The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 437 The Ex-Wife, the Villain (Part 4): Pre-War Mobilization and the Initial Formation of Factions
Wednesday.

The study in room 3601.

"Zhang Wei? Zhang Wei?!"

Tang Youyou called out from the suite, then pushed open the study door and called out again. When she received no response, she quickly pulled her eldest nephew, Lü Ziqiao, inside.

"Hey, Auntie, what's all this secretive about?"

Lu Ziqiao, who was woken up from his afternoon nap, squinted and looked impatient. After following Tang Youyou into the study, he sat down in a chair and continued to doze off.

Tang Youyou closed the study door, turned around and slapped Lu Ziqiao on the shoulder.

"Still sleeping? Don't you realize how critical the situation is?"

"The situation is critical?" The pain jolted Lu Ziqiao awake instantly. He grimaced and thought for a moment before saying, "My ex-girlfriends are after me again?"

"What?! I meant Yu Mo," Tang Youyou said irritably.

"Yu Mo? What's wrong with her? Is she in critical condition?" Lu Ziqiao was still being irresponsible. "Has Richard come back again?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Tang Youyou punched him again before saying solemnly, "It's Teacher Wen's ex-wife, Nuolan."

"So?"

"Don't tell me you can't see the shady dealings between Yu Mo and Teacher Wen?" Tang Youyou said disdainfully. "Now that the main wife has come knocking, Yu Mo's situation is very dangerous."

Upon hearing this, Lü Ziqiao perked up.

"I love watching women fight."

Seeing him start to grin lewdly, Tang Youyou was so angry that she slapped him again.

"What kind of time is this and you're still only thinking about watching the show?"

"Who said I was just thinking about watching the show?" Lu Ziqiao rubbed the back of his head where he had been slapped. "Of course I know how dangerous it is in here."

"Oh?" Tang Youyou raised an eyebrow. "Tell me about it."

Lu Ziqiao first straightened his expression, then put on a bitter and resentful look.

"I was once like Wen Sheng, because my girlfriend and ex-girlfriend unexpectedly got together, and then they both wanted to hunt me down. And many times, it wasn't just my girlfriend and ex-girlfriend, but also my ex-ex-girlfriend and my ex-ex-ex-ex-girlfriend..."

"stop!"

Tang Youyou interrupted him and slapped him across the face.

"I told you not to talk nonsense, but you insisted on doing so. How can the situation be the same now?"

"How is it different?" Lu Ziqiao moved to a spot a little further away from his aunt. "Isn't it still a battleground where two women meet?"

"How can they be the same? Yu Mo hasn't even made up about her relationship with Teacher Wen yet!" Tang Youyou rolled her eyes at him, then corrected him, "No, Yu Mo tried to make up about it, but there was a misunderstanding back then, so she and Teacher Wen haven't progressed to that point yet."

"So there's even less to worry about. She's not even my current boyfriend; she's just someone who secretly admires me," Lu Ziqiao said with a smirk.

"Even those who have a crush on someone are afraid of seeing the girl's actual boyfriend," Tang Youyou said earnestly. "For example, back in school, if you liked a girl, but she had a boyfriend in the next class, how would you feel every time you saw him coming to see her?"

“Hiss! This feeling is definitely not pleasant.” Lu Ziqiao nodded, but quickly added with a relaxed tone, “However, I will ask her if she needs to find a boyfriend in our class as well after her boyfriend leaves.”

"..."

Hearing her nephew's scumbag tone, Tang Youyou felt a surge of anger and turned to kick him, but Lu Ziqiao saw this and moved aside in advance.

"Oh, Auntie, I know what you mean. Don't you think that if Teacher Wen's ex-wife comes, Yu Mo, the one who secretly admires him, will be... frustrated, sad, or even break down?"

Hearing this, Tang Youyou suppressed her anger and said in a deep voice, "Yu Mo is our good friend. We can't just stand by and watch her lose this battle to protect our love."

"Hey, Auntie, don't blame me for not reminding you, those who help a third party to take your place in the family have never had a good ending."

"Since ancient times? What do you mean, since ancient times?" Tang Youyou asked in confusion.

Lu Ziqiao sneered before speaking: "The last mistress who successfully rose to power and became famous was called Ximen Qing."

