Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife-Chapter 99 - 0: Your second maternal uncle is a tycoon, stick close to him and you’ll have your share of the prosperity (2 updates)

Chapter 99: 099: Your second maternal uncle is a tycoon, stick close to him and you’ll have your share of the prosperity (2 updates)

Lai Yang’s crying interrupted Ning Guiwan’s train of thought.

She came back to her senses and flashed a faint smile toward Quan Yu. The residual light from the flashlight illuminated her features—her face, stripped of makeup, was clear and clean.

"I’m okay," she said, looking at Quan Yu. "Yu... how about you? Are you hurt?"

The roar of the raging sea filled the air outside. Ning Guiwan was held in the man’s embrace; his broad, sturdy arms were a haven, powerful enough to shield her from any storm.

At that moment, the lights in the room flickered on.

Almost instantly, Quan Yu noticed the sticky pool of blood at her feet and the pale bruise on her forehead.

"Zhan Yan."

The man’s eyes were dark, his voice somewhat cold.

Zhan Yan immediately understood and turned to leave.

The four bodyguards who had accompanied them were all present. Tang Cheng was supporting Lai Yang, who, having survived the ordeal, was clinging to his clothes and sobbing.

Once the electricity returned, the storm outside seemed to abate, losing its earlier heart-stopping intensity.

The cruise ship had medical staff on board, and Zhan Yan quickly summoned a doctor.

Quan Yu carried Ning Guiwan to the sofa. She had stepped on shards of glass which, after Xu Ruohuai checked the room, appeared to be remnants of a shattered table lamp.

The wound was about an inch long. The doctor used tweezers to part the flesh, checking for any embedded shards.

Pain shot straight to her heart, but Ning Guiwan bit her lip and endured it.

Seeing Ning Guiwan silently bearing the pain, Quan Yu slowly gathered her into his arms, his movements filled with tender concern.

Ning Guiwan was stunned for a moment, then managed a smile. "It’s not that serious."

Chi Zhengjun, also worried about the two girls, hurried over once power was restored, steadying himself against the wall to check on them.

Seeing the bodyguards outside the door, he smiled in relief. Leaning on the doorframe without entering, he simply watched the two of them holding each other.

It had to be said, they were a handsome pair, a perfect match.

The room steward, who had gone to find lighting tools during the power outage, returned to find the electrical system restored. He was now making coffee for Lai Yang. She sat on the bed, eyes red, tightly clutching Tang Cheng’s arm.

Seeing Chi Zhengjun, she sniffled. "Uncle Chi..."

"Scared?" Chi Zhengjun walked over and ruffled Lai Yang’s hair.

Lai Yang pouted, still visibly shaken.

"What’s there to be scared of? This ship was just upgraded. A little storm like this is nothing to it," Chi Zhengjun said, his voice gentle.

Lai Yang wiped her nose with her fingers, skeptical. "The Titanic was also called ’unsinkable,’ yet it sank on its maiden voyage."

Chi Zhengjun chuckled, his features appearing fair and clear in the light. He glanced at Quan Yu and said with a laugh, "When Thomas Andrews designed the Titanic, he only considered its hardness and forgot the importance of a cruise ship’s toughness. That’s why it leaked after a single collision. Our cruise ship is top-notch in both hardness and toughness. Besides, the company’s second-largest shareholder is on board. He’s very confident, so you don’t need to be afraid."

Lai Yang was stunned. Royal Cruise was the world’s most luxurious cruise brand, headquartered in New York, with a long history and a formidable background—impressive in every respect. The second-largest shareholder... what exactly did that imply?

"Who is it?" Lai Yang, forgetting her tears, asked with eyes full of curiosity. "I haven’t seen any old American men on the ship, aside from the captain with his white beard..."

Chi Zhengjun couldn’t help but laugh. "Who told you he’s an old American man?"

With that, he gestured towards Quan Yu with his chin. "Your second maternal uncle made some money in investments years ago. He capitalized on the 2008 financial crisis, buying stakes in several companies in Canada and the United States, including the then-struggling Royal Cruise. We all thought he was crazy. But after the financial tsunami passed, his investments paid off a hundredfold."

"So, your second maternal uncle is incredibly wealthy. Stick with him, and you’ll be well taken care of."

No wonder... Lai Yang recalled how, just the night before, a single phone call from Quan Yu had brought the captain himself to resolve a minor dispute among some girls.

She had assumed her second maternal uncle merely knew some higher-ups at the cruise company, not that he *was* one of them.

After the doctor finished treating Ning Guiwan’s wound and packed his medical kit, he departed. Given the storm’s severity, there were likely many injured people on board.

Ning Guiwan gently pulled away from Quan Yu’s embrace. Bracing herself on the edge of the sofa, she thanked him and then looked down at her injured foot.

The bandage was neatly wrapped.

Gradually, however, her attention was drawn to a figure in her peripheral vision. The man, who had evidently rushed over, was wearing a night robe. Its fabric, so dark it seemed to reflect light, was deep and substantial, making his features appear even colder and more austere.

