Chapter 380 - 313: Three Men Make a Tiger

Time passed quickly.

Especially when she was worked to the bone every day, crashing the moment she got home and relying on her assistant to even remember her schedule, she barely noticed the passage of time.

After a careful selection process, Ni Bingyan had seven red carpets to walk in December alone.

On top of that, she had four variety show episodes to film.

And all the while, she couldn’t stop her posture and dance training.

She was so exhausted that she ate to her heart’s content at every meal, yet her weight kept dropping.

Sang Yuan’s heart ached watching her. Even though it was the end of the year and his company was swamped with endless summary meetings, he still went to her company every so often to eat with her, as if she would eat a few bites less if he wasn’t there to watch over her.

Between running around after Ni Bingyan and managing his own company’s affairs, Sang Yuan also slimmed down quite a bit.

Seeing her son so worried, Shui Sulan started researching nourishing soup recipes and stewing them at home every day.

At first, she was worried Ni Bingyan might not be used to her cooking, so she even video-called Bingyan’s father to learn a few of his "tastes of home."

Once the soup was ready, they didn’t mind the trouble at all. The elderly couple took turns delivering it to her.

And so, whenever Ni Bingyan was training at the company, people at Xingdi Film and Television would see Sang Yuan’s parents taking turns bringing her food.

Somehow, a rumor started, and within a few days, #NiBingyanPregnant was trending.

You couldn’t really blame people for speculating.

What kind of future in-laws doted on their daughter-in-law like this before she had even married into the family?

Unless, of course, she was carrying their grandchild.

The day it started trending, Ni Bingyan was about to return to Rongcheng City to film the fourth episode of *Ni Bingyan’s World Travel*.

When she met up with her friends at the airport, one of them asked if good news was on the way, which was how she found out about the whole thing.

"What? That’s ridiculous! If I were getting married, there’s no way I wouldn’t invite you all! Pregnant before marriage? Am I crazy? Ugh, hold on, I’ll post on Weibo to clear this up."

Right there in front of the cameras, Ni Bingyan decisively logged into Weibo. But before she could even post, she saw that her future mother-in-law was already trending.

#ShuiSulanFurious#

No matter how angry Shui Sulan normally got, she never resorted to shouting or cursing. Her emotional control was so strong that even Ni Bingyan admired her for it.

It was rare to see her publicly berating someone, so Bingyan’s curiosity was instantly piqued.

She tapped on it and saw it was a video.

Shui Sulan had attended an event that day. During the media interview session afterward, a reporter asked her:

"President Shui, we heard you’re about to become a grandmother. Is that true?"

Shui Sulan looked shocked. "Who said that? How is that possible? My daughter-in-law hasn’t even agreed to marry into our family yet! You can’t say such things to insult her."

’Look at how she phrased that,’ Bingyan thought. ’She didn’t say her son hadn’t married her yet, but that his daughter-in-law hadn’t agreed to marry him.’

Getting pregnant before marriage is never considered a point of pride, and for Shui Sulan to directly label the rumor as an "insult" was remarkably sharp.

The reporter hadn’t asked without reason; they weren’t some tabloid journalist just chasing shadows, after all.

"Haha, everyone knows you’ve been bringing Miss Ni food every day!"

Seeing everyone’s "you can stop pretending" expressions, Shui Sulan became furious:

"I’m just bringing her food. She’s busy and I happen to be free. I’m happy to do it, and she’s happy to receive it, so why does it bother everyone else? Spreading such rumors is just malicious! What era are we living in? Still believing a woman needs to have a child to be valued?

"Please remember, a woman’s value should not be determined by her womb!

"Besides, my Bingbing is so wonderful. Can’t I just like her for her own sake and worry that she’ll go hungry when she’s busy?

"Honestly! That’s it, this is over. I have nothing more to say!"

Then, ignoring the reporters’ pleas for her to stay, she stormed off in a huff, not even finishing the rest of her scheduled interview.

"Wow! Sister Bingbing, if I had a mother-in-law like that, I’d get married in a heartbeat!"

"She’s incredible, absolutely incredible! Your mother-in-law is one of a kind!"

"President Shui really lives up to her reputation. She’s on a completely different level from most people!"

...

Her friends showered Shui Sulan with praise, all right in front of the camera.

After watching the video, Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

’That’s right!’

’What era are we living in?’

’Is it so impossible for a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to have a good relationship?’

’And this whole pregnancy thing...’

’As if a daughter-in-law who isn’t pregnant isn’t a good one.’

Thinking about all this, she couldn’t stop herself from blushing.

