Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife-Chapter 78 - 0: Whisper it to me in private (2nd update)

During the time Ning Guiwan was away, Lai Yang had also been looking for her.

"You’re working. What do you want with me?" Ning Guiwan glanced at the person draped on her shoulder.

Lai Yang frowned, clearly displeased.

"It’s so boring! My second cousin took a call and disappeared. He’s been gone for so long and still isn’t back. I just have to listen to that old man brag about his entrepreneurial history. It’s so dull!"

Lai Yang lifted her pretty face to look at Ning Guiwan. "Why didn’t you answer when I called?"

Ning Guiwan glanced at her phone. "Oh, I accidentally set it to silent."

After a pause, she mentioned casually, "I just ran into your second cousin. He asked me to tell you that he wants to take you out for dinner tonight."

Lai Yang immediately straightened up, her eyes wide. "He’s taking just me to dinner? Why?"

"Maybe he saw you working hard on your first day and wants to encourage you," Ning Guiwan said, her expression particularly serene.

Lai Yang pressed her hands to her heart. "My second cousin is getting so much nicer to me. I’m so touched..." Ning Guiwan smiled.

「By four-thirty, the golf game had ended.」

Ning Guiwan and Lai Yang stood by the roadside, waiting for Quan Yu’s driver. Not far off, Quan Yu was bidding farewell to his business partners. He wore a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes—mere politeness, yet he carried himself with grace.

For some reason, I suddenly remembered the underground parking garage... how he had patiently and attentively kissed me, in all sorts of ways, while I only felt an unbearable suffocation...

"Xiaowan, I’m talking to you! What are you thinking about?"

Lai Yang’s voice cut through her reverie.

Ning Guiwan blinked. Quan Yu’s business partner had already left. Quan Yu stood with one hand in his pocket, talking on the phone. In the light of the setting sun, his shadow stretched long, and his thin, pursed lips exuded an austere coolness.

Sunny and her assistant, Yu Xinwen, were heads together, discussing something.

Just then, the car arrived.

Lai Yang didn’t press the issue and pulled Ning Guiwan into the car.

The two women sat together in the back, with Quan Yu in the front passenger seat.

Sunny and Yu Xinwen got into another car.

Watching the Cullinan pull away smoothly in front of them, Sunny remarked nonchalantly, "Everyone down the ladder is guessing Lai Yang is some relative of Boss Quan’s. No one knows what kind of relative, but she seems to have quite the backing. She even brings a friend to work. It doesn’t look like she’s here to earn money at all—more like a young heiress experiencing life at the grassroots level for fun."

Yu Xinwen glanced at her. "That’s none of your concern. I’d advise you to mind your own business."

Sunny paused, startled, then laughed, her expression intelligent and elegant. "Just making small talk. Why so serious, Assistant Yu?"

「The Cullinan stopped at the hotel entrance.」

Quan Yu walked ahead, while Lai Yang, arm looped through Ning Guiwan’s, followed.

As they took the elevator upstairs, Lai Yang smiled sweetly and said gratefully, "Thank you for dinner, Second Cousin. I promise to work hard and not embarrass you."

Quan Yu’s gaze shifted to Ning Guiwan.

His eyes held a look that seemed to be a mix of amusement and questioning.

Ning Guiwan looked away, her gaze falling to the hem of her skirt. The spot where juice had spilled was now dry; the black fabric was good at hiding stains, so it was barely noticeable.

While they were ordering, Ning Guiwan kept her head down, sipping her tea, Lai Yang’s voice drifting to her ears intermittently.

"I’ll have one of these."

"This one too."

"Oh, this looks delicious..."

Suddenly, an iPad was passed to Ning Guiwan.

Quan Yu’s distinct knuckles tapped the screen. His voice was calm and gentle as he said, "Order what you’d like."

Yet, the words themselves carried an assertive weight.

Ning Guiwan shifted her gaze from his hand and began to swipe through the menu on the screen. Unlike Lai Yang, who chattered while choosing dishes, she remained completely silent until she had finished ordering.

Quan Yu watched her.

Her eyes were downcast, her red lips lightly pursed. Her picturesque features—her brows and eyes—held a touch of cool, aloof beauty.

The dishes arrived one after another. Midway through the meal, Lai Yang’s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, her cheerful expression immediately fell. Pouting, she stepped outside to take the call.

Only the two of them remained in the private dining room.

Ning Guiwan felt the atmosphere in the room abruptly change.

His gaze on her became sharp and distinct.

"Afraid of me?" His deep voice, with its slightly teasing upward lilt at the end, was captivating.

Ning Guiwan kept her head bowed, the tip of her chopsticks poking at her plate. Our relationship has suddenly become like this... I’m still in a bit of a daze. freēwēbnovel.com

"Eat some more." A lamb chop, fragrant and appetizing, landed on her plate. Yet, Ning Guiwan had no appetite whatsoever.

But when she turned to look at the man beside her, she offered a dazzlingly beautiful smile. "Thank you, Uncle Yu."

Quan Yu looked at her. His deep brown, almost crystalline eyes held a piercing wisdom that seemed to see through all worldly pretenses. Ning Guiwan’s smile faltered slightly, but then Quan Yu took her hand again.

"Calling me ’Uncle’ now... isn’t that a bit inappropriate?"

His large hand completely enveloped hers. Ning Guiwan averted her gaze, her eyes landing on a bottle of wine on the lazy Susan, its label bearing the year ’2006’ in red font.

"Then what should I call you?"

She pursed her lips, trying to suppress the wave of resistance she felt.

"Call me brother," he said.

Ning Guiwan froze for a moment.

When she was a child, she didn’t know any better and would always follow him around, calling him ’brother, brother.’ When he first returned to the country, she had also called him that for a time. But later, because she got together with Quan Xiangru, she started calling him ’Uncle.’

"That’s not appropriate," she said, looking up at Quan Yu.

Quan Yu brought her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss onto it, his voice low. "Call me that when it’s just us."

Ning Guiwan was momentarily speechless.

"Say it," Quan Yu urged, gripping her hand, his tone coaxing. "Be good."

Ning Guiwan was afraid Lai Yang would return and see them like this.

She hesitated, then her red lips parted slightly. "Brother..."

My heart is racing...

Quan Yu’s cool gaze rested on her face, his eyes slowly darkening. Beneath his calm exterior, strong emotions churned.

If Ning Guiwan had been more observant that day, she would have realized that deep within his eyes, only her reflection could be found.