Contract Marriage: The Tycoon's Pampered Wife
Chapter 104: Why Did I Marry Him? (1 update)

Chapter 104: 104: Why Did I Marry Him? (1 update)

The expressions on everyone’s faces were a mix of awe and amusement.

All eyes were on Ning Guiwan, who stood above them. The girl was barely into her twenties, yet she already possessed the demeanor of a leader. Her hair was neatly tied into a ponytail, her makeup delicate yet understated, dressed in a business skirt suit, exuding an impressive aura.

Many recalled the first time Ning Guiwan came to the company after returning to China.

She was dressed similarly, but back then, the girl’s eyes were filled with the innocence and naivety of a newcomer, unwittingly ensnared in someone else’s schemes.

All of them were old foxes, tempered by the business world. Who didn’t know that the construction project in September was a mess deliberately left for her, in the hope of making her look foolish?

And the person behind this... many glances fell on Ning Rongyue, who wore a pale face. It was Ning Rongyue’s faction that intended to embarrass the third young lady, who had just returned to the country—the legitimate daughter of the original chairman.

Ever since the news of Ning Rongyue being promoted to vice president of Tianchi Group spread, Ning Rongyue had assumed the role as if she already possessed it, even moving eagerly into the vice president’s office before the official appointment letter was issued.

Such greed was unsightly.

And now, faced with humiliation.

With administration and finance both beyond her grasp, her position as vice president was nothing but an empty title.

Oh, and speaking of appointment letters that have not yet been issued, rumors had it that the legitimate daughter was oppressing her two illegitimate sisters. Now that the legitimate daughter had taken control of the Group, would she leave any path open for the illegitimate daughters?

Ning Rongyue felt scorched by the numerous scornful, mocking, and derisive looks surrounding her. It was as if countless knives were cutting into her, slicing through her clothes, cutting her skin, and exposing her raw bones and filthy thoughts.

With humiliation and anger, she clenched her fists, crumpling the photocopy. Her trimmed nails dug into her palms, causing such pain.

The buzzing conversations around her seemed to morph into mockery.

It was as if she had returned to the past.

When she donned new clothes, she was derided as if she had picked through others’ discards.

Why? Why was it so unfair to her? Just as she thought she was finally about to taste sweetness after bitterness, she found herself at the edge of an even steeper abyss...

At the end of December, the central heating adjusted the indoor temperature to feel like the warmth of spring in March, but Ning Rongyue felt frigid, as if the biting cold wind from the outside was pouring down from the crown of her head, piercing her heart and lungs.

All her efforts had been in vain...

Her beautiful dream had just begun, only to be cruelly shattered by reality.

After Ning Guiwan finished speaking, she did not linger. Once she had left, Song Changfeng, Tan Xi, and Jin Jixiang were immediately surrounded by people.

"Director Jin, did you already know that the third young lady was the actual controlling shareholder?"

"You’ve kept it really tight."

"Seriously, that’s just not right..."

Although they complained, their tone was ingratiating.

Jin Jixiang repressed his emotions, but his eyes and the corners of his mouth still betrayed his joy. "You’ve wronged me; I was just as startled by the third young lady’s words earlier."

Yang Huasheng sat on a chair, with no one around him.

He glanced at Ning Rongyue.

The reason he had bet on Ning Rongyue was firstly because of her status as the chairman’s daughter, which made her a likely candidate to inherit the leadership, and secondly, she was quite intelligent, hardworking, and capable. He thought that once she took over Tianchi, he would rise with her, finally able to hold his head high.

But now... I’ve actually bet on the wrong horse!

And I was the one who led the charge in putting Song Changfeng in his place just earlier.

After this, it’s really hard to say if I can even keep my seat secure...

Upon this realization, Yang Huasheng couldn’t help but resent Ning Rongyue. She’s utterly useless, only good for ruining things!

It looks like I need to find another way out as soon as possible...

"Uncle Yang..." Ning Rongyue snapped out of her overwhelming sense of despair and approached Yang Huasheng. I can’t afford to lose my composure; I have to stay steady. I won’t admit defeat until the very last moment!

"Please refer to me by my position, President Ning. Uncle Yang..." He gave a cold laugh. "I can’t afford that."

When the walls fall, everyone pushes them.

Ning Rongyue’s heart seethed with hatred. Ning Guiwan! Ning Guiwan! Why is it always her!

...

"...You should’ve seen her then, how ridiculous she looked!" In the evening, at a modest neighborhood restaurant with simple decor, Tan Xi and Song Changfeng sat opposite Ning Guiwan, recounting how Ning Rongyue had immediately become a mere figurehead after the board meeting, Tan Xi unable to contain her laughter.

"But we can’t be too careless," Song Changfeng said. "She’s more familiar with the company’s business than we are, and she has wider connections. Even though she has no visible support, she might stir trouble behind the scenes."

"I got it, I got it. Can’t you stop lecturing?" Tan Xi replied with dissatisfaction.

Song Changfeng felt wronged. "When did I ever do that?"

Tan Xi grabbed his ear fiercely. "If I say you did, then you did!"

"OUCH OUCH OUCH, stop it, my lady, there are so many people around." Song Changfeng promptly surrendered.

Once they left the company, they were just ordinary lovers.

Watching the couple’s playful antics, Ning Guiwan was reminded of a familiar scene... Such a familiar scene...

"Brother Xiangru, are you even listening to me?" He was reading, and she was pestering him to talk. When he ignored her, she would wrap her arms around his neck from behind and tug at his ear.

