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Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife-Chapter 58 - 0: That man, he’s not simple.
Chapter 58: 058: That man, he’s not simple.
"Mummy, why don’t you come home? Aila misses you so much..."
The soft, tender voice was filled with longing for Ning Guiwan.
Ning Guiwan’s heart melted. A different light bloomed in her beautiful eyes, and her tone softened. "Mummy has some very important things to do. When Mummy has time, she’ll come back to see Aila, okay?"
"Mummy, Mi Xiu is sick. Doctor Steven gave him an injection. Mi Xiu is so pitiful..."
Mi Xiu was a Dalmatian.
"Then you must look after Mi Xiu well. When Mummy comes back, she’ll make you something delicious."
"When will Mummy come back?"
...
Ning Honghua returned to the company and asked his secretary to call the legal affairs manager.
"Chairman, you wanted to see me?"
The legal affairs manager, Shi Xun, walked in and stood before the large desk.
Ning Honghua sat in the executive chair, holding a cup of tea in his right hand. He gestured with his left hand towards the sofa. "Have a seat."
Shi Xun walked over and sat down, hearing Ning Honghua say, "I called you here because there’s something I need you to do." Without pausing, he continued, "Prepare a share transfer agreement for me."
"Share transfer?" Shi Xun was somewhat surprised. "Are you planning to..."
He was cut off by the ringing of Ning Honghua’s desk phone. Raising his hand to signal Shi Xun to be quiet, Ning Honghua picked up the handset. "Hello?"
"Chairman." The secretary’s voice came through the receiver. "President Quan’s assistant from Ruiyin Group called to invite you to dinner at Shanchuan Hotel at seven o’clock this evening. However, you have an appointment with the head of Jiamu Building Materials tonight. What are your instructions..."
"Quan Yu?" Ning Honghua thought for a moment, then said, "Call Jiamu Building Materials and reschedule the dinner for tomorrow night."
The secretary understood his intention immediately. "Then I will reply to President Quan’s side right away."
After hanging up the phone, Ning Honghua did not immediately return to their previous conversation. Instead, he pondered what Quan Yu could possibly want by arranging this meeting.
Tianchi Group’s initial business scope was foreign trade. After Ning Honghua took over management, he gradually led the company into the real estate and construction industries. Over the past decade, they have developed numerous properties across the country and even in North America.
When Chi Fenqiang was alive, he had some collaborations with the real estate group under Ruiyin Group. However, after his death, the cooperation between the two companies gradually faded. Although they never competed overtly, they were, in essence, rivals.
"Chairman..." Shi Xun’s voice interrupted Ning Honghua’s train of thought.
Ning Honghua put down his teacup and lit a cigarette.
After taking a few puffs, he instructed, "The matter of the share transfer agreement—handle it personally and don’t tell anyone for now."
Shi Xun didn’t understand his reasoning but didn’t ask further, nodding. "Understood."
Ning Honghua gestured dismissively. "Go on. Bring it to me when it’s ready."
"Yes."
Shi Xun left, closing the door behind him. Ning Honghua stared at the closed door for a long time.
In his ears, the repeated accusations of Ning Guiwan seemed to echo.
"Without your maternal grandfather’s support and help, where would your status and position be today?"
Then, the rumors he had heard for nearly three decades came flooding back.
"Isn’t he just someone who married into a wealthy family and climbed the social ladder? To put it bluntly, he’s a kept man, a disgrace to us men!"
"Being a kept man is a skill in itself. Not everyone is cut out for that. If you can’t swallow your pride, you really can’t make it."
...
"That’s the son-in-law who married into the Chi Family. Tsk, a pretty boy. I really don’t know what Miss Chi saw in him."
"He must have his talents, either with his words or in the bedroom..."
They would laugh uproariously, a silent, mutual understanding passing between them.
...
Underneath the glamorous exterior lay endless mockery—from old friends and classmates, from the self-proclaimed elites within this circle.
...
At seven in the evening, at Shanchuan Hotel, Ning Honghua followed the waiter into the private room Quan Yu had reserved.
By the time he was sipping his fifth cup of tea, Quan Yu finally arrived, fashionably late.
When the door to the private room opened, Ning Honghua subconsciously stood up, an unwittingly deferential posture.
Many times, one person’s attitude toward another isn’t solely determined by age.
