee who fawns over someone). But if you flirt with ten, you’re a wolf warrior! People like me are the real scumbags.”
Shi Ning thought of Mu Tiantian’s tragic ending and denied it firmly. “You’re not a scumbag. You’re just protecting yourself in your own way.”
Mu Tiantian ignored her reassurance and instead grew serious again. “But Ningning, you must think carefully. Qin the Great Demon King isn’t like Shen Xizhou. He’s paranoid, intensely possessive. The first three years he let you play around because you had agreed to marry him. But now that you are the one provoking him—once he’s truly invested, if you try to pull away, the consequences will be terrible.”
Shi Ning recalled the barrage spoilers, combined with Mu Tiantian’s words, and silently agreed.
“That makes sense. So in this life—whether for Qin Heye himself, or for his family’s wealth, or for my own safety—I have to hold onto him.”
Mu Tiantian dropped the subject. When it came to a man as dangerous as Qin Heye, even best friends should be cautious and avoid talking too much.
As they strolled along, a thought suddenly struck Mu Tiantian.
Wait—hadn’t Qin Heye once secretly liked a Bai Yueguang (lit. “white moonlight,” a term used in Chinese to describe one’s unattainable first love or pure ideal of love)?
Should she tell Shi Ning?