After the divorce, my ex-husband's cousin tricked me into getting a marriage certificate.

Qi Muci cupped Qiao Ran's face and kissed her. "If he bothers you again, I'll tell him we're already married."

Qiao Ran tacitly agreed, "That's the only way."

From that day on, Lin Mengchuan seemed to have disappeared from Qiao Ran's world, never to reappear.

Qiao Ran didn't have time to think about the past anymore.

During the day, she studied with various teachers invited by the production team, and at night she stayed up late to read the script and memorize her lines.

She was very tired, but she felt fulfilled and happy.

Because Qi Muci showed great care for Qiao Ran, some people in the production crew started gossiping.

To avoid gossip, Qi Muci simply had Fu Chao spread the word that he and Qiao Ran were dating.

Furthermore, since Qi Muci was the younger brother of the investor and also served as the show's producer, no one dared to gossip about the investor anymore.

Upon learning that Qi Muci was indeed dating Qiao Ran, Jiang Jingjing felt both angry and jealous.

She couldn't understand why Qi Muchi would fall for a divorced woman.

It's really beneath them to come out of retirement and act in a TV series just to promote such a washed-up actress.

After realizing she had no chance to use Qi Muci for publicity, she withdrew from the performance citing poor health as an excuse.

Qi Muci was more than happy to do so, and immediately contacted a female actress he had a good relationship with to come and save the day, allowing the crew to start filming smoothly.

The filming process went smoothly and wrapped up a month earlier than expected.

When Qiao Ran, Qi Muci, and Zhao Mengmeng returned to Jingbei City, the city had just experienced a heavy snowfall.

The city is covered in silver, a stark contrast to the lush greenery of Licheng.

Qi Mu'an personally came to the airport to pick them up.

Actually, he came to pick up Zhao Mengmeng.

During the time Zhao Mengmeng was filming in Licheng, Qi Mu'an would fly over to visit her on set every month, and the two did not hide their relationship.

The most anxious were the elders of the Qi family, who kept urging Qi Mu'an to bring Zhao Mengmeng home to meet his parents.

So Qi Mu'an picked him up directly from the airport and brought him back to the Qi family.

Zhao Mengmeng was extremely nervous when she first came to the Qi family's house; her heart was pounding.

When she arrived at the Qi family's gate and saw the magnificent villa in front of her, she suddenly felt her legs go weak and she couldn't walk anymore.

Qiao Ran couldn't help but laugh when she saw her like this. "What are you doing?"

Zhao Mengmeng stammered, "I, I'm cold, Ranran, could you, could you help me up?"

After parking the car, Qi Mu'an walked over and put his arm around Zhao Mengmeng. "Let me help you. You're dressed too lightly. Didn't I tell you it's been snowing these past two days? Why didn't you wear something warmer?"

“It’s not winter yet in Licheng, so there are no warm clothes for sale,” Zhao Mengmeng said, feeling aggrieved.

Qi Mu'an felt sorry for you and changed to a gentle tone, "I'll have Secretary Liang buy you some warm clothes and send them over later. Now, come inside quickly."

Shen Qinglan was serving tea to her parents-in-law and her own parents when she saw her eldest son return with his entourage. She happily ran over and said, "We've been waiting for you all to come back! It must be very cold in Jingbei City, right? Are you all freezing?"

Qiao Ran replied with a smile, "It's really cold."

Qi Mu'an pushed Zhao Mengmeng in front of him and introduced her to everyone: "Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Grandpa and Grandma on the other side, this is Mengmeng."

Zhao Mengmeng was so nervous that she didn't know what to do, and blurted out, "Hello, Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Grandpa and Grandma on both sides."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had mispronounced them, and her face immediately turned red.

Qi Mu'an smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll have to change my address sooner or later anyway."

Zhou Yu looked at Zhao Mengmeng with a smile and said to Xiang Wanli sitting next to him, "She is indeed thinner than she appears on TV."

Xiang Wanli: "I already said, she's just chubby-cheeked. People with this kind of face are lucky. Everyone, sit down and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourselves up. Ranran, you've lost weight. Are you tired from filming?"