Quan Yu was also looking at her. His gaze fell on her foot, suspended in mid-air. Her round toenails gleamed with a faint rosy hue under the light, her little toe was playfully curled, and her foot itself was clean and pale.

The swaying of the ship beneath them lessened further. Raindrops struck the glass of the deck enclosure, sliding down in long, thin trails.

The room steward distributed the freshly brewed coffee, and the atmosphere gradually warmed.

Lai Yang’s mood had stabilized considerably by now; she was no longer clinging to Tang Cheng’s arm for security. Chi Zhengjun remarked, "It looks like this rain won’t stop tonight. I say we skip sleeping and play cards instead. It’ll keep our minds off things."

As he spoke, he instructed Quan Yu’s bodyguards to fetch tables and chairs from the card room.

「Ten minutes later, a card table was set up on the private deck.」

The lights shone brightly. Beyond the glass, the stormy night at sea unfolded, creating a mystical ambiance.

The room steward prepared a midnight snack for everyone.

"We need some stakes," Chi Zhengjun said while drawing and examining his mahjong tiles. "Otherwise, there’s no excitement."

Quan Yu remained silent, as if words were gold.

Ning Guiwan’s foot throbbed with a dull ache, and she didn’t feel like talking.

Lai Yang, ever obliging, retorted, "What do you want to bet? Fair warning, I’m broke. The card I’m using still belongs to my second maternal uncle."

A smile played on Chi Zhengjun’s lips. "At the end, whoever has the fewest chips must grant one request to the person with the most chips."

Seeing the other three look at him, he added, "What, lacking confidence?"

Neither Quan Yu nor Ning Guiwan spoke.

Lai Yang piped up, "What kind of stakes are these? Are we in a martial arts drama or something?"

Despite her words, the mahjong game soon began.

Back in Britain, Tan Xi had loved playing mahjong, inviting friends over for an afternoon session every weekend. Sometimes, when they were short one player, Ning Guiwan would be roped in to make up the numbers.

Over time, while her mahjong skills couldn’t be called masterful, they were certainly passable.

Clearly, though, Chi Zhengjun was a seasoned veteran. Ning Guiwan watched as her chips steadily migrated to his side, a wide smile spreading across his face.

Ning Guiwan’s foot ached no matter how she positioned it. As she shifted in her seat yet again, Quan Yu glanced at her and then stood up.

He moved behind her and turned her chair to face his.

Ning Guiwan had injured her right foot. With Quan Yu now sitting to her left, this new angle allowed her to comfortably rest her injured foot on his thigh.

When Quan Yu bent down beneath the table to lift her foot, Ning Guiwan was startled and instinctively tried to pull away.

"Don’t move. It’ll be more comfortable this way," Quan Yu said, his hand firmly on her ankle.

Aware of Chi Zhengjun and Lai Yang’s curious gazes, Ning Guiwan managed an awkward smile.

Quan Yu’s palm rested against the skin of her ankle, then slowly moved to her instep. His fingers, as if by chance, began to stroke her toes, gliding from the first to the last and back again. Ning Guiwan found it impossible to concentrate.

Yet, the pile of chips in front of her steadily grew.

Finally, Chi Zhengjun couldn’t take it anymore. "Old Quan, could you be a tad less obvious when you’re feeding her tiles?"

Quan Yu leaned back in his chair, one hand holding a mahjong tile, the other playfully caressing Ning Guiwan’s foot, a contented smile on his lips. He seemed utterly at ease.

「At five in the morning, a faint whiteness touched the eastern horizon, and the sea at last grew calm.」

The cruise ship was expected to dock in the afternoon. The mahjong game broke up, and everyone retired to their rooms to rest.

In the end, Ning Guiwan had won the most. As for the wager—that the one with the fewest chips would grant a request to the winner—it had been mostly in jest. No one pressed the issue, and it was forgotten.

「By two that afternoon, the cruise ship sailed into its home port.」

Ning Guiwan and Lai Yang returned to the Quan family mansion, while Quan Yu headed to his company.

Having been awake all night, both girls were still lethargic despite sleeping for most of the day. Once home, they retreated to their rooms to catch up on more sleep, not emerging until Butler Fang called them for dinner after six in the evening.

News of the storm on the cruise, which had mostly affected the pampered young elites of their social circle, quickly spread.

Old Madam Quan was terrified when she heard.

Noticing Ning Guiwan’s awkward gait, and then learning she had been injured, Old Madam Quan felt even more remorseful.

"It’s all my fault," she said, her eyes reddening. "I heard about the matchmaking event and sent you two off without properly looking into it. Thankfully, you’re both alright."

After a moment of sentimentality, the conversation somehow drifted back to matchmaking.

"Did you take a liking to anyone?" Old Madam Quan directed this primarily at Ning Guiwan.

Lai Yang’s parents were alive and well, so it wasn’t Old Madam Quan’s place to concern herself with Lai Yang’s prospects.

Ning Guiwan shook her head, a clear, demure smile on her lips.

Old Madam Quan looked disappointed. After a pause, she said, "Well, we’ll still need to find someone to introduce you to."

Hearing this, Lai Yang blurted out, "That won’t work! Xiaowan has a boyfriend!"