Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife
Chapter 19 - 019: As expected, a beautiful woman is a source of trouble

Chapter 19: 019: As expected, a beautiful woman is a source of trouble

Ning Guiwan finished speaking, and her phone screen lit up, accompanied by a simple, melodious ringtone.

Ren Xiaofei’s gaze unconsciously shifted to it. The screen displayed Li Annan’s name, and her eyes immediately widened.

"Go ahead with your work," Ning Guiwan said calmly, already reaching for her phone.

Ren Xiaofei opened her mouth, seemingly about to speak. However, upon meeting Ning Guiwan’s gaze, she ultimately said nothing and left with the folder in her arms.

Only after watching the door close did Ning Guiwan answer the call.

"Mr. Li," she greeted, her tone polite.

"..." There was a pause on the other end, followed by Li Annan’s gentle voice. "I’ve thought carefully about what you said last night."

Li Annan paused briefly. Ning Guiwan hummed in acknowledgment, waiting for him to continue.

"I’m not prepared to give up like this."

After Li Annan finished speaking passionately, he suddenly switched to a joking tone. "Just think of me as someone who won’t turn back until I hit a wall. But please, give me the chance to hit that wall."

Upon hearing this, Ning Guiwan couldn’t help but laugh. "Knowing it’s a wall and still insisting on crashing into it—isn’t that foolish?"

"In life, it’s not necessary to be shrewd about everything. The chance to play the fool occasionally is a rare experience," Li Annan said, his tone clearly lighter, tinged with hope.

"Let’s have dinner together tonight."

Before Ning Guiwan could refuse, he added, "Just as ordinary friends, nothing fancy."

Ning Guiwan’s gaze drifted towards the window, towards the bustling cityscape filled with towering skyscrapers.

In her mind, she replayed what had happened last night in Quan Yu’s car.

In the end, she accepted Li Annan’s invitation.

「...」

Ruiyin Group’s General Manager’s Office.

Quan Yu sat behind the dark, imposing executive desk. Several neatly dressed subordinates were seated on the sofas in front of him. After they finished their reports and saw their boss staring emotionlessly at a newspaper on the desk, they exchanged confused glances.

One of them craned his neck to look at the newspaper, which turned out to be a piece of high-society gossip.

Playing to what he supposed was his boss’s interest, the man took the opportunity to comment on the news. "The media these days loves to sensationalize. I’ve met the eldest son of the Li Family; he’s a very upstanding man. How could he possibly be entangled with that kind of woman?"

That kind of woman?

Quan Yu mulled over these words, then turned to look at the subordinate who had spoken, his gaze deep and chilly. "Which kind of woman?"

"One of dubious reputation and malicious intent. I actually think the Li Family’s eldest son was ensnared by her. With the Li Group’s substantial wealth, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to use him as a stepping stone to advance her position," the subordinate said.

"Four years ago, she couldn’t tolerate those two illegitimate daughters. Now there are rumors that Tianchi Group’s next heir will be one of those illegitimate daughters. Could she really be content with that?"

Quan Yu fiddled with a cigarette case in his hand, opening and closing it, then opening it again, like a bored child. Hearing the comment, he lowered his eyelids, his expression unreadable.

After a moment, he let out a soft laugh, his tone casual yet brooking no argument. "Director Chen, your mind is too meticulous for your current position; it’s a waste of your talents. You’ll take over as the Director of Hengjia Daily Chemicals."

Hengjia Daily Chemicals was a company jointly acquired by Ruiyin Group and Chi Zhengjun’s company. The signing ceremony had just been held yesterday afternoon at Emerald Villa. According to the contract, both his side and Chi Zhengjun’s would need to send personnel to take over management.

The candidate from Ruiyin hadn’t been decided yet, but Director Chen knew that Hengjia Daily Chemicals was riddled with internal problems—a real mess.

If he were to take over, he wouldn’t have a single day of peace for the next year, possibly even three or five years.

"President Quan..."

Director Chen was puzzled. He had merely made a couple of gossipy remarks; why had his boss made such a decision?

Quan Yu had no intention of explaining. He simply gave Director Chen a faint glance, which was enough to make the man swallow the rest of his words.

In work matters, Quan Yu was always decisive, sometimes even autocratic.