"Thank you, Mom, I can do it myself," Qiao Ran said, taking the hot tea from her mother-in-law, Shen Qinglan.

Smiling, she replied to Wanli, "Yes, Grandma, I've lost five pounds. It's easy to lose weight when filming late into the night because we have a lot of night scenes."

Xiang Wanli: "I heard from Qinglan that your drama is a palace drama, and many of the scenes are filmed at night. You must be tired. Now that you're back, take a good rest for a while."

"Mu Ci, remember to tell Aunt Lin to make more soup for your wife to nourish her body. It's winter now, a good time to take care of yourself."

"I'll have someone send you some medicinal herbs for making soup later."

Qi Muci: "Okay, I'll tell Aunt Lin when I get home tonight that I thank Grandma."

Qi Mu'an pretended to be dissatisfied, "Grandma, you're being unfair. Mengmeng has also lost weight, and she needs to eat more too."

Xiang Wanli was both amused and exasperated. "Okay, where does Mengmeng live? Does she have a housekeeper to cook for her? I'll have someone send you some medicinal herbs so you can take good care of yourself."

Zhao Mengmeng was a little embarrassed, "Grandma, I live alone and I don't know how to cook."

Qi Mu'an took Zhao Mengmeng's hand and said, "Don't go back to your little apartment. Come and stay with Mu Ci... Grandma, send the medicinal herbs to Mu Ci's place. Send more than you need."

Zhao Mengmeng: "That won't do."

Qi Mu'an: "What's wrong with that? I've always lived with him; the environment there is nice."

Qi Muci raised an eyebrow at Qi Mu'an, "Big brother, let's calculate the rent and food expenses you've paid for the past few months at my house."

Qi Mu'an: "You stingy guy, your house is so big, if I move in, it'll make you more popular."

Zhao Mengmeng quickly pulled Qi Mu'an away, "No, I'm fine living in my little apartment, don't bother Brother Qi."

Fearing that Zhao Mengmeng might misunderstand, Qi Muci smiled and said, "Mengmeng, I was just joking with my brother. You're welcome to move in with us; it would be nice for Ranran to have company."

If it were any other woman, Qi Muci would definitely not have agreed.

However, Zhao Mengmeng was Qiao Ran's best friend and lent a helping hand when Qiao Ran needed help the most, which he always remembered.

Qi Muci would always find an opportunity to repay anyone who had helped Qiao Ran.

Qiao Ran laughed and said, "Yeah, if you move in, I won't feel bored anymore. It's really boring to stay at home in the winter. We can call Ding Ding over and the three of us can watch TV shows together."

Xiang Wanli asked enviously, "Can I occasionally go and join in the fun?"

Zhou Yu chimed in, "Add me too, I want to play with you young people, and Grandma will bring you delicious food."

Qi Muci interrupted, "Grandma, we don't lack food."

Zhou Yu pouted, "It's your business if you don't need it, and it's my business if I bring it. I'm bringing it for my two granddaughters-in-law to eat, not for you two brothers."

Listening to the elders of the Qi family bantering and joking with the Qi brothers, Zhao Mengmeng gradually relaxed.

When she went to the restroom with Qiao Ran, she couldn't help but exclaim, "I didn't expect that my uncles, aunts, grandparents, and maternal grandparents would all be so open-minded and have such good personalities."

Qiao Ran replied, "Yes, they are all very nice, unlike other rich people who are so snobbish."

Zhao Mengmeng knew that Qiao Ran was referring to Lin Mengchuan's home. She hooked her arm around Qiao Ran's and asked in a low voice, "Lin Mengchuan doesn't know about your marriage to Brother Qi yet, right? When do you plan to announce your marriage?"

"When you marry your older brother," Qiao Ran teased Zhao Mengmeng.

Zhao Mengmeng blushed, "I don't know when that will be. Mu An has never mentioned marriage."

“Since your brother brought you back to meet his parents, it means he’s ready. Just wait, I guarantee he’ll propose to you soon,” Qiao Ran said confidently.