"..."

"And your current thoughts... coincide with those of Wang Po."

"..."

After Lu Ziqiao finished speaking, he thought for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Looking at it now, it really makes sense! Nuolan was selling pancakes at the TV station, and Wensheng was doing just fine in his apartment when Qin Yumo suddenly set her sights on him... and then you, the matchmaker, started thinking of setting them up..."

"Lu Ziqiao!"

Tang Youyou couldn't hold back any longer. In a fit of rage, she immediately picked up a chair and was about to chase after her nephew.

"You have no manners! Are you asking for trouble? Don't you know how to respect your elders?!"

"Auntie, calm down. I was just using a metaphor, it's just a metaphor!"

"Using metaphors? I think you're doing this on purpose! You're asking for a beating!"

Tang Youyou, carrying a chair, couldn't catch up with Lü Ziqiao, so she took a few magazines from the table and gave this nephew who had offended his elders a good talking-to.

After a few dull thuds, the study quieted down, and the aunt and nephew were able to sit down and talk peacefully again.

"Teacher Wen and Nuolan are already divorced. They weren't really husband and wife, so how did they become like Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian?" Tang Youyou glanced at Lü Ziqiao. "Besides, there's no way..."

Tang Youyou considered her lines carefully, then said honestly, "Such a dignified young master, Wu Erlang would be more like it."

"..."

Lu Ziqiao was speechless for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Whether it's the eldest son or the second son, it's obvious that Wen Sheng and Nuolan have a good relationship right now. As for Yu Mo, although she is secretly in love, she is not qualified to go to the battlefield unless she makes it clear. Besides, Ximen Qing's ending was so tragic, I believe Yu Mo doesn't want to be like Ximen Qing."

“I didn’t say I wanted Yu Mo to be a Ximen Qing, nor did I intend to be a matchmaker. I just felt that Yu Mo was in a bad situation. Have you forgotten what Yu Mo’s expression was like last night when she came back and found out that Nuolan was going to treat everyone to dinner?”

His aunt's words made Lu Ziqiao fall into deep thought. He frowned and thought for a while before shaking his head.

"I went to bed early last night and didn't see it."

"..."

Tang Youyou couldn't help but raise the magazine in her hand again, but she still forced herself to speak: "When Yu Mo heard that Nuolan was going to treat everyone to dinner on the weekend, the look of surprise, panic, disappointment, and dejection in her eyes, that..."

"stop!"

This time, Lu Ziqiao interrupted her: "Why don't you just say that Yu Mo was upset because she knew her rival was coming?"

"You know it, why are you asking?" Tang Youyou said in a harsh tone.

"I only found out because you told me, didn't I? And why does Yu Mo sound like she's been caught cheating?"

"..."

"Isn't the saying crude but the reasoning sound?"

"No, the words are crude, and the reasoning is flawed!"

After Tang Youyou retorted to her nephew, she continued, "In short, Yu Mo is our friend. If she... fights with Nuolan, we must stand on her side."

"You said Yu Mo is both disappointed and dejected. Do you think she dares to fight with Nuo Lan?" Lu Ziqiao snorted.

"I was just using an analogy, what I meant was..."

Tang Youyou talked with her nephew for a long time, but felt her mind was also in a mess. After sorting things out, she continued to speak.

"What I mean is that in this battle to protect love, although Yu Mo is not yet qualified to directly participate, we cannot just stand by and watch Yu Mo be used as a minion by Nuo Lan."

"Little monsters? You think this is a video game? You think Nuolan can gain experience by killing Yumo?"

"No, not a minor monster. Judging from the current situation, Yu Mo is not even as good as a minor monster."

"..."

"Besides, Nuolan isn't a player who can gain experience; she's probably the ultimate boss." Tang Youyou thought about it more and more and felt that way, and her tone became increasingly serious.

But to Lu Ziqiao, all he felt was disgust and a desire to vomit.

"He's a decent person, he's even married to Wen Sheng, how can you treat him like a villain?"

"Then does that mean Yu Mo is the villain?"

"..."

Lu Ziqiao was speechless.