As her memory reached this point, the man whose ear she was pulling slowly turned his head. His phoenix eyes were cold, his thin lips held a chill—it was Quan Yu’s face.

Ning Guiwan startled, instinctively stepping back and knocking over a wine glass. The entire contents spilled over her, and she hurriedly grabbed a few tissues to wipe it off.

The playful couple noticed the sound of the glass clinking and looked over. Seeing Ning Guiwan somewhat flustered, Tan Xi stood up to help, "Are you alright? Why are you so distracted?"

Ning Guiwan steadied her emotions and slowly smiled. "Just thinking about some things."

Her heart was pounding. How could she be hallucinating in broad daylight...?

"What are you going to do if you distribute all the responsibilities to others?" Tan Xi wondered aloud.

"Me?" Ning Guiwan laughed. "I’ll just be a leisurely shareholder."

Tan Xi: "...Alright, you know how to enjoy yourself." She paused. "So how are things with President Quan now? When are you getting married?"

"..." Ning Guiwan glanced at her. "Are you drunk? How could I possibly marry him?"

Tan Xi gave her a look. "Do you think I’m stupid? Sixty-seven percent of Tianchi Group’s shares, do you understand what that means? He’s handed over the whole company to you, Xiaowan. President Quan is a businessman."

"So what?" Ning Guiwan asked indifferently.

"A businessman doesn’t make a loss. If he’s giving you the company, could it possibly be out of pure charity? Moreover, given your current situation, there’s nothing left for him to desire but you."

Tan Xi analyzed with her quick financial mind, "With such a grand gesture on his part, aren’t you supposed to reciprocate with yourself?"

"If it were me, and a handsome, successful man treated me like that, I’d immediately throw myself into his arms."

"What do you mean by that? Where does that leave me?" Song Changfeng protested.

Tan Xi pushed away his approaching head. "Stop being disgusting, you’re incomparable to him!"

...

Tan Xi and Song Changfeng were both drunk.

Ning Guiwan called for designated drivers and saw the two off into their rides.

「It was going to be New Year’s Day in a couple of days.」

The night was very cold.

Ning Guiwan had also had a couple of drinks and couldn’t drive. She didn’t call for a designated driver either and walked along the bustling street, swept by the chilling wind.

Despite the cold, as a major economic city, Shencheng’s streets were still bustling. After walking for a short while, she passed by a square decorated for the upcoming New Year’s Day, with colorful lights twinkling, couples with children, elderly people supporting each other, and sweet young lovers nestled together.

It was a place full of life, lively and warm.

Ning Guiwan stopped in her tracks, recalling some memories from her childhood. Back then, her father was very busy, and Ning Guiwan didn’t actually see him much. But whenever he had time, he would definitely stay home with her, lifting her high above his head, his eyes and smile filled with adoration, devoid of any high-ranking corporate demeanor.

Her mother watched with a smile, a picture of gentleness.

She once believed she was the happiest child in the world.

Every birthday, her father always found a way to prepare a gift: custom dolls and beautiful dresses when she was a child, and luxurious jewelry as she grew older. Her mother would complain that he was giving her gifts that were too expensive, but her father would say, "My daughter only deserves the best!"

The year she was about to turn eighteen, he even specially crafted a sports car for her...

Yet all that was turned upside down overnight.

That sports car... it became someone else’s too.

Suddenly, her eyes felt a little sore.

People change.

Ning Guiwan took a deep breath, forcing herself to disengage from the whirlpool of emotions. As she turned around, she froze.

Quan Xiangru had appeared behind her at some unknown time.

After a moment of surprise, Ning Guiwan’s lips curled into a smile, distant and cold, as if she was facing an ordinary friend she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Quan Xiangru slowly approached her, his heart aching from the sense of distance in her eyes. He wanted to greet her, but his throat tightened, leaving him momentarily voiceless.

After a long time, he called her out dryly, "Xiaowan..."

"Mr. Quan." Ning Guiwan was unflappable.

An emotion difficult to articulate surged in Quan Xiangru’s dark eyes, a mix of pain and conflict.

He gazed at the girl’s emotionless face.

She hates me so much.

Leaving her when she was helpless... I deserved to die for that.

How can I tell her I had no choice back then?

How can I tell her that I’ve kept a secret for her, a secret she can never know...?

I once thought I was protecting her; I never anticipated that, in the end, I would be the one to hurt her so deeply.

All the surrounding sounds seemed to fade away; time itself appeared to freeze.

After a silent moment, Quan Xiangru looked at her. "Have you been drinking?"

Ning Guiwan smiled.

"I’ll take you home," he said.

"No need." Ning Guiwan declined without a second thought. "I can get back on my own."

Pangs of pain surged in Quan Xiangru’s heart, his knuckles turning pale from the force of his grip. He slowly loosened his hand, subdued the turbulent emotions, and said with a hesitant warmth, "We can still be friends..." His voice tightened, and he couldn’t go on.

"We can’t." Ning Guiwan looked at him calmly, her voice almost merciless as she told him, "From the moment you chose to be with Ning Qinghan, we lost even the semblance of friendship. You should have known back then that she and I couldn’t coexist."

Having said her piece, Ning Guiwan began to walk past Quan Xiangru. As their shoulders brushed, she paused once more. "I’ve forgotten everything about the past. From now on, let’s live our separate lives and not disturb each other."