Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife
Chapter 42 - 042: The man by your side is a devil

Chapter 42: 042: The man by your side is a devil

"The age difference might be a bit unsuitable, but when it comes to choosing a partner, character is what counts. Not to mention anything else, just speaking of the character of the fifth Qiao sibling, he is the most gentle, always smiling at everyone he meets, and there isn’t a soul in Shencheng who doesn’t speak well of him..."

Old Mrs. Quan had eventually agreed to let Ning Guiwan meet with Qiao Yishen.

She had seen Qiao Yishen a few times, and indeed, he was a kindly young man.

Ning Guiwan, thinking that Wei Chaolian could leave earlier, didn’t say much more.

Finally, after sending Wei Chaolian into the elevator, Ning Guiwan let out a sigh of relief. As she turned to walk back, she said to Lai Yang beside her, "Grandmother Quan should take a nap soon. Why don’t you take Housekeeper Fang to the shopping mall to buy some things? She also had a tough night coming to the hospital to take care of Grandmother Quan last night."

"What about you?" Lai Yang asked, looking at her.

"I need to go to the company; there’s an important meeting this afternoon. You two go ahead and shop. I’ll wait here until Grandmother Quan falls asleep before leaving. I’ll also call a helper over, as we can’t expect Housekeeper Fang to take care of everything by herself."

Back in the hospital room, Ning Guiwan relayed this plan to Old Mrs. Quan, who did not have any objections; after decades of prosperous living, money had long since become inconsequential to her.

Fang Derong was initially hesitant, but eventually, she agreed. After making a phone call home to arrange for a helper to come over, she left with Lai Yang.

Ning Guiwan felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She picked up a book from a nearby shelf and read to Old Mrs. Quan in a soft voice. After a while, the old lady’s breathing became even and prolonged.

"Grandmother Quan?" Ning Guiwan called softly.

"..."

Ning Guiwan closed the book and placed it on the bedside table, silently watching Old Mrs. Quan’s peaceful sleeping face for a long while before she got up and went to the adjoining lounge.

She knocked on the door and opened it.

Quan Yu was sitting on the sofa, holding a magazine from who knows where. Ning Guiwan didn’t go in but glanced from afar and saw that the magazine was open to a page with complex line diagrams. The header was emblazoned with the bold black letters ’Ruiyin Group.’

Ruiyin Group was established before the nation’s founding, single-handedly by Quan Shan, the father of Old Master Quan. Initially, it was the Ruiyin Trading House, dealing in textiles. After the nation’s founding, Quan Shan astutely identified opportunities in the real estate sector. Consequently, he established real estate and construction companies, later expanding into gambling, shipping, tourism, and leisure entertainment businesses.

Under the stewardship of Old Master Quan, the business gradually expanded onto the international stage, acquiring a Western Canadian oil company, investing in Portugal’s Agave Gaming Company, and spending a considerable sum to open a casino in Vietnam.

In less than five years under Quan Yu’s leadership, the Ruiyin Group reached another zenith. Through its group-controlled shipping company, it secured a majority stake in Portugal’s Yue Island Shipping Company. Furthermore, by leveraging a controlled affiliate, it gained development rights for a prime plot on Beijing’s Second Ring Road, where they built a new city landmark.

Businesses sprawled all over Shencheng, and the city teemed with tycoons. Yet, Ruiyin Group consistently stood at the apex of the pyramid. Newspapers, magazines, and online financial news featured Ruiyin Group and Quan Yu almost daily.

It was precisely because she understood the heights this man occupied that Ning Guiwan respected him not only as an elder but also with an admiration that bordered on awe.

Mountains are to be revered.

Mountains are only to be looked up to.

Quan Yu looked up. The moment his deep gaze met hers, Ning Guiwan composed her thoughts and slowly curved her lips into a smile. "You can leave now."

The man’s expression was calm, as meticulous as his attire.

Casually setting aside the magazine, he rose. For some reason, the moment he stood up, the room that had been bright suddenly felt cramped and oppressive.

Watching Quan Yu approach, Ning Guiwan slightly stepped aside.

Quan Yu glanced at his mother’s sleeping form and then turned his head to look at the young woman beside him. His voice was low, laced with an enticing hoarseness, "Use me and then discard me?"

What did she use?

Ning Guiwan chuckled softly, also lowering her voice, "Well, what else?"

Quan Yu’s hands were tucked in his pockets. Calm and unhurried, he slightly curled his thin lips. "I thought you were a smart person."

Ning Guiwan remained silent.

This man, even when taking advantage of a crisis, wanted her to make the first move.

After a moment, she smiled and said, "Let me treat you to dinner."

Quan Yu neither agreed nor objected.

Just then, a gentle knock sounded at the door, which then opened. It was the helper Fang Derong had called over.

Seeing Quan Yu and Ning Guiwan in the hospital room, the helper was visibly startled for a moment but quickly recovered and greeted them with a smile.

It wasn’t unusual for these two to appear together at Old Mrs. Quan’s bedside—one was her biological son, and the other was treated like her own granddaughter by Old Mrs. Quan.

Thinking this, yet as she observed their retreating figures, one after the other, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

「...」

Ning Guiwan followed Quan Yu into the elevator, standing behind him. Only the two of them were in the elevator, and the silence was broken only by the whirring sound of its operation.

Her attention was involuntarily drawn to Quan Yu’s fingers, which hung by his side. They tapped lightly against his trousers, the rhythm unhurried.

Ning Guiwan remembered that when she had just woken up in the lounge, this man had been tapping out the same rhythm. She wondered if his mood was as good now as it had been then.

She didn’t want to dwell on the reason for his good mood.

Following Quan Yu out of the inpatient department, they unexpectedly ran into Su Liang.

Ning Guiwan wasn’t particularly concerned about Su Liang, nor did she care what his mother had said. Still, out of politeness, she intended to greet him. But just as she was about to speak, Su Liang suddenly shouted, "Quan Yu!"

His voice was thick with grief and indignation.

He charged towards Quan Yu with great momentum but didn’t even get close. Bodyguards, previously unseen, swiftly intercepted him from both sides.

Unable to break free, Su Liang fixed his eyes on Quan Yu, his emotions escalating to an uncontrolled state. "You’re ruthless! You used one hundred million to snatch sixty percent of Sanleng Heavy Industries’ shares and employed deceitful tactics to force my father to resign as Chairman of the Board. Why are you doing this? What deep-seated hatred do our families share?"

Quan Yu stood his ground, listening to the accusations without anger or argument. It wasn’t magnanimity; it simply wasn’t necessary.

"It seems the cutthroat nature of the business world isn’t quite suitable for Mr. Su."

He spoke flatly, his tone as indifferent and careless as Death pronouncing a man’s fate.

With that, he lifted his foot and began to walk away.

Ning Guiwan hurriedly followed.

Su Liang suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh filled with despair. "Yes, yes, my strategies were inferior. I was foolish to trust you..."

His gaze shifted to Ning Guiwan trailing behind Quan Yu, and his smile took on a strange, unsettling edge. "Miss Ning, this man by your side is a devil, a terrifying one. Be careful. Don’t get devoured one day without even knowing how you died!"

Quan Yu’s pace didn’t falter, his expression unchanging as he walked past Su Liang.

Ning Guiwan glanced back at Su Liang.

The young master, so proud and spirited just days ago, now resembled a stray dog.