It was only after she got into the car that Ning Qinghan finally patted her chest, still feeling the aftershocks of her fright. "I was scared to death just now..."
"He doesn't hit people, so why are you so afraid of him?" Ning Rongyue chuckled, looking at her sister indulgently. "Besides, you'll be family from now on."
"Xiaowan, you agree, right?"
Ning Rongyue directed the question to Ning Guiwan, who was sitting in the last row.
Ning Guiwan didn't respond.
Ning Qinghan, recalling her anger before getting into the car, turned to look at the back row. Ning Guiwan wore minimal makeup; only her lips were brightly glossed, vibrant and luscious. Despite the striking beauty of her features, her demeanor was limpid and noble, lending her an elegance that was anything but vulgar.
Ning Qinghan bit her lip, staring for a long moment before sneering, "Dressed like that, who are you trying to seduce?"
Ning Guiwan looked at Ning Qinghan, her expression disdainful. "Do you think everyone is like you?"
"You—" Ning Qinghan began to flare up again...
"Alright, stop arguing every time you see each other." Ning Rongyue pacified Ning Qinghan. "You're about to be married; you should learn to control your temper. Otherwise, if you keep arguing with Xiangru all the time, how will you build a life together?"
"Xiaowan, you agree, right?"
"..." Ning Guiwan still said nothing.
...
Throughout the journey, Ning Guiwan maintained an air of indifference. However, when the car pulled into the driveway of the house where she had lived for nearly eighteen years, a wave of disorientation washed over her.
The surroundings were familiar, yet people had changed. The roses in the corner still bloomed as vibrantly as fire, but her mother was gone, and her father was no longer the man he once was…
"Dad!" Ning Qinghan's voice interrupted her thoughts. Snapping back to reality, she saw Ning Qinghan clinging to Ning Honghua's arm, while Ning Rongyue stood beside them with a restrained smile—a perfect picture of fatherly love and filial piety.
And she, Ning Guiwan, had become the superfluous and unwelcome one.
"Dad, I worked all day, I'm exhausted! Look at my hands, they're stiff from typing..." Ning Qinghan whined.
But Ning Honghua merely grunted, his gaze falling on Ning Guiwan as she stepped out of the car.
"Dad." Ning Guiwan looked at her father, whom she hadn't seen in four years. The adoration that had once filled her eyes was gone.
Ning Honghua's face was stern, and the atmosphere felt somewhat strained.
"Dad, Xiaowan knows she was wrong. We'll get along well from now on. Please don't be angry with her anymore," Ning Rongyue interjected smoothly, affecting a magnanimous air. Intentionally or not, she allowed her scarred left cheek to come into Ning Honghua's line of sight.
Sure enough, Ning Honghua's expression tightened further. Without a word, he turned and went into the house.
Ning Qinghan hurried after him. Ning Rongyue smiled at Ning Guiwan. "Don't be upset. Take it slow. Dad will forgive you."
The sun had already set, and shadows gathered from all directions, making the slender figure in the courtyard seem small and desolate.
Ning Guiwan's expression didn't falter at the cold shoulder; in fact, she felt a secret sense of relief.
That her father hadn't slapped her and thrown her out again was already beyond her expectations.
Having slept too much during the day, she struggled to fall asleep that night, only drifting off in the early hours. Nevertheless, she woke early the next morning, troubled by a series of bad dreams.
After washing up and changing, she stood on the balcony for a while, watching Ning Honghua practice Tai Chi downstairs before heading down herself.
By the time she sat on a chair by the pool, Ning Honghua had just finished his routine and was walking over. Ning Guiwan dutifully handed him a teacup. "Dad, have some tea."
Ning Honghua glanced at her, took the cup, and sipped from it before sitting on another chair.
It was a cool, early autumn morning. Ning Guiwan, wearing a sleeveless long dress, sat in the breeze, seemingly unfazed by the chill.
Ning Honghua glanced at her again.
"Dad, do you remember why you named me Guiwan?" Ning Guiwan asked, propping her chin on her hand. Her hair was tied back, revealing a smooth, full forehead. Her clear, smiling eyes made her momentarily resemble the charming young girl who used to cling to her father affectionately.
"You said that when Mom was giving birth to me, you were away on a business trip. By the time you rushed back, the woman who had endured a day and night of labor had already delivered your child. You felt guilty, so you named me Guiwan as a constant reminder of what you owed my mother."
Ning Guiwan looked deeply at her father and asked again, "Do you remember?"
Ning Honghua drank his tea without looking at Ning Guiwan, apparently lost in thought. After a long pause, he finally raised his eyes to his daughter, whom he hadn't seen in so long. "Have you completed your studies in Britain?"
Ning Guiwan smiled. "Yes."
"Rest for two days, then come to the company," Ning Honghua said, setting down his teacup and rising.
Ning Guiwan's maternal grandfather, Chi Fenqiang, had founded the Tianchi Group. After his only daughter, Chi Tingshuang, passed away, the group naturally fell under the stewardship of his son-in-law, Ning Honghua.
「Two days later.」
At nine-thirty in the morning, Ning Guiwan followed Ning Honghua into the conference room, where he introduced her to all the senior executives.
A voice spoke up, "The Third Miss graduated from a world-renowned university; her abilities must be top-notch. Why not let her be responsible for the bidding on the infrastructure project at the end of the month? It would also allow us to witness the capabilities of a top student from a prestigious international institution."
Ning Honghua remained silent.
The Ruiyin Group would also be competing for this project. Given the Quan Family's status, power, and influence in Shencheng, the outcome was practically a foregone conclusion.
Ordinarily, the success or failure of this project wouldn't matter much. But with Ning Guiwan in charge, it took on a different significance.
"Since everyone has such high expectations, I'll give it a try. If I do anything poorly, please don't hesitate to point it out," Ning Guiwan accepted gracefully. Her gaze was clear, with an underlying innocence, much like most recent graduates.
Hearing this, many of those present adopted an air of anticipating a spectacle, thinking her nothing more than an inexperienced young woman who dared to take on the task without fully understanding the situation.
Ning Honghua looked at her but ultimately said nothing.
Afterward, Ning Guiwan threw herself into the project, her attitude serious and meticulous. Even after hearing that the Ruiyin Group was determined to secure the project, she remained unfazed.
The evening before the bid presentation, she called Old Madam Quan and then went to the Quan Family's old estate to have dinner with her.
"It's a wonder you still remembered me; I thought you had forgotten!" At the dinner table, Old Madam Quan couldn't help but complain that Ning Guiwan hadn't visited since her last departure.
Ning Guiwan smiled sweetly. "But I'm here visiting you now, aren't I? I've been so busy lately I lost track of time. Grandma Quan isn't angry with me, is she?"
"Busy with what?" Old Madam Quan looked at the girl's charmingly earnest and cheerful expression, her heart softening as she gave Ning Guiwan an affectionate, chiding look.
"The infrastructure project bid is tomorrow," Ning Guiwan said casually. "It's the first project I'm handling at Tianchi. A lot of eyes are on me, so I have to work extra hard. Speaking of which, Uncle Yu seems interested in this project too. Tomorrow, my biggest competitor might just be Uncle Yu."
Just as Ning Guiwan finished speaking, a servant's voice came from outside the dining room. "The Second Young Master is back."
As the words fell, Quan Yu's tall, distinguished figure appeared in Ning Guiwan's line of sight. He looked as if he had just returned from a social engagement, his collar loosened and sleeves rolled up, revealing toned forearms.