Chapter 50 Exclusive Release Chapter 50 "Wynne,..."
Yuan Ning felt a little out of place after not having this feeling for a while.
Elias had to cover her lips: "Wynne, not here."
Yuan Ning was held on Elias's lap, and she gasped for breath as she leaned on his shoulder: "I almost forgot, yours is like this... savage, can you be a little more gentlemanly?"
The starry sky was spinning wildly, and Yuan Ning began to regret it. It was when he suddenly kissed her that she clung tightly to his neck.
She hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear, "Elijas, you've been so cold to me since the cabin incident. Do you know how much I think about you every day?"
She breathed heavily in his ear as she slipped her hand under his shirt, seemingly obedient and docile, her fingers gently rubbing against his abs.
At first, the two deliberately restrained themselves, even when looking at the stars, one lay down and the other sat, keeping a great distance apart.
Yuan Ning wasn't the type to take initiative; no, this time she simply didn't want to. Elias had given her the cold shoulder for a long time.
"Elijas, how could you bear to ignore me for so long?"
“Before I met you,” Elias said, looking down, “I always lived within the bounds of order.”
Elias was by no means an impulsive person. The two had known each other for quite some time, and now that they had finally had real contact, Yuan Ning couldn't bear the hardness and coldness of the stone, which hurt her, nor could she bear the long-awaited presence of him.
He nibbled on her ear, half domineering and half soothing: "Don't struggle, you knew before you came, Wynne."
The more she struggled, the tighter she pulled herself together. Elias's Adam's apple bobbed; he too could not resist.
Yuan Ning lifted her head off his shoulder, straddled his waist with her legs, and saw that his eyes were dazed and his hands were on her waist.
After such a long time, Yuan Ning kissed his Adam's apple, and as she licked it, she could feel his breath quicken.
Elias then freed his hand, pinched her chin, and kissed her intimately.
"Elijas, if that's what you think, why don't you say it?"
He stroked her head, slowly moving down to the back of her neck. Yuan Ning knew he always liked to touch and even control that area, so she went along with it.
She also adopted a submissive, clinging posture, letting his hands knead and press on the back of her neck. Her skin was delicate, her figure well-proportioned, and just stroking that small section of her cervical spine was already a pleasure. She gradually relaxed her guard, but his hand suddenly moved to her shoulder and pressed down heavily.
“Wynne, thinking and doing are two different things.” He was always trying to teach her something.
He could hold her steadily with one hand, and he kissed her in time, silencing her gasp.
"Elijas, you're insane."
She had never seen him like this before. He was completely intact, except that his zipper was undone, while she was disheveled, her face flushed, and tears welling up in her eyes. She bit his neck.
"I still prefer your gentlemanly manners, Elias, you're too old..."
Elias held her shoulders and waist, biting her ear: "Wynne, baby, guess what the other side of a gentleman is?"
Yuan Ning felt that he had changed his appearance, but when she looked up with tears in her eyes, his face had not changed.
"What...is it?"
“It’s a beast,” he whispered, his hot breath brushing against her ear.
“You ask me how I could bear to ignore you for so long.” He said, pressing her even closer to him without backing down, biting away every tear that slid down her cheek. “Because every time I let it out, it takes even more effort to put it back in.”
“I can’t bear to leave, Wynne, I can’t bear to leave.” His voice was hoarse. “This place is so wonderful, it feels like it’s far removed from all civilized rules and social pretenses. It’s a paradise for wild animals. Let it stay like this from now on, okay?”
After a long while, the wind seemed to have subsided a bit. Yuan Ning leaned on his shoulder, too tired to even move a finger.
“Now you know,” he whispered in her ear, “Wynne, are you scared? Or do you like it? Tell me, baby, do you like it?”
He pulled open the front of his coat and wrapped her inside. From this angle, the girl looked so petite that if he were to transform into a wild beast, she would have no chance against him.
Yuan Ning felt a strange excitement; she saw the cruelty in Elias's eyes, his bloodlust.
