Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife
Chapter 21 - 021: The Same Culprit

Chapter 21: 021: The Same Culprit

The night wind was intoxicating. Ning Guiwan lowered her head to look at the necklace in her palm, suddenly remembering the warm scene when her father had presented this necklace to her mother and personally helped her put it on.

She even remembered the way her father looked at her mother: tender and affectionate.

Suddenly, a white light flashed in the distance. Ning Guiwan’s vision blurred for a moment. She closed her eyes to recover, and when she reopened them, she faintly saw the Ning Family’s car slowly approaching.

Ning Honghua and Ning Rongyue were sitting in the car.

Seeing these two, Ning Guiwan’s gaze grew colder.

Ning Honghua went out for social engagements and always took Ning Rongyue with him, clearly grooming her as the heir.

"Xiaowan, why are you standing here?" Ning Rongyue got out of the car directly. She was dressed formally and with more meticulously applied makeup than usual. Her left cheek’s scar was mostly concealed, giving her a semblance of dignified beauty.

Seeing Ning Guiwan looking at her face, Ning Rongyue seemed a bit embarrassed, raising her hand to cover her left cheek. "I just attended a banquet. It was grandly organized, and the attendees were all important figures, so I couldn’t be too casual."

As she spoke, her eyes gradually dimmed. She lowered her hand, saying with self-mockery, "Actually, with this face, no matter how much I dress up, it’s all in vain..."

Ning Guiwan glanced inside the car. Ning Honghua was hidden in the shadows, and she couldn’t make out his expression, but she knew he must be displeased at that moment.

Every time Ning Rongyue mentioned that face, Ning Honghua would become upset.

Ning Guiwan didn’t bother to explain further, nor did she want to make a pretense, so she turned around and went back to the villa first.

In the living room, Ning Qinghan hadn’t gone to bed yet. She was sitting on the sofa, snacking and watching a drama. Hearing noises at the entrance, she thought her older sister, Ning Rongyue, was back and turned her head happily. But when she saw it was Ning Guiwan, her face immediately fell. "Why is it you?"

Ning Guiwan went straight upstairs, ignoring her.

But Ning Qinghan followed. "I had dinner at Brother Xiangru’s house tonight. He cooked it himself. You probably don’t know, but his cooking is really great now."

Ning Guiwan paused slightly but then resumed her pace as usual.

"He also said that after we have our wedding, he’s going to take me to the Netherlands for a vacation. Ning Guiwan, so what if you’re legitimately doted upon? You still lost to me and became a pitiful, abandoned wretch!"

"Speaking of which, your mom also lost to my mom. Dad started seeing my mom just days after marrying your mom, and that’s how my older sister was born. Ning Guiwan, both you and your mother are truly pathetic..."

Ning Guiwan suddenly stopped. When she turned around, she slapped Ning Qinghan hard across the face.

"It seems I was too light on you last time; you haven’t learned your lesson!"

Ning Qinghan was caught off guard. The slap twisted her face and blanked her mind for a moment.

When she recovered, she was furious. "Who do you think you are, Ning Guiwan, to hit me again and again!"

"Mention my mother again, and I’ll slap you every time you bring her up!" Ning Guiwan’s eyes glazed over with ice. She could ignore insults directed at herself, but not those against her mother.

At that moment, voices came from the entrance. Ning Rongyue and Ning Honghua had also entered.

Ning Qinghan’s eyes flashed with a hint of desperate resolve. She suddenly grabbed Ning Guiwan’s arm and tried to pull her down the stairs with her.

Ning Guiwan was taken aback and, in her panic, grasped the railing.

Ning Qinghan screamed as she tumbled down, appearing to be in genuine pain, her face contorted.

As Ning Rongyue and Ning Honghua walked into the living room, they witnessed this scene. Ning Rongyue, shocked, quickly rushed forward to help Ning Qinghan up.

Ning Guiwan quickly recovered, supporting herself with the railing to stand straight. She did not look at Ning Qinghan but only stared quietly at her father.

"What happened?" Ning Honghua also looked at Ning Guiwan, his chest heaving, clearly angered.

