Chapter 296 - 230: Excruciatingly Awkward

Long-haul flights are torture. Ni Bingyan got off the plane and couldn’t help but yawn when she saw the bright sun shining outside—it was still daytime.

The large luggage had been shipped via logistics, while the small, valuable items she brought back with her.

The group of four collected their respective luggage and wheeled them out with a RUMBLE. Duanmu Li offered to help her, but Ni Bingyan refused.

"You’ve had a tough time too. Go home and get a good day’s rest. You have to join the production tomorrow to rush the schedule, so you’ll definitely be busy."

Duanmu Li didn’t argue. Yawning, she led the way.

As they exited the terminal and were about to get their car, they saw Sang Yuan smiling and waving at them.

"It was a long journey. You shouldn’t drive while you’re tired. I’ve arranged for a driver to take you back."

Knowing that Ni Bingyan lived in the same residential complex as him, Wei Shuojie and the other two didn’t stand on ceremony. After a brief exchange, they got into another car.

Once their car was in the distance, the two of them got in their own car and headed home.

Sang Yuan got into the driver’s seat. Seeing her eyelids drooping, he fastened her seatbelt and handed her an eye mask. "Here, take a nap. We’ll be home soon."

Even while abroad, Ni Bingyan had kept up her habit of calling him daily. They had already talked about anything important, so now that they were face-to-face, there wasn’t much new to discuss. She obediently put on the eye mask to sleep.

Including travel time, the trip abroad had taken a full week. She had finally landed safely, but while Ni Bingyan was exhausted, her mind was still buzzing with excitement, making it hard to fall asleep.

Sang Yuan put on some soothing soft music and sprayed a bit of calming fragrance. He drove smoothly the whole way, but Yayuan was just too close to the airport. Just as she was starting to feel a little drowsy, they arrived.

Taking off her eye mask, she saw the car was parked at the Sang Family’s house. Ni Bingyan didn’t say anything and just got out to grab her suitcase.

She had brought the gifts for the Sang family members with her, so it was the perfect time to give them out.

Worried she might be unhappy, Sang Yuan quickly explained:

"Your place is cold and empty, and it hasn’t been cleaned since you’ve been away for so long. My family prepared some delicious food. After we eat, we can take Wangcai to the big lawn to play. We can also have the housekeeper go over and supervise the cleaning service. Since you’re joining the production tomorrow, you shouldn’t sleep during the day. Just go to bed early tonight."

Ni Bingyan was often away for long periods, so she didn’t have a live-in helper. For cleaning and such, she always hired a familiar housekeeping company.

"That works. If I sleep too much during the day, I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and be sleepy tomorrow. Since we’re doing a big clean, we should also call the gardening company to take care of the garden."

"Okay. Do you have one you use?"

"I do. The owner of the nursery recommended them when I bought the fruit trees. You can tell they’re really good by how much fruit we got this year."

As they spoke, Ni Bingyan had already taken the gifts out of her suitcase.

Entering the house, she saw Sang Jingwen, wearing an apron, emerge from the kitchen carrying a soup tureen.

Ni Bingyan put her things down and was about to help, but Shui Sulan quickly pulled her over to sit down.

"Don’t move, don’t move! Your uncle made this soup. If we touch it and it doesn’t taste good later, he’ll definitely blame us!"

Sang Jingwen retorted, unconvinced, "How could it not taste good? You’ve been drinking it for decades, and now you’re saying it’s not good?"

"I’m talking about ’what if.’ What if it’s not good? People can misstep, horses can stumble. You can’t be so absolute about things."

Seeing her son follow his father into the kitchen, Shui Sulan winked and whispered to Ni Bingyan:

"We’re all part of the family, so who made the rule that women have to do the cooking and serving? When it’s time for us to sit and wait for dinner, we need to sit tight! Look at you, what are you laughing at? Stop laughing! You have to do this in the future too, understand? Otherwise, we women have to work, have and raise kids, and take care of the family—how depressing would that be?"

Ni Bingyan was so amused she couldn’t stop laughing. But in the end, she didn’t help. She just washed her hands and sat down contentedly.

She took her future mother-in-law’s teachings to heart.

Shui Sulan kept looking at her with an expression that said, "This child is teachable."

"During Fashion Week this time, I saw some beautiful clothes and bought quite a few. I was worried about the sizing, so I only bought one set for you as a small gesture. When we have time later, we can go to a show together. Once they take your measurements, we can have something custom-made."