Leaving the General Manager’s office, Director Chen’s brow furrowed deeply. He returned to his office and brooded for a long while until, suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had understood something. He reached for that day’s newspaper from the rack beside him.

He stared for a long time at the image of Ning Guiwan in her dress, her smile gentle and easy. Indeed, a beauty can be a source of trouble, he sighed inwardly.

After his subordinates left, Quan Yu slowly lit a cigarette for himself. He took a few drags, then, somewhat irritated, loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.

He rose and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows. His free hand rested on the railing as he leisurely exhaled smoke, gazing out at the bustling financial street below.

Half of that kingdom belonged to Ruiyin.

Not far away stood Jincheng Building, the tallest building in Shencheng and its most iconic landmark. It was a gold mine that Quan Yu had developed as one of his key projects after taking over Ruiyin Group.

Now, with his status and position, it seemed he could have anything he wanted easily—or perhaps not.

「...」

"What’s with President Quan tonight? Is he here to give us money?" In a luxurious top-floor private room at Baiyu Palace, the CEO of Hengtong Real Estate looked at Quan Yu, who sat opposite him.

Tonight’s game had been organized by Quan Yu, and the attendees were all old business acquaintances.

At the card table, behind each player stood a glamorously made-up, curvaceous waitress, attentively serving tea and water.

As Quan Yu raised his left hand, someone placed a high-end glass in it.

His face showed no emotion. He casually pushed the chips in front of him to the center of the table, losing over a hundred thousand in one go, without a hint of regret.

Chi Zhengjun watched him down the glass of whiskey in one gulp, a knowing smile on his face. As he raked in the chips, he remarked, "It seems our President Quan is unlucky in love, and it’s spilling over to his luck at the tables."

"Oh?" The CEO of Hengtong Real Estate’s interest was piqued. "Which beauty is so fortunate as to catch President Quan’s eye?"

"Fortunate? The lady in question might not even give him a second glance," Chi Zhengjun said with a sly smirk, rubbing salt in the wound.

"Now I’m really curious. What kind of beauty is so aloof?" The CEO of Hengtong Real Estate laughed. "With President Quan’s fortune, which girl in Shencheng wouldn’t be willing? For instance... you!"

He pointed at the waitress standing behind him. "Would you be willing?"

The waitress’s face instantly turned red. She stole a glance at Quan Yu’s handsome face and said in a gentle voice, "Mr. He, you’re joking. How could I ever be so fortunate?"

Hearing this, Quan Yu looked up at the waitress.

Her lips were glossed with a bright, glistening red, captivating and succulent, much like another person’s.

Quan Yu couldn’t help but look at her a second time, causing the waitress’s heart to race.

Their subtle interaction did not escape Mr. He’s notice. When the party broke up late at night, Mr. He pushed the waitress towards Quan Yu. "President Quan has had too much to drink. You take him home."

Anyone familiar with the nightlife knew what this implied.

Cheeks flushed, the waitress understood that even a brief encounter with a man like Quan Yu was an opportunity she wanted to seize.

Reaching out, she took Quan Yu’s arm, her voice becoming even more delicate. "President Quan, let me take you home."

Quan Yu glanced down at the arm she was holding but said nothing.

「...」

Ning Guiwan had originally agreed to Li Annan’s invitation. However, Supervisor Xiao from the Infrastructure Department had also invited important department heads to a dinner that evening and asked her to join. Consequently, Li Annan changed their dinner location to Baiyu Palace, where Ning Guiwan would be for her prior engagement.

The two had dinner first. Afterward, Ning Guiwan joined Supervisor Xiao for the business dinner with the department heads, while Li Annan waited for her in the lobby.

By the time she had seen off the department heads, it was late into the night. Ning Guiwan had drunk some alcohol, and her cheeks were flushed. Under the alluring lights at the club’s entrance, her features appeared even more striking.

The night air was cool, and Li Annan took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

Before Ning Guiwan could voice her thanks, she heard an ingratiating male voice from the direction of the lobby elevator: "Haha, President Quan, you jest. How could I possibly compare to you?"

Ning Guiwan turned her head and saw a mature and glamorously dressed girl holding Quan Yu’s arm as they walked out.