That wasn't violence, but something more primal and cold—a precise, predatory desire stemming from absolute control.
It stripped away its gentlemanly and gentle exterior, revealing the undeniable sharpness of a predator beneath.
She had seen that look in the eyes of those well-dressed bankers.
But never before had it been so naked, so undisguised, and... directly affecting her.
A surge of fear coursed through my spine, but before it reached my heart, it was intercepted, devoured, and ignited by an even stronger, more intense excitement.
She likes it.
She enjoyed the feeling of being completely seen through, precisely captured, and dragged into his out-of-control territory without any explanation.
She tilted her head back, panting, and raised her hand to brush away a strand of blonde hair that was stuck there.
“I like it.” She heard her own voice, a defiant tone. “I like it to death, Elias. I love watching you lose control.”
She leaned closer to him, their noses touching.
She saw the smile on his lips; what a hypocrite.
The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the silence of the Gobi Desert.
Elias's UNESCO delegation, as originally planned, departed Dunhuang that afternoon on a chartered plane and returned to their respective countries via the capital.
Before their departure, Gao Ran, on behalf of the research institute, held a brief farewell ceremony, which was also attended by Zhang Qingrang, Li Xiaohui, and others.
Yuan Ning had also packed her luggage and was preparing to return to her hometown of Nancheng for the New Year. The dress would remain here for further repairs. The experiment had entered its final stage. According to Gao Ran, after the New Year, she would bring a donation of one million yuan and then she could take the dress back.
Marta also sent her many emails on behalf of Mrs. Olivia. She used the internet connection that Zhang Qingrang had set up to exchange many emails with the other party, only saying that the repair work was going smoothly.
The sound of a minibus engine starting could be heard outside the window, gradually fading into the distance and eventually disappearing into the sound of the Gobi Desert wind.
Yuan Ning stopped folding clothes and walked to the window. The crowd that had come to see them off had dispersed, leaving only Zhang Qingrang and Li Xiaohui standing there, waving in the direction the car had left, then turning around and walking back arm in arm, seemingly arguing about something.
Everything returned to normal.
That evening, Yuan Ning also embarked on her journey home.
Li Hang drove his beat-up Jeep to take her to the airport. Zhang Qingrang and Li Xiaohui squeezed in too, saying they were going to the city to buy some experimental materials, but actually they were there to drop her off.
"Yuan Ning, go back and eat more good food! You've lost weight here!" Li Xiaohui pinched her arm.
“That’s right, go back and have a good New Year. When you come back to pick up your dress next year, don’t forget to bring us something nice.” Zhang Qingrang pushed up his glasses, unusually serious.
"I understand." Yuan Ning looked out the car window at the Gobi Desert that was rapidly passing by and gradually turning into dusk, and said sincerely, "Thank you all for your help during this time."
"Don't mention it!" Li Hang grinned in the rearview mirror.
The car stopped in front of the small departure hall at Dunhuang Airport. We said goodbye, hugged, and promised to meet again after the New Year.
Yuan Ning dragged her suitcase and walked alone into the somewhat deserted waiting hall. There weren't many flights to Nancheng, and the number of passengers was sparse.
It was already past midnight when I got off the plane in Nancheng.
The damp, chilly air was a stark contrast to the dry cold of Dunhuang. Yuan Ning wrapped her coat tighter around herself and dragged her luggage out of the arrival hall.
Almost immediately, she saw that familiar figure.
Qiao Yiya stood at the forefront of the welcoming crowd, wearing a well-tailored off-white cashmere coat that accentuated her still-slender figure. She wore black high heels and carried a classic Louis Vuitton Speedy handbag. Her makeup was exquisite, and even under the slightly pale airport lights, she remained dazzlingly beautiful, possessing an even more radiant glow than Yuan Ning remembered from her prime, a glow that seemed to come from meticulous care.
"Nini! Over here!" Qiao Yiya waved enthusiastically, her joy undisguised.
Yuan Ning instantly transformed into a little girl, laughing as she ran towards them, calling out, "Mommy!"
