Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife-Chapter 98 - 0: The first time earnestly examining the man’s face (1 more)

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Chapter 98: 098: The first time earnestly examining the man’s face (1 more)

Lai Yang pulled Ning Guiwan to Quan Yu’s room. Neither Zhan Yan nor Xu Ruohuai were present. Two other bodyguards guarded the door.

Having become familiar with them over the past few days, Lai Yang asked with a grin, "Has Second Cousin gone to sleep?"

As her words fell, the door opened from the inside.

The man who emerged was Chi Zhengjun. He was dressed in a white sweater, the collar of a pale blue shirt visible at the neckline. A man in his thirties, he had refined and handsome features.

Upon seeing the two girls, a smile immediately appeared on his lips. "Didn’t you go to the matchmaking event? I heard there’s a special segment tonight."

Fearing he might get in the way, Lai Yang stealthily passed the gift in her hand to Ning Guiwan. Then, with a beaming smile, she hooked her arm through Uncle Chi’s. While dragging him away, she said, "The matchmaking event isn’t fun at all. Actually, I was looking for you about something. Let’s go grab a coffee."

Meanwhile, she signaled an ’OK’ gesture to Ning Guiwan with her hand behind her back.

After Lai Yang dragged Chi Zhengjun away, Ning Guiwan didn’t linger.

Just as she was about to leave, the ajar door was pulled open wider. Quan Yu appeared, still in his daytime clothes, though his tie pin was removed and his shirt buttons were undone, revealing his collarbone and chest.

His sleeves were rolled up a few times, and the hem of his shirt was untucked from his waistband. He looked as if he was about to change for bed—somewhat unkempt.

Somewhat lazy, but also somewhat... sexy.

Ning Guiwan barely glanced at him before lowering her head, not daring to look again.

"Looking for me?" the man’s voice was low and carried a hint of cool detachment. "What is it?"

Ning Guiwan was about to shake her head—

when the box in her hand was snatched away by a large, well-defined hand. The box’s design exuded a mature, business-like sensibility. It was clearly something intended for a man.

"For me?" Quan Yu opened it.

After a glance, he closed it again. His expression was indifferent, revealing neither like nor dislike as he casually held it, his gaze falling on Ning Guiwan’s lowered eyes.

"Lai Yang bought it. She’s very grateful for your help recently," Ning Guiwan felt it necessary to explain.

Quan Yu looked at her for a moment, then exposed her ruse. "Then why didn’t she give it to me herself, instead of having you, an ’outsider,’ run this errand?"

Ning Guiwan faltered. After a couple of seconds, she added, "Lai Yang chose the style, and she paid for it—"

"Is that so?" he replied, his tone skeptical.

Ning Guiwan glanced up slightly, only to see the tall figure of the man leaning casually against the door frame, an amused smile in his eyes as he watched her.

She pursed her lips, deciding not to say more, and turned to leave.

The more I explain, the more smug he seems to get.

Quan Yu didn’t stop her. He watched her turn a corner and disappear, only withdrawing his gaze after a moment. Straightening up, he went back into the room. Behind him, the bodyguard closed the door. Quan Yu placed the box on the coffee table and picked up his sleepwear before heading to the bathroom for a shower.

Five minutes later, he came out drying his hair, his gaze first falling on the box lying quietly on the coffee table. His steps hesitated for a moment before he walked over, sat down, and tossed the towel onto the sofa.

He picked up the box and opened it.

Under the light, the small accessory was exquisite, its sapphire refracting the light.

The set of cufflinks and tie pin looked nice enough, but it didn’t quite match his usual preference for black shirts.

Clearly, the person who picked it out hadn’t put much thought into it. A perfunctory gift.

Quan Yu leaned back on the sofa, gazed at it for a while, then chuckled softly. He closed the lid and placed the box back on the coffee table.

* * *

"How did it go? Was Second Cousin happy?" Lai Yang had returned before Ning Guiwan.

Ning Guiwan changed her shoes and glanced at her. "I don’t know."

Lai Yang was stunned for a moment. "What do you mean you don’t know? Did he smile when he received the gift you delivered? Was he happy about it?"

Ning Guiwan replied irritably, "He didn’t smile, nor did he seem very happy."

"Ah?" Lai Yang deflated, puffing out her cheeks. "Does that mean he didn’t like it? Maybe when we get back to Shencheng, we should go buy something else?"

Ning Guiwan was opening the wardrobe to get her pajamas for a shower. Hearing this, she smoothly took down Lai Yang’s pink and white robe and tossed it over her head. "If you’re going to give a gift, do it yourself."

* * *

In the early hours of that morning, the cruise ship encountered a fierce storm on the high seas.

The downpour arrived abruptly, without any warning. Fierce winds whipped up massive waves, tossing the vast ship about like a tiny boat—lifted high one moment, then slammed down the next.

Even the first-class cabins could feel the violent shaking.

Loudspeakers repeatedly broadcast reassurances to the passengers. The cruise company’s crew and sailors all had rich seafaring experience and were well-equipped to cope, yet the atmosphere in the cabins remained somewhat tense.

