Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife
Chapter 31 - 031: The guilty feeling of having an affair

Chapter 31: 031: The guilty feeling of having an affair

Ning Guiwan drove, slightly distracted.

She didn’t understand. What could that person possibly want from her, a woman of ill repute with nothing to her name? Her face?

Ning Guiwan recalled the young, beautiful girl on Quan Yu’s arm at the entrance of Baiyu Palace that night... He wasn’t lacking in that department.

The president of Ruiyin, Shencheng’s wealthiest man—with a mere wave of his hand, how many beautiful girls would willingly go through fire and water for him?

At ten o’clock at night, the Ning Family house was silent.

Ning Guiwan went upstairs to pack some daily necessities into a suitcase. As she carried it downstairs, she encountered Yun Shu and Ning Rongyue emerging from Ning Qinghan’s room.

Ning Qinghan wore a light pink nightgown, her hair loose on her shoulders, her eyes red from crying.

Yun Shu was softly comforting her, "Get some rest. Don’t overthink things. You can have another child. Just try to avoid Xiaowan for now; don’t provoke her..."

Before she could finish, Yun Shu noticed Ning Guiwan and looked somewhat awkward.

Hesitantly wringing her hands, she still called out, "Xiaowan..."

Seeing Ning Guiwan dragging a suitcase, Yun Shu was taken aback. "Are you going out? Where are you heading?"

Ning Guiwan glanced at her, her expression blank, and ignored her.

"Mom, look at her attitude!" Ning Qinghan’s already pale face flushed crimson with anger.

"Alright, that’s enough," Yun Shu chided softly.

"Mom, she caused me to lose two children! Why do you always side with her? Who’s your biological daughter, anyway?" She was the one who had lost her children. She was the one who suffered on the operating table, the one who lay in a hospital bed for days.

And Ning Guiwan? She only received a few superficial scoldings and a slap. What was that compared to what I’ve lost?

Why hadn’t Dad kicked her out like he did four years ago?

Ning Guiwan had no interest in listening to the trio’s conversation. She exited through the side door and walked directly to her parking spot.

"Xiaowan!"

Ning Rongyue hurried after her.

Ning Guiwan tossed the suitcase into the trunk. Turning, her eyes held an icy disdain. "What more do you want to say?"

Ning Rongyue looked at her in her white blouse and black skirt. The deep night seemed to gain a more intense hue because of her presence.

"Are you moving in with Lai Yang?"

Ning Guiwan had expected Ning Rongyue to play the understanding older sister again. She was slightly surprised by the question, a faint smile touching her lips. "What does that have to do with you?"

"Xiaowan, we’re sisters. Why must you be so harsh?"

"Sisters?" Ning Guiwan’s gaze turned cold, though her smile widened. "You think you’re worthy? You and your sister are merely the products of an unfaithful woman’s affair. If I were in your shoes, I’d have found a hole to hide in long ago. But look at you two, parading around as illegitimate daughters, utterly shameless."

With a final, mocking glance, Ning Guiwan turned and got into her car.

Ning Rongyue, usually adept at controlling her emotions, felt her composure shatter. Resentment filled her eyes.

Slowly, a sinister smile spread across her lips.

So what if she was an illegitimate daughter? Being the illegitimate daughter of the Tianchi Group’s chairman was a million times better than being the daughter of a driver and a nanny!

Only after Ning Guiwan’s car had vanished from sight did she slowly unclench her tightly gripped fists.

As she turned, Ning Rongyue was startled to see Yun Shu standing nearby. She paused for a moment, then approached. "Mom, let me take you back to the hospital."

Yun Shu looked at her, her face pale, saying nothing.

Only then did Ning Rongyue notice her mother’s distress. She reached for her mother’s hand. "Mom, what’s wrong?"

Yun Shu pulled her hand away, her eyes filled with disappointment and regret. "Is this what you wanted?"

Mom... She must have heard what Ning Guiwan said, Ning Rongyue thought.

"Don’t call me!" Yun Shu’s temperament was gentle; even in her fury, her voice remained soft. "I should never have agreed to your absurd request!"