’Nothing’s even set in stone yet!’

’But a wedding dress takes a long time to make. Maybe I should start preparing soon.’

’I already have someone in mind. I can contact them later.’

The show’s filming was a lively affair, but let’s set that aside. The person she had in mind for her wedding dress was none other than her friend, the designer Guo Mei.

As for how she and Guo Mei met, well, it’s a long story.

Last winter, after receiving a Yun Jin Hanfu from Peng Huan, she wore it on a trip to a film studio with Peng Huan. They ended up trending just for being onlookers in a crowd. Because of this, a niche designer contacted Sister Wei, hoping Ni Bingyan would wear her designs on the red carpet to build brand recognition for her.

Considering Ni Bingyan’s status, the company rejected the offer outright.

A small brand like that was completely outside the scope of her red carpet wardrobe. Wearing it would be beneath her status!

But Guo Mei was exceptionally sincere and sought out Ni Bingyan in person.

At the time, she was in the desert filming *Demon Suppression Tower*, working herself to the bone every day and worrying about how to keep her skin hydrated in the arid conditions.

The designer stubbornly waited in the desert for a week, flat-out refusing to leave.

Ni Bingyan had no choice but to squeeze in half an hour for her and let the designer try to convince her.

As it turned out, the moment Guo Mei opened her mouth, Ni Bingyan was intrigued.

She asked, "Can you tell me what luxury is?"

Before Ni Bingyan could answer, she continued, "Who says haute couture from Europe and America is the definition of luxury? One day, my actions will show the entire world that Chinese style is the most badass of all!"

And with that, Ni Bingyan and Guo Mei struck a deal.

Unable to afford a hefty endorsement fee, she was incredibly direct and offered Ni Bingyan a ten-percent stake in her company.

Bingyan’s company tried to negotiate for more, but Guo Mei flatly refused, saying she would rather abandon the collaboration altogether than concede.

In her mind, her small studio would one day go international and become a top global luxury brand. A ten-percent stake was already a massive concession.

If she hadn’t been in her startup phase and so incredibly confident in Ni Bingyan’s potential, she never would have come up with such a crazy idea—trading equity for exposure.

Looking at this hyper-confident designer who dared to name the brand after herself, Ni Bingyan had to admit she had a bit of a crazy streak herself—she actually agreed!

She even had to go to great lengths to convince Sister Wei and the company.

For the seven red carpet events in December, she would wear a series of Chinese-style ensembles meticulously crafted for her by the designer—modified cheongsams based on the seven colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet, all embellished with traditional elements like silk, embroidery, and beading.

After returning from Rongcheng City, it was time for Weibo Night.

That night, she dazzled the entire internet dressed in taro purple.

The noble, flattering, and gorgeous taro-purple silk was paired with various traditional elements. It was heavily handcrafted, yet it didn’t lack a modern, fashionable design.

The moment Ni Bingyan saw the cheongsam, she held her breath.

Initially, Chen Daolin had strongly disapproved of her crazy plan, but after she tried on each of the dresses, he was completely on board.

If these seven modified cheongsams hadn’t been absolutely stunning, there’s no way she would have given up haute couture—or even bespoke gowns—to wear them.

After all, the end of the year is a fashion battlefield. If a star’s red carpet looks aren’t outstanding, their fashion resources for the following year can be severely impacted.

A star only has so many public appearances each year. For her to gamble seven red carpet looks all at once was an immense risk.

During Weibo Night, netizens probably just thought she looked stunning and that her choice of gown was both unique and beautiful.

As she walked the red carpet time after time—the gentle taro purple, the refreshing mint green, the passionate red, the lively orange, the hazy celadon, the bright lemon yellow, and the serene, elegant Klein blue—every appearance sent the cameras into a frenzy.

Only then did people realize just how grand her strategy was.

I want to show the world the colors the Chinese have cherished since ancient times. I also want the young people of China to discover that what is traditional is not necessarily old-fashioned—that we can be fashionable, too.

Some traditions, if no young people take them up, will be lost forever!

On New Year’s Day, which was also Ni Bingyan’s birthday, *Ni Bingyan’s Essays* was released.

Fans who had seen the teasers from Starlight Publishing House were eagerly awaiting its release. The book sold out the moment it hit the shelves.

With books in hand, readers dove in, feeling as if they were wandering through her thoughts from moments in her past.

They could sense her ideas, her confusion, and her determination.

At the very end of the book, the final essay was her reflection on tradition.

This was right at the peak of online discussion about her rainbow of cheongsams. When people read those two sentences, everyone was stunned.