Shencheng’s upper echelons were stratified. The Quan Family’s status was far beyond what Ning Honghua could compare to, especially after Chi Fenqiang’s death. Even with Tianchi Group backing him, as an outsider son-in-law, he could only linger on the fringes of high society.
"President Quan." Ning Honghua poured Quan Yu a cup of tea, politely handing it to him. This young man, more than twenty years his junior, possessed a powerful aura.
It was the kind of confidence born from wielding immense resources and wealth, an assurance that allowed him to remain exceptionally composed and elegant, no matter whom he faced or what he did.
"What matter did you wish to discuss with me?"
Quan Yu picked up the teacup, took a leisurely sip, then fixed his gaze squarely on Ning Honghua’s face.
The metal cufflinks on his wrist glinted coldly. "I hear Chairman Ning has been experiencing some family troubles recently?"
Ning Honghua paused, not expecting him to bring up his personal affairs.
"There have been quite a few incidents recently." Ning Honghua couldn’t gauge Quan Yu’s intention in mentioning this. He had issues with Quan Heng and his wife, so Quan Yu certainly wouldn’t be here on their behalf.
"Just some issues between the children. They’re all resolved now."
"Resolved?" Quan Yu’s lips curved into a smile, but it was superficial. The light in his eyes was colder than the reflection from his cufflinks. "And the method of resolution is a father-daughter estrangement?"
"..." Ning Honghua wasn’t surprised Quan Yu knew, as Lai Yang had also been present.
He just wondered what Quan Yu was trying to say.
Before Ning Honghua could figure it out, Quan Yu continued, "After Sister Tingshuang passed away, you redirected your hatred for her onto your daughter. Chairman Ning, having managed Tianchi Group for so many years, surely you understand the principle of clear rewards and punishments?"
Ning Honghua’s expression changed abruptly.
He looked at Quan Yu in disbelief. "What exactly do you know?"
...
Coming out of Shanchuan Hotel, Ning Honghua’s forehead was damp with sweat.
He had always known Quan Yu’s business tactics were ruthless, sometimes even ungentlemanly, but he hadn’t expected Quan Yu’s information channels to be so formidable.
If Quan Yu knew even about such a hidden matter, what didn’t he know?
Chi Tingshuang had once betrayed Ning Honghua.
This was the shame Ning Honghua found most unbearable, the secret he least wanted others to discover.
Only four people knew about it—one was already dead, and the other three would never speak of it. How did Quan Yu find out?
The more Ning Honghua thought about it, the more his heart pounded. The current head of Ruiyin Group was truly not to be underestimated.
In the bleak autumn night, Ning Honghua sat in the car with the window down. The chilly breeze that blew in could not dispel the turmoil in his heart.
He had never imagined that a fifth person would know about that matter.
Ning Honghua stared grimly at the receding nightscape.
In his ears, Quan Yu’s final warning resounded: "If you want that matter to remain hidden, be more courteous to your biological daughter."
...
Quan Yu returned to the Quan family estate just before nine o’clock.
Old Mrs. Quan had already retired for the night. Ning Guiwan had just prepared two mango milkshakes and was about to take them upstairs when she received a call from Ning Honghua.
She hesitated for a moment before answering, her tone very cold, "What is it?"
"Regarding today’s events, I was inconsiderate." Ning Honghua’s voice was stiff. The words he spoke surprised Ning Guiwan. "You’re right. The company was left by your maternal grandfather, and I shouldn’t casually give shares to others. As for He Yunqing, I will talk to her again."
Even after hanging up, Ning Guiwan was somewhat stunned. Ning Honghua’s change of heart was too abrupt.
Ning Guiwan was still lost in thought when Quan Yu walked over from the entrance, one hand on his belt. He was wearing a mandarin-collar shirt that day, his suit jacket open, exuding a sense of effortless style.
Seeing Ning Guiwan, the man spoke, his voice tinged with warmth, "Not asleep yet?"
Ning Guiwan, holding the tray, blinked her long lashes and slowly smiled, her fair skin almost translucent under the light. "Lai Yang wanted a milkshake..." She paused. "Uncle Yu, would you like one?"
As she spoke, Quan Yu reached her. Hearing her offer, he lifted a cup from the tray and took a sip. He savored the taste with half-closed eyes, then gave his considered opinion: "Not bad at all."