Seeing that she hadn't said anything at all after talking to her nephew for so long, Tang Youyou couldn't help but get angry and said, "Anyway, Nuolan is going to treat everyone to dinner this weekend, and Yu Mo is going to the battlefield soon. Are you going to help Yu Mo or not?"

"I'll definitely help Yu Mo," Lu Ziqiao agreed with his aunt on this point, but he quickly added helplessly, "But how can we help? Even if I want to see girls fight, the current situation doesn't seem like something we can get involved in. What if Nuolan gets taken down as a minion too?"

After a pause, Lu Ziqiao added, "Moreover, you have to consider Wen Sheng's situation. Helping Yu Mo means hurting his relationship with Nuolan. Be careful, or he might come after you."

"I didn't say I wanted to ruin his relationship with Nuolan. I just didn't want Yumo to be eliminated in such a sorry state."

"Auntie, you're being a bit nosy."

"Nephew, is that your line? When Yifei and Young Master Shen treated us to dinner before, you were actively helping Teacher Zeng prepare for the competition!"

"How can that be the same? Yifei had already broken up with Mr. Shen at that time. And while I helped Teacher Zeng, I didn't deliberately try to ruin Yifei and Mr. Shen's relationship. Although they broke up, we didn't know that, and I didn't get involved."

"But Teacher Wen and Nuolan are also divorced. They were married, but they got another marriage certificate before that, which canceled out the previous one. And let me say it again, I didn't mean to ruin their relationship. I just didn't want Yu Mo to be left out in a bad way."

"Heh, do you think you can find a man to pretend to be Yu Mo's boyfriend like Teacher Zeng did that time?"

"Why not?"

"..."

Hearing his aunt suddenly raise her voice, Lü Ziqiao was taken aback.

"Auntie, are you crazy? I brought Sally to Teacher Zeng to annoy Hu Yifei, did you think I'd use this trick to annoy Wen Sheng? He's seen this trick before, how could he possibly fall for it?"

"I didn't say I wanted to upset Teacher Wen!"

Tang Youyou's eyes grew brighter and brighter: "Just imagine, when everyone is sitting together for dinner, Teacher Wen and Nuolan are all lovey-dovey over there, while Yu Mo can only watch the man she likes being intimate with another woman. How heartbroken she will be! What if she can't stand it and just disappears?"

She paused slightly, then continued, "Besides, I said I just didn't want Yu Mo to be eliminated in a sorry state. So, the way to keep her forces intact and allow her to remain hidden on the battlefield is naturally to disguise herself and deceive her real rival. When Nuolan sees that Yu Mo has a boyfriend, will she still care about her?" "..."

Hearing his aunt's words, Lu Ziqiao couldn't help but shake his head and exclaim in admiration, "Auntie, now I know what it means to say 'like nephew, like aunt.' You actually said something like that!"

"..."

Tang Youyou rolled her eyes at him, then said smugly, "Tell me, is my analysis right or wrong? Isn't it very feasible?"

"Stop!"

While he expressed admiration, it did not mean that Lü Ziqiao agreed with it.

“Your idea is good, but the difficulty in putting it into practice is different from before. Yu Mo is not Teacher Zeng, and the situation between Wen Sheng and Nuo Lan is also different from that between Yi Fei and Young Master Shen. Although they are divorced, their feelings are still there. One careless move could easily lead to unpredictable results.”

"Oh dear, why are you being so indecisive?" Seeing that her eldest nephew was unyielding, Tang Youyou became anxious. "What other options do you have? If not, just do as I say."

“This…” Lu Ziqiao hesitated, but still said, “Although I don’t have a better way, what you said about helping Yu Mo find a man to pretend to be her boyfriend… I’m afraid that not only will Yu Mo kill me, but Wen Sheng will also kill me!”

"Huh? What you said makes sense!"

For some reason, Tang Youyou became excited again and said, "If Wen Sheng gets jealous and angry and wants to kill you, wouldn't that prove that he also has those kinds of thoughts about Yu Mo? If Yu Mo gets what she wants and successfully takes over... no, if things are set right, you'll be the hero!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ziqiao's lips twitched.

"You're my own aunt! How can you expect me to be a sacrifice?!"

"Oh, I was just using a metaphor," Tang Youyou comforted her gently. "Just tell me if you're willing or not."

"I don't want to."

