Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife-Chapter 59 - 0: Tianchi Group Faces Short Selling

Chapter 59: 059: Tianchi Group Faces Short Selling

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Ning Guiwan made another Mango Milkshake.

In the humming of the blender, she drifted off slightly.

Ning Honghua’s sudden change in attitude was truly odd.

Lost in thought... a body pressed up behind her, and the hand holding the blender cup was also enveloped in someone else’s grasp.

Ning Guiwan snapped back to reality, looked down, and saw the milkshake had already spilled over the glass.

"Always this distracted when you’re working?" A man’s mellow voice sounded in her ear.

Quan Yu held Ning Guiwan’s hand with one of his own, while his other hand rested on the edge of the kitchen counter, creating a stance that encircled Ning Guiwan between himself and the counter.

But their bodies did not touch.

Guiding Ning Guiwan’s hand, Quan Yu helped her set the blender cup on the counter and then withdrew his hand.

It seemed he had simply noticed her spilling the milkshake and offered a hand.

Ning Guiwan didn’t quite know what to say. She just smiled, wiped the counter with a cloth, and said, "I was just thinking about some things and got distracted."

A phone vibrated briefly.

Quan Yu took his phone from his pocket, glanced at it, then put it back, his gaze returning to Ning Guiwan’s face.

The girl must have showered not long ago. Her hair, loosely curled, cascaded onto her shoulders. As she lowered her head to clean the counter, her hair veiled most of her profile, leaving only the elegant tip of her nose visible.

She wore a red camisole nightgown that fit perfectly. She was doing something most women do, yet she looked unusually elegant and charming.

Ning Guiwan knew he was watching her, but she pretended not to notice. The air was so still she could hear her own heartbeat.

Such a tense atmosphere always made one feel uneasy.

After tidying up the counter, she placed the newly made milkshake on a tray. Turning around with a very calm and natural smile, she said, "Lai Yang is still waiting for me. I’ll head up first."

Quan Yu watched her coolly and remained silent—a tacit consent.

Ning Guiwan didn’t linger. She smiled and walked past him.

The moment they brushed past each other, her heart inexplicably tightened.

It wasn’t until she left the kitchen and stepped onto the stairs that her body completely relaxed. She leaned on the banister for a moment to compose herself, then went upstairs.

「...」

"...What are you doing? I don’t want to go pick him up!" Ning Guiwan pushed open the door to hear Lai Yang’s irritated voice. "If I don’t want to go back, then I won’t! I’m perfectly happy at my great-aunt’s house and don’t feel like going back!"

"What happened?" Lai Yang hung up as soon as she finished speaking and tossed her phone aside. Ning Guiwan set down the tray, handed her a milkshake, and asked.

Lai Yang huffed, "That old man is coming to Shencheng on a business trip and will arrive tomorrow. My dad actually wants me to pick him up!"

"I don’t want to! He’s probably old and ugly! Only a fool would go pick him up!"

Ning Guiwan didn’t know what to say to that.

After all, it was someone else’s family affair.

"It’s getting late. Drink up and then go to bed."

"I’m so mad, I can’t sleep!"

Yet, the one who claimed she couldn’t sleep soon began to snore, while Ning Guiwan couldn’t fall asleep.

Kulock always acted swiftly. By tomorrow, Tianchi Group would likely be facing a storm.

What Ning Honghua had said that night couldn’t change her mind.

The thought that he actually planned to give company shares to his illegitimate daughter as a dowry filled Ning Guiwan with an urgent sense of crisis.

She had to gain control of Tianchi Group as soon as possible.

「...」

The following day dawned with heavy clouds, as if the weather itself was forecasting a day of great upheaval.

Ning Guiwan got up as usual, got ready, and went downstairs with Lai Yang for breakfast.

At the breakfast table, Madam Quan again brought up the matter of Ning Guiwan’s matchmaking. The old lady had heard from Lai Yang the day before about Ning Qinghan’s suicide and the series of events it had triggered.

This only strengthened her resolve to find Ning Guiwan a good marital match.

"I already spoke with Shengyu’s parents yesterday. In a couple of days, his mom will bring him over for dinner."

Quan Yu was also present. Upon hearing this, he lifted his gaze toward Ning Guiwan, his look deep and intense.

Ning Guiwan said nothing.