Ning Qinghan’s face was deathly pale. She pointed at Ning Guiwan, as if intending to say something, but then clutched her stomach, her expression becoming increasingly pained, and it did not seem feigned.

"My stomach hurts so much... Sister, it’s so painful..."

"AH!" Ning Rongyue suddenly screamed. "Qinghan, you... you’re bleeding!"

At this, Ning Guiwan and Ning Honghua both looked at Ning Qinghan. Indeed, the nightgown on Ning Qinghan’s legs was soaked with bright red blood.

Ning Guiwan’s complexion finally changed.

Four years later, Ning Qinghan had another miscarriage. It seemed to be by the same culprit again.

After undergoing surgery, Ning Qinghan remained unconscious. Outside the hospital room, Ning Honghua’s face was extremely somber. Ning Rongyue was comforting the tearful Yun Shu. Quan Xiangru and his mother, He Yunqing, were also present, both looking very solemn.

Suddenly, Ning Honghua walked over to Ning Guiwan and, without a word, slapped her across the face.

Ning Guiwan turned her head, feeling a burning pain on her cheek. I just slapped Ning Qinghan, and it’s returned so swiftly? she thought.

"Why did you hit the child?" Yun Shu rushed over and stood in front of Ning Guiwan. "Can’t we talk things through properly?"

"It’s my fault for spoiling her too much in the past, so much that she became lawless!" Ning Honghua pointed angrily at Ning Guiwan. "Look at what she has done!"

"Enough!" For some reason, Yun Shu suddenly lost control of her emotions, crying and shouting, "Even if there’s a mistake, it’s your fault! If it weren’t for you..."

"Mom!" Ning Rongyue quickly interrupted Yun Shu. She came over and took her mother’s arm gently. "Mom, the doctor said Qinghan needs to rest. Could you please keep your voice down? If you wake her up, who knows how much she’ll cry."

"Xiangru, Auntie, you should go back first. Mom and I will stay here with Qinghan; nothing will happen," Ning Rongyue made the arrangements with tact and composure. Then she said to Ning Honghua, "Dad, you and Xiaowan should go back and rest too."

However, He Yunqing said, "Let Xiangru stay with Qinghan. I think when Qinghan wakes up, the person she’ll want to see most is Xiangru."

Quan Xiangru’s gaze fell on Ning Guiwan. He looked dazed, as if he hadn’t heard his mother’s words.

The girl kept her head down, her eyelashes quietly drooping. Even though her cheek was swollen, her expression was utterly indifferent.

He Yunqing tugged at her son’s sleeve. "Xiangru!"

Quan Xiangru blinked and withdrew his gaze. "You all go back."

"Take good care of Qinghan. She is your wife, after all," He Yunqing said, sounding casual yet deliberate.

Quan Xiangru’s hand hanging by his leg tightened, then relaxed. "Understood."

The following day, news that Ning Guiwan had caused Ning Qinghan to miscarry again swept through the media.

Suddenly, she was once again thrust into the eye of the storm.

At the office, there were various discussions. Ning Guiwan, as usual, went about her work and meals as if she was completely unaffected. This made the gazes of her colleagues even stranger.

In the evening after work, she took the elevator to the underground parking lot to get her car and happened to run into Jin Jixiang.

"Uncle Jin."

Jin Jixiang’s attitude was somewhat ambiguous. He grunted, paused for a moment, and then spoke, "Is this your method for taking back the company? After all these years, still jealous over a man, resorting to such despicable tactics. If the old chairman knew the child he cherished for so many years had so little capability, how heartbroken he would be!"

Hearing this, Ning Guiwan smiled, her red lips curving. "Uncle Jin, sometimes what you hear and see isn’t necessarily the truth."

After a moment of silence, Jin Jixiang said, "Even if it is as you say, being so passive, how will you take back the company?"

"You should know that if Ning Qinghan marries into the Quan Family, your odds of winning will be even smaller." The Quan Family was large and influential. With such a brother-in-law, Ning Rongyue would gain more support from directors and shareholders.

"Just wait a bit longer," Ning Guiwan said slowly. Unless absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to tear away that last shred of decorum.

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