Lu Ziqiao shook his head decisively.

Although he always enjoyed watching such excitement, he knew in his heart that this situation was different from before. If he was not careful, he would really be treated like a monster by Nuolan, and Qin Yumo's trouble for him would be enough to make him suffer.

"you!"

Tang Youyou was furious. She immediately threw down the magazine in her hand and picked up a chair, ready to fight.

Just as chaos was about to erupt in the study, a voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"I am willing!"

The aunt and nephew paused, turned around, and saw the study door open, with Zhang Wei walking in with a resolute expression.

“Zhang Wei?”*2.

Tang Youyou put down her chair and hurriedly asked, "Why are you here?"

“I sleep here, can’t I come?” Zhang Wei replied.

"..."

Yes, Zhang Wei moved into the study after he moved in. It's in the corner, and his bed is still there!
It's just that because the room is big enough, people often come here to read, work, play games, etc., and subconsciously overlook his bed.

Seeing that the two of them had quieted down, Zhang Wei turned around and closed the door, saying, "I heard what you just said. I support Youyou, no, I support Yumo!"

"Haha, it's okay, supporting Yu Mo is supporting me!" Tang Youyou laughed immediately, then glanced at her nephew, "See? Zhang Wei is more sensible and reliable than you!"

"is it?"

Lu Ziqiao curled his lips and looked at Zhang Wei, saying, "Zhang Wei, don't blame me for not reminding you. With your level, Nuolan wouldn't even need to easily eliminate you. The BOSS could just sneeze and you'd be dead without a trace."

"So what? Yu Mo has done me a great favor. Now that we are facing a formidable enemy, even if my combat strength is weak, I will still do my part!" Zhang Wei said defiantly, "That's what a man with guts is!"

After saying that, he pointed his nose at Lü Ziqiao and snorted disdainfully.

"..."

The study was quiet for a few seconds. Then, Lu Ziqiao turned his head and stepped forward to face Zhang Wei at very close range.

Are you challenging me?

……

Night, Shanghai Broadcasting Building.

"Zeng Xiaoxian, what's wrong with you today? The mistakes you made on the show just now were almost as many as when I first came to this show."

As soon as this episode of "Your Moon, My Heart" ended, Nuolan asked Zeng Xiaoxian curiously.

"Ah? Really?"

Zeng Xiaoxian's hand holding the water glass trembled slightly: "Um... maybe I forgot to put on prickly heat powder today?"

"That's it."

Nolan nodded, then smiled and said, "I thought you were nervous because I became your boss."

"Hehe, how could that be? Why would I be nervous about this, I..."

"Is it because I'm nervous about inviting everyone to dinner at the apartment this weekend?"

"..."

Zeng Xiaoxian's hand trembled, and the water in the cup spilled onto his crotch.

Seeing the ominous glint in Nuolan's eyes, Zeng Xiaoxian, forgetting all about wiping his pants, quickly said, "How could that be? I'm even less likely to be nervous. I'd be more than happy to have you at my apartment!"

“That makes sense.” Nolan suddenly smiled again. “After all, you invited me to come and take a look before.”

"Heh, right..."

"But why did you seem a little reluctant when I announced at the bar yesterday that I was treating everyone to dinner this weekend?"

"..."

Zeng Xiaoxian's face froze instantly. Yesterday, when he saw Nuolan really come, he was completely dumbfounded. He didn't know what went wrong. How could Nuolan really come?
Could it be because he invited Nuolan before?

Fortunately, Yu Mo wasn't there last night, otherwise he would have really committed a grave sin.

"I...I was just...just too surprised, and then I was overwhelmed by joy, haha." Zeng Xiaoxian chuckled dryly.

Seeing his expression, Nuolan narrowed her eyes slightly, but only smiled and didn't say anything more.

The recording studio became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Nuolan didn't speak and wouldn't leave work, and Zeng Xiaoxian didn't dare to move either. Now he not only felt his pants were wet, but his back was also a little sweaty.

After a long while, Nuolan looked at the manuscript in her hand and said softly, "I don't know why, but a while ago I suddenly felt uneasy. At first I thought it was because I had more work, so I didn't pay much attention to it. But then I had a bad dream. In the dream, Wensheng and I started to drift apart... I don't know if it's because of me, or because of him, or because of someone else..."