Quan Yu stood up, also without saying anything, and walked straight out of the dining room. Soon after, the sound of a car engine could be heard from outside, gradually fading away.

At half-past ten, Ning Guiwan was accompanying Old Madam Quan, who was listening to opera. From an old phonograph floated the lingering, mournful lyrics: ’These flowers and plants, so cherished by all; let life and death follow one’s own call...’ Just then, her cellphone rang.

The call was from Ren Xiaofei.

Ning Guiwan answered, casually saying, "Hello?"

"Manager Ning, you need to come to the company right away!" Ren Xiaofei’s voice was urgent.

Ning Guiwan stood up and walked outside. "What happened?"

"Our company is being targeted by Muddy Waters LLC from the United States!" Ren Xiaofei exclaimed. "This morning, Muddy Waters released a short-selling report on Tianchi. It questioned our financial status, claiming our operating profits were inflated. The report also alleged that our procurement department was substituting inferior goods for quality ones to make a profit. Furthermore, it stated that several buildings we constructed in North America have significant safety risks..."

"Since the market opened this morning, in less than two hours, the stock price has fallen by twenty percent. The executives are holding an emergency meeting, and the company is in chaos..."

"Director Xiao asked me to call you and get you back for the meeting..."

Birds hurriedly flew across the sky as Ning Guiwan, with a faint smile on her lips, said, "I’ve already resigned. I sent the resignation letter to Director Xiao’s email last night. Remind him to check it."

"Why?" Ren Xiaofei paused, surprised.

Ning Guiwan said, "But don’t worry. I’ll be back soon."

After saying that, she hung up the phone.

At noon, Tianchi Group’s stock price closed down ten percent at $15. In the afternoon, Tianchi Group announced a voluntary suspension of stock trading, stating they were aware of the media reports and would issue a clarifying statement.

Suddenly, Tianchi Group became the center of a storm, with major domestic and international media outlets scrambling to report on it.

The next morning, Tianchi Group issued a statement strongly denying the allegations in Muddy Waters LLC’s report, asserting that they were inaccurate and misleading.

Almost simultaneously with Tianchi Group’s announcement, Muddy Waters publicly released a copy of an agreement between Tianchi Group’s procurement manager and a building materials supplier. They also provided proof that some of Tianchi Group’s buildings developed in North America had failed inspections.

Domestic and international media were in an uproar.

This was a resounding slap in the face for Tianchi Group.

Faced with such irrefutable evidence, Tianchi Group’s earlier statement seemed like mere evasion and a cover-up.

The New York Stock Exchange forcibly halted the trading of Tianchi Group’s stock.

BANG—!

An ashtray was fiercely smashed onto Chen Dong’s face.

Ning Honghua was livid. Pointing an accusing finger at Chen Dong, he raged, "I really underestimated you! Engaging in dual contracts, you even managed to pull strings with government departments in the United States and got compliant certificates for non-compliant buildings. You’ve really got some skills!"

"Are you happy now that we’ve been delisted?"

"Speak up! Who else was involved with you in this?"

Chen Dong alone couldn’t have had the power to hide everything so thoroughly.

Chen Dong was drenched in a cold sweat, his limbs shaking like a sieve.

Yet, for a long moment, he couldn’t utter a single word.

"You won’t talk to me, is that it? Then go talk to the police!"

It wasn’t long before Chen Dong was taken away by the police.

Many onlookers watched as he was taken away. Chen Dong’s eyes frantically searched the crowd. When he saw Ning Rongyue, his eyes lit up, and he opened his mouth as if to speak, but she just turned her head and walked away.

When Ning Rongyue returned to her office, she felt as if the last bit of her strength had been exhausted.

Her legs went weak, and she nearly fell over.

Her face was pale, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and her hand trembled as she dialed her phone. Her ears were ringing, and it felt as if she couldn’t hear anything else.

As the call connected, she said urgently, "It’s all blown up! Chen Dong has been taken by the police for questioning. What do we do now? What do we do?"

"You said we wouldn’t be found out! Why does Muddy Waters have that agreement? If Chen Dong implicates me, all my years of hard work will be for nothing!"

"What’s there to panic about?" The female voice on the phone was indifferent, composed, and commanding.

Hearing the other party’s cold tone, Ning Rongyue felt somewhat reassured and calmed down. "Do you have a solution?" she asked.

"Ever heard of ’sacrificing the pawn to save the king’?"