As she got closer, her gaze involuntarily fell on the young man beside her mother.
He looks...very young. Probably thirty-one or thirty-two, no more than thirty-five.
He was wearing a well-made dark jacket and casual pants; he was tall with long legs and a handsome appearance.
Yuan Ning paused almost imperceptibly. Although she was mentally prepared, the visual impact of seeing it with her own eyes was still greater than she had imagined.
Yuan Ning suppressed the turmoil of emotions surging within her, put on a smile, and quickened her pace to walk over.
The man took her suitcase, and she and Qiao Yiya, who came to greet her, hugged tightly.
The mother smelled of familiar perfume, mixed with a strange, fresher masculine cologne, clearly from the man next to her.
This person seems to have good taste.
“My dear daughter, you’re finally back! Let Mom see you,” Qiao Yiya released her, cupped her daughter’s face and examined her carefully, her eyes slightly red. “You’ve lost weight and gotten a bit darker. Did you suffer over there?”
"No, Mom, I'm fine." Yuan Ning patted her mother's hand reassuringly, then turned her gaze to the young man beside her.
Qiao Yiya immediately reacted, took the man's arm, and said affectionately, "Nini, this is Mommy's boyfriend, Jiang Jianzhou. Jianzhou, this is my daughter, Yuan Ning."
"Yuan Ning, hello." Jiang Jianzhou took half a step forward and extended his hand, behaving politely. "Get in the car first, I have prepared a gift for you."
"Mr. Jiang, hello. Thank you for your help." Yuan Ning's tone was polite, but with a hint of scrutiny.
The three walked out of the airport terminal.
Vehicle management at domestic airports is not as strict as it is abroad; cars picking up passengers can park right at the entrance.
Upon seeing the black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, Yuan Ning immediately began to assess Jiang Jianzhou's net worth.
This car might not be anything special abroad, but in China it's known as the "Tiger Head Benz." In a city like Nancheng, it's definitely a symbol of status, wealth, and power.
Jiang Jianzhou opened the passenger door for Qiao Yiya first, and Yuan Ning opened the back door and got into the car herself.
While Jiang Jianzhou was putting away his luggage, Yuan Ning clicked her tongue at Qiao Yiya and said, "Mom, you're really something."
"Nini, are you hungry? Mom asked the auntie to make chicken soup, you can drink it when we get home." Qiao Yiya adjusted the large and comfortable chair, turned to her daughter and said, her joy was hard to hide.
Sitting in such a car, she was very relaxed, and there was no trace of being worn down by reality.
"It's alright, I ate something on the plane," Yuan Ning replied.
But his gaze fell on a small, exquisitely packaged box placed on the center armrest of the front row.
After Jiang Jianzhou got into the car, he handed her the small box: "It's a small gift for our first meeting. It's nothing expensive."
Yuan Ning hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took the box. The wrapping paper was a shimmering silver, tied with a light purple ribbon.
She opened it, and inside was a flat cardboard box with a foreign logo printed on it—a Crabtree & Evelyn hand cream set.
This gift is very appropriate.
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang, you've gone to so much trouble." Yuan Ning put the box away and thanked him politely.
However, she became even more wary of Jiang Jianzhou's background and intentions. A young man who could easily drive a Mercedes-Benz W14 could not possibly come from an ordinary family in Nancheng.
How could someone like that possibly be interested in his own mother?
"I'm glad you like it." Jiang Jianzhou smiled at her in the rearview mirror, his gaze gentle and sincere. "Just call me Jianzhou, Mr. Jiang, you're too kind."
"Nini, how's that Casanova project you mentioned on the phone going?" Qiao Yiya asked, showing concern for her daughter's career.
"It's still progressing smoothly," Yuan Ning replied briefly.
"That's good. My daughter is so smart," Qiao Yiya said with relief, then turned to Jiang Jianzhou, "Jianzhou, you don't know, Nini has been very strong-willed since she was little, and I never have to worry about her studies or anything else..."
