Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife
Chapter 38 - 038: Heavier than Anyone Else (2 more - s)

Chapter 38: 038: Heavier than Anyone Else (2 more Chapters)

Upon returning to Elder Madam Quan’s hospital room, Quan Yu was no longer there.

The elderly lady had woken up. She was sitting up in bed, with the housekeeper Fang Derong feeding her porridge. Quan Xiangru chatted with her sporadically, and Ning Qinghan stood obediently behind him.

Lai Yang sat beside the hospital bed, an unhappy expression on her face.

"Xiaowan..." Seeing Ning Guiwan, the light in Elder Madam Quan’s eyes brightened. She affectionately called her name and stretched out her hand towards her.

Ning Guiwan quickly walked forward and took the elderly lady’s hand.

"Granny Quan, are you feeling better?"

"Much better. Derong told me you didn’t sleep all night. You must be exhausted. Go get some rest."

Ning Qinghan watched the affection between the elder and the younger woman, so much like a real grandmother and granddaughter. Envy and jealousy were about to drown her.

Both were Ning Honghua’s daughters, so why was there such a disparity in their treatment?

Just now, when she had come in and greeted Elder Madam Quan, the elder woman’s demeanor had been so cold; she hadn’t even looked at her properly.

And in the hallway, the moment Quan Xiangru saw Ning Guiwan, he had seemed like a different person, his eyes filled with a tenderness she had never witnessed before...

"No need, I still have to go to the company later," Ning Guiwan said with a smile.

"Take a leave of absence. You haven’t slept all night; how can your body take it?" Fang Derong said. "Work is important, but it’s not that urgent right now. Besides, it’s not like the company will go bankrupt without you, will it?"

The more Ning Qinghan dwelled on it, the more sparks crackled in her heart. Hearing Fang Derong’s words, she blurted out without thinking, "Exactly! Don’t think you’re so important!"

The words might have sounded similar in meaning to Fang Derong’s, but spoken by a different person with a different tone, the effect was clearly not the same.

The previously cheerful atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Elder Madam Quan’s face grew stern. Decades as a matriarch had endowed her with an air of dignity and authority uncommon in ordinary people; her stern expression alone was enough to make even Quan Xiangru tread carefully.

"Granny, don’t be angry. Qinghan didn’t mean it," Quan Xiangru said, turning to Ning Qinghan. "Qinghan, apologize to Xiaowan."

In fact, the moment those words left her mouth, Ning Qinghan regretted them.

Her sister had admonished her more than once to always keep her composure, no matter the situation.

But to apologize to Ning Guiwan—that was something she couldn’t bring herself to do.

"Qinghan!" The more Quan Xiangru’s patience dwindled, the softer and gentler his tone became.

Ning Qinghan’s eyes reddened, and she bit her lip as she looked at Quan Xiangru—the man she had fallen for at first sight.

Before they were together, he hadn’t noticed her. Even after they got together, it still felt as if he didn’t truly see her.

During their four-year engagement, their relationship hadn’t even reached the level of ordinary friends, let alone involved romantic dates or intimacy—the sole exception being that one time he was drunk.

He had held her, kissed her, yet whispered another woman’s name in her ear.

She loved him and was willing to endure indignities for him.

But now that Ning Guiwan had returned, she realized just how precarious her relationship with Quan Xiangru was.

"How disgusting! Acting as if someone bullied you!" Lai Yang exclaimed with a look of revulsion. "Quan Xiangru, take your mistress and get lost! Stop sickening everyone here! Who are you trying to get pity from by acting so pathetic?"

Hearing this, Ning Qinghan’s face turned pale with anger.

"Qinghan!" Quan Xiangru called out again, his tone even gentler.

Ning Qinghan’s fingernails dug into her palms. After a long moment, she finally gritted her teeth and forced out, "Sorry."

The word had barely left her lips when she snatched her bag and ran out.

Quan Xiangru murmured, "Apologies," glanced at Ning Guiwan, and then he too left.

Ning Guiwan sat beside the bed with a faint smile, seemingly detached from the whole affair.

"Xiaowan, don’t listen to her nonsense. In Granny’s heart, you’re more important than anyone else," Elder Madam Quan said, worried Ning Qinghan’s words would affect her. She squeezed Ning Guiwan’s hand, offering gentle comfort.

Ning Guiwan, playing along with mock seriousness, said, "Well, I’m almost a hundred pounds. Of course, I’m heavy!"

Elder Madam Quan was momentarily stunned. Then, realizing the humor, she chuckled and fondly tapped Ning Guiwan’s elegant nose. "You mischievous child!"

Fang Derong interjected at the opportune moment, "Alright, Elder Madam. Let Miss Ning get some rest. If you keep her talking, she’ll be exhausted, and then you’ll be the one feeling distressed, won’t you?"

"Yes, yes, go on. Xiaoyang, you should get some rest too."

This time, Ning Guiwan didn’t refuse. She called Director Xiao to request half a day’s leave and went to the lounge with Lai Yang.

The 1.8-meter-wide double bed was large enough for both of them.

Lai Yang, however, couldn’t sleep. Lying prone on the bed, she propped her chin on her hands and watched Ning Guiwan. "I think Quan Xiangru is acting strangely towards you. He keeps looking at you. Has he contacted you privately?"

Ning Guiwan, her eyes still closed, said, "You’re overthinking it."

"No way. The way he looks at you is clearly the same as before," Lai Yang insisted, trusting her perception. "If he still likes you, then why did he get together with Chen Qinghan in the first place?"

Lai Yang couldn’t get used to calling her ’Ning’ Qinghan; it felt too awkward.

Ning Guiwan’s eyelids fluttered slightly, but she didn’t open her eyes. Her voice was light and faint, "I don’t know." After a pause, she added, "And it doesn’t matter."

「Outside」

Fang Derong, seeing that the two young women had gone to the lounge, took out his phone and sent a message: Miss Ning has gone to rest.

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