"Sounds great! The Fashion Week in Shanghai is also quite good now. We should go sometime."

"Okay, I’ll arrange it. I should be able to free up a day or two."

As they chatted, Ni Bingyan added, "Next month I’m going to Southeast Asia for a shoot. The production team pulled some strings and borrowed a manor from a wealthy local Chinese businessman. I wonder what the scenery is like."

Shui Sulan also knew the businessman. She praised him profusely to Ni Bingyan, saying he was a very nice person, then clapped her hands with a smile.

"Oh! Speaking of manors, your uncle and I bought one in Australia a few years ago. Every winter, when it gets unbearably cold and the heating triggers my rhinitis, we go there to soak up some sun. You must come with us this year if you have time. It’d be best to invite your dad too, so our whole family can go and have some fun together."

At the mention of her dad, Ni Bingyan sighed. "Ever since that incident, my dad hasn’t even dared to take a short flight, let alone go abroad."

The round trip from Guisheng to Rongcheng City is thousands of kilometers, but he insisted on traveling by car. Thinking about it now still scared Ni Bingyan.

"That’s post-traumatic stress disorder. I think he should see a psychologist."

"He is. I almost had some psychological issues myself when I was filming *Soul Ferryman*. I felt much better after seeing a doctor, so I took him right after the incident. I’ve been making sure he goes to his follow-up appointments too."

The two chatted idly until the food was served.

"Not many spicy dishes today. You’ve been on a long trip, so you should let your stomach rest first."

The boiled fish was sprinkled with knife-cut chilies, dried Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic slices. A ladle of hot oil was poured over it with a SIZZLE, and Ni Bingyan could smell the fragrance from afar.

When she saw Sang Jingwen bring it out and place it directly in front of her, she knew it was made specially for her. Her heart filled with gratitude, but she didn’t know what to say, so she could only thank him profusely.

"Oh, don’t mention it. Come, come, let’s eat, let’s eat."

The four of them didn’t often have meals together. This time was a welcome-home dinner for her since she had been away working for a long time.

"The chef made these dishes. I only made this soup and this vegetable dish, haha!"

Sang Jingwen didn’t try to take credit for the chef’s work, cheerfully introducing the dishes to her.

Sang Yuan knew his parents loved Ni Bingyan all the more because they loved him, and he couldn’t help but smile throughout the meal.

The sun was bright today, so it wasn’t a good idea to go out and play right after eating. Shui Sulan wanted to watch TV, so Ni Bingyan kept her company.

As for the other two, Sang Jingwen went to the Shui Pavilion by the pond for his unmissable calligraphy practice, while Sang Yuan had some urgent work to deal with and went to the study.

Ni Bingyan had been to the Sang Family’s multimedia room many times. Seeing the large TV turn on, she didn’t feel reserved. She found a seat, sat down, and began to hug and soothe Wangcai.

The dog hadn’t seen her in a long time and had already gotten used to life with the Sang family. It lay quietly on her lap, not making a fuss, and even closed its eyes contentedly as she stroked its fur.

Just as Ni Bingyan was thinking, ’What a nice life this is,’ Shui Sulan pressed a button on the remote, and her dad appeared on the screen.

"...HISS~ HISS~ Dad, you can’t feed me like this! If I get fat, no one will cast me in a role! Next time, don’t bring me here, wah!"

Ni Bingyan was so embarrassed she wanted to dig a hole and hide in it.

She had long known that her dad went on a show and spilled secrets about her, but Ni Bingyan had only known that he talked about her charity work. She never expected this kind of content.

"Hahaha! Your dad already told us. The show premiered today. I was so happy to see you back that I almost forgot. Come on, let’s watch it together!"

Ni Bingyan could only force a laugh. "Heh, heh."

The talk show completely woke Ni Bingyan up. She had thought she would be free once the program ended, but Shui Sulan turned, her eyes burning with intensity as she looked at her.

"Good child, I knew you were a good person! You’ve become successful, but you haven’t forgotten to give back to society. You understand the principle of not forgetting the well-digger when you drink the water. That’s really wonderful."

Ni Bingyan mulled over the phrase "not forgetting the well-digger when you drink the water." ’Something about it felt... off,’ she thought. Just then, Sang Yuan walked in with a smile.

His work was finished, and he had come to take her out to play.