Lai Yang, terrified, turned on all the lights and went out to look. Many people had left their rooms, anxiety written on their faces.

The storm grew fiercer, and the rocking beneath their feet intensified. Unable to sit still, Lai Yang voiced her fear, "We’re not about to relive the Titanic tragedy from over a hundred years ago, are we?"

Under these circumstances, no one could sleep soundly.

Ning Guiwan sat at the head of the bed and opened the book she had been reading earlier. She found herself at the passage: "What is life? It is but a brief stop in the waiting room on the way to the Grim Reaper."

How fitting for this moment, she thought.

She glanced at Lai Yang’s panicked expression and suddenly felt a playful desire to tease her. Smiling, she said, "You never know. But since I’m with you, you won’t be alone."

Lai Yang took her seriously and ran to the private deck to check the situation outside, saying, "Don’t scare me. I get frightened easily."

Then another huge wave came, lifting the cruise ship high before smashing it down hard.

For a moment, the cruise ship seemed as though it might capsize. The floor tilted severely. Lai Yang was thrown hard, her mind going blank as she slid from one end of the deck to the other.

Fortunately, it was on the private deck. Had it been on the public deck outside, she might have fallen into the sea.

Before she could gather her senses, darkness suddenly enveloped her.

Oh God! Lai Yang cried out in fright.

This is just like when it rains, it pours!

"Lai Yang!"

That last jolt had thrown Ning Guiwan off the bed as well. Her forehead struck the bedside table, the impact numbing her skull. As she recovered, she heard Lai Yang’s frantic cries.

The room was pitch-black and swaying violently. The roar of the massive waves was deafeningly close. Ning Guiwan fumbled in the dark for Lai Yang. "Don’t be afraid, I’m coming to find you."

Fortunately, the furniture was all bolted to the floor. Aside from a few small decorative items falling, there was no concern about furniture shifting and causing injury. Still, the distance that usually took just a few steps to cross now felt incredibly arduous.

"Xiaowan..." Lai Yang threw herself into Ning Guiwan’s arms. "This is too terrifying. I will never go out to sea again... We’re going to die here, aren’t we?"

"Don’t think like that. It’s just a power outage; the power should be back on soon." Ning Guiwan no longer felt like joking. Her own heart hammered erratically, but she forced herself to remain relatively calm. She had to; if she panicked, Lai Yang would only become more terrified.

"Are you hurt?" Ning Guiwan’s voice came through the darkness. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com

"No..." Lai Yang replied, her voice trembling as she clung tightly to Ning Guiwan’s waist. "It’s so dark... I’m scared..."

"Don’t be afraid." Ning Guiwan stroked her head, her own palm sweaty. "I’ll support you. Let’s go find our phones."

Just as she took a step—

UGH— Ning Guiwan suddenly felt a sharp pain under her foot, as if she had stepped on something. She nearly fell.

"What’s wrong?" Lai Yang asked anxiously, her body trembling as she clutched Ning Guiwan’s sleepwear.

"It’s nothing." In the darkness, Lai Yang couldn’t see Ning Guiwan’s smile, but she could hear the forced lightness in her voice. Ning Guiwan was deliberately trying to distract her. "Do you know where the phones are?"

Lai Yang couldn’t think and just shook her head. Despite being nearly the same height as Ning Guiwan, at that moment she shrank into her embrace, treating her as a safe haven.

Ning Guiwan tried to take a few steps. A searing pain shot through her injured foot, which now felt sticky. She was probably bleeding.

Once on the deck, the storm outside sounded even louder. Waves thundered, the sound penetrating the glass like muffled explosions, and her heartbeat involuntarily quickened with their rhythm.

She suddenly remembered her early days in Britain. There was supposed to be a housekeeper in the house she stayed at. However, on the day she arrived, the housekeeper had a family emergency and had to leave suddenly, without even a moment to explain. She never returned.

During that time, I stayed in that empty house, feeling panic and helplessness, as if I were stuck in mire, incapable of saving myself...

* * *

Suddenly, a blinding beam of light shone in from the doorway, followed by another.

Ning Guiwan froze for a moment, then looked. A slender figure was stumbling towards her through the violent rocking of the ship.

Light streamed from behind the person, obscuring his face, but Ning Guiwan could sense his urgency.

Ning Guiwan recognized the figure immediately. Surprise flooded her, along with an inexplicable rush of emotion.

Quan Yu had always presented himself as composed and unflappable. This was Ning Guiwan’s first time seeing him like this.

For a moment, she wondered if she was hallucinating. Then Quan Yu pulled her into his embrace, and she smelled his unique scent.

"Don’t be afraid, I’m here," Quan Yu said, his arm around her waist, his other hand gripping a partition to steady them both. "Are you hurt?"

The bodyguard’s flashlight illuminated them. In its bright circle, the man looked down at her, his clear, deep brown eyes filled with urgency and concern.

His lips were well-defined, though their color was a little pale, which usually lent him a cool and aloof impression.

For the first time, Ning Guiwan seriously studied the face of the man before her.

For a moment, she couldn’t find the right words to say.