"..."

Zeng Xiaoxian's forehead began to sweat, while Nuolan changed her tone and chuckled after saying all that.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it. After all, 'Your Moon, My Heart' is a relationship advice program. After hosting it for a few months and hearing too many stories of couples breaking up and cheating, I've become a bit sensitive."

"Haha, really? I often do that too, but just relax and listen to it as a story. Some listeners like to make up eye-catching fake stories, so don't take it too seriously."

“That makes sense.” Nuolan nodded and smiled. “After all, you didn’t tell me anything strange about Wensheng at the apartment, so I must be overthinking it, right?”

"..."

Just as Zeng Xiaoxian's heart rate was soaring so high that he could almost hear his own heartbeat, Nuolan smiled and spoke again:

"Don't be nervous, I still trust you completely, Zeng Xiaoxian."

"..."

"By the way, a couple of days ago when I was the deputy director of the channel, the leader asked me if 'Your Moon, My Heart' would take up my current energy. The ratings for this program, which I also host, have increased. Whether I should continue hosting it depends on my plans."

Hearing Nuolan say that, Zeng Xiaoxian's eyes lit up.

"You're being transferred? The show is going to go back to its original format?"

“I said I haven’t thought it through yet, I need to consider it, and I haven’t been here long,” Nuolan said with a half-smile. “But you said the program should go back to its original state… do you think the station will allow this program to go backwards?”

The original "Your Moon, My Heart" was a program that consistently ranked last in listenership at the station!
Zeng Xiaoxian's eyelids twitched slightly; he was too embarrassed to respond to those words.

"However, if I am transferred and the ratings return to the previous level after switching from dual to single, it is hard to guarantee that the leaders will not have other reactions to such a drop."

"..."

Zeng Xiaoxian's expression changed several times, and he forced a laugh, "It shouldn't be that they're going to fire me, right?"

After all, it's a secure job, so he shouldn't be fired. But then he thought of something and added, "I've also been removed from that list of people who went to help build desert infrastructure. I probably won't be going anymore, right?"

"I don't know about that. I previously suggested that the station not send you to Alashan for reconstruction, but who knows if the ratings will go back to what they were before, or if they'll add you back to the list?"

Nuolan smiled and said, "But even if we don't go to Alashan for aid, I guess the station will probably add another host to the program and try a two-person show again. However, your partner will definitely not be me then. As for who it will be, I can't be sure."

"..."

Zeng Xiaoxian's forehead was covered in sweat. Neither of the two consequences Nuolan had mentioned was something he wanted to see.

Every single one of them felt like a fate worse than death to him.

He used to strongly resist Nuolan's involvement in his show, believing that she was stealing his thunder. However, after hosting for the past few months and benefiting from so much, he suddenly realized that if Nuolan left, his troubles might be even greater.

What's the difference between this and directly confirming, by controlling variables, that there are no bad programs, only bad hosts, and that he is that bad host...?
"Hehe, Nuolan, Director Nuo, officially we are a well-matched team, and personally Wensheng and I are good friends. You certainly wouldn't stand by and watch someone die, right?"

Zeng Xiaoxian rubbed his hands together and smiled obsequiously.

As the saying goes, a true man knows when to back down and when to stand firm. Anyway, I used to shrink back in front of Lisa Rong all the time, so having another leader now is no big deal.

"You flatter me. I already said I believe in you, otherwise I wouldn't have praised you in front of the boss."

Nuolan packed her things, picked up her bag, stood up, and smiled again: "Officially, I believe in your abilities, and personally, I also believe in you. I believe you are worthy of my trust, right?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Nuolan was about to leave when she suddenly seemed to remember something. She then took out a business card from her bag and placed it in front of Zeng Xiaoxian, whose face was stiff.

"I almost forgot, you're going to be on 'Dancing with the Stars' soon. As your partner and friend, besides cheering you on, this is the only way I can help you. This is a dance studio that my friend owns. They even often take on stage jobs for celebrities, like being a backup dancer. You could go there to study dance if you have the chance."

After leaving the business card, Nuolan left again, but turned back and smiled before leaving: "I believe you, Zeng Xiaoxian."

(End of this chapter)