"Mom..." Ning Rongyue caught up to Yun Shu. "Don’t be like this..."

"I’m going to Xiaowan right now to clear things up..."

"Mom!" Ning Rongyue suddenly lost her composure, stopping abruptly. She stared coldly at Yun Shu’s retreating figure. "It’s too late to go back now! My face is ruined like this! Qinghan can’t get pregnant again! We’ve lost our status as daughters of the Tianchi Group chairman! How do you expect us to live? Do you want to watch me remain unmarried for life? Watch Qinghan unable to marry Xiangru? Watch us both become the laughingstock of all Shencheng?"

She cried out, "You’ll destroy Qinghan and me! Utterly destroy us!"

Yun Shu finally stopped. She stood silently, her slender body trembling slightly. After what felt like an eternity, she covered her face and began to sob quietly.

「The next day.」

When Lai Yang woke up, Ning Guiwan was already at the desk, typing on her computer. The morning light filtering through the window illuminated her slender, graceful fingers.

"You came back so late last night and still woke up this early?" Lai Yang muttered, stretching lazily.

Ning Guiwan turned her head. A strand of hair fell beside her ear, and she casually tucked it back, smiling. "I couldn’t sleep very well."

After washing up, Lai Yang went downstairs with Ning Guiwan. All the way, Lai Yang kept her hands clasped as if in prayer, muttering, "Please don’t let Second Uncle be home, please don’t let Second Uncle be home..."

At the dining room entrance, she peeked inside and saw Old Mrs. Quan sitting alone at the table.

Lai Yang immediately brightened, pulling Ning Guiwan into the room.

"Second Uncle went to work, huh?" Her voice was filled with unconcealed delight.

Unfortunately, before the words had even left her lips, a deep, slightly lazy voice sounded from the doorway. "Looking for me?"

Lai Yang nearly dropped the glass of milk she had just picked up. She scrambled to her feet. "Second Uncle, you haven’t left yet?"

Quan Yu adjusted his cuffs as he slowly strolled into the room. His gaze, casual and indifferent, swept over the faces at the table, pausing only when it landed on Ning Guiwan.

"Mm," he hummed faintly, taking a seat opposite her.

The meal was tasteless for both Lai Yang and Ning Guiwan.

As they were finishing the meal, Old Mrs. Quan mentioned, "Chaolian called me last night. She asked if you were free and wants to arrange another meeting for you. It’s the weekend tomorrow, so you shouldn’t have any plans, right?"

"Meeting who?" Lai Yang chimed in.

Learning that Ning Guiwan was going on a blind date, Lai Yang perked up instantly, momentarily forgetting her fear of Quan Yu. "Xiaowan’s going on a date? Is the guy handsome?"

Quan Yu slowly raised his eyes, his gaze cool and indifferent.

When her second uncle’s gaze fell upon her, Lai Yang’s heart leaped. She inexplicably felt as if her debt to him had just increased by several hundred million.

She lowered her head, nibbling on her sandwich, and didn’t dare utter another word until breakfast was over.

However, this didn’t stop Old Mrs. Quan from arranging the time and place for Ning Guiwan’s blind date.

Quan Yu set down his chopsticks. He pulled a cigarette case and lighter from his trouser pocket, intending to light one. But after a glance at his white-haired mother, he simply said, "I’m heading off," then pushed his chair back with his calf and stood up.

Ning Guiwan was talking with Old Mrs. Quan when she noticed him leaving out of the corner of her eye. She looked up just in time to see him walking out, head bent as he lit a cigarette.

As if sensing her gaze, he suddenly turned his head, the cigarette still caught between his lips.

Ning Guiwan, however, quickly looked away.

Somehow, though she harbored no ulterior motives, at that moment, she felt a pang of guilt, as if she were having an affair with him. Gradually, this feeling morphed into a sense of shame towards the kind, amiable old woman beside her.

Therefore, when she heard Old Mrs. Quan say, "...Chaolian said this time the background check was very thorough. Xiaosu is nothing like Annan; there won’t be any similar issues. Don’t feel any pressure, just try to get to know him."

She nodded earnestly. "I will."