In the southern part of the city, the morning begins with a bowl of piping hot soy milk and freshly fried dough sticks.
Qiao Yiya enthusiastically took her to the "old place," a breakfast stall that had been open for thirty years.
"This is a place my mother used to frequent when she was a child."
Greasy plastic tables and chairs, a yellowed price list on the wall, and the proprietress loudly greeting regular customers in the southern dialect. Yuan Ning, wearing a MaxMara coat, sat there, looking out of place.
"Boss, two bowls of soy milk, two fried dough sticks, and a basket of steamed buns," Qiao Yiya ordered skillfully.
Yuan Ning was somewhat surprised: "Mom, haven't you stopped touching these things in a long time?"
Qiao Yiya glanced at her and tore the fried dough stick apart with her hands.
“I don’t have those problems anymore,” Qiao Yiya said calmly, as if she were talking about someone else. “Ever since your father sent me back to Nancheng, I’ve changed my lifestyle. Who am I trying to impress with all that refinement I’ve spent half my life? I might as well do whatever makes me comfortable. Go visit your grandparents this afternoon; I’m going to play mahjong.”
The soy milk was served, and there was a tiny chip on the rim of the bowl.
Yuan Ning frowned subconsciously: "Oh."
Back in Dunhuang, things were naturally different. Yuan Ning took out disinfectant wipes from her bag and carefully wiped the rim of the bowl and the spoon.
An old man at the next table, dressed in pajamas and slippers, kept watching her. When he saw her wiping the dishes, he chuckled and muttered to his companion in dialect, "People who come back from outside are so particular."
Yuan Ning glanced at the other person, not caring what others said about her.
When she was at Parsons, everyone knew she was an illegitimate child, and life went on just fine.
"Mom, let's go shopping in Hushi tomorrow. I'll buy you a Chanel."
“Nini, Mom knows you’ve earned some money. But Mom doesn’t need it.”
Yuan Ning took a sip of soy milk, then put it down: "Did Mr. Jiang buy it for you?"
Qiao Yiya was picking up a steamed bun, the rising steam momentarily blurring her expression. She placed the bun on the plate in front of Yuan Ning: "I know what you want to say, but he's different from your father, and our relationship is different too."
She put down her chopsticks. "By the way, are you planning to go to Hushi to see your father?"
Yuan Ning shook her head: "I don't want to."
"Are you really willing to just give up like this? A portion of your father's business should belong to you anyway. Besides, why should they have it easy?"
Yuan Ning remained silent, gripping the spoon tightly in her hand.
Qiao Yiya shook her head at her, as if chatting casually: "Last week I went to visit an old friend in Hushi. I heard something interesting at her mahjong table."
Yuan Ning looked up: "What is it?"
“Speaking of your father’s precious son, Meng Qingxing,” Qiao Yiya said slowly, a faint hint of sarcasm flashing in her eyes, “it seems he’s gotten into trouble. He partnered with some… Hong Kong female boss, surnamed Du, on a real estate project, investing a lot of money. But now it seems there are problems. Boss Du is abroad, the project is half dead, and the money is about to go down the drain.”
Mr. Du? From Hong Kong?
Yuan Ning's heart skipped a beat. If she were to name a female boss in Hong Kong with the surname Du, she could only think of one.
Ms. Du Wenjin, who sat next to her at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris, ordered a million-dollar Chanel haute couture order that very night, and told her that "marriage is a tool of capital."
"A Hong Kong businesswoman surnamed Du?" Yuan Ning asked tentatively, showing some interest. "Is her name... Du Wenjin?"
"Yes, yes, yes! That's the name!" Qiao Yiya nodded, looking at her daughter with some surprise. "You know it?"
“We don’t really know each other,” Yuan Ning took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound calm. “She’s my client.”
Qiao Yiya sighed, whether out of emotion or something else, "Your father is so worried about this that he has blisters on his lips."
"Mom, how do you know so much?" Yuan Ning stared at her mother.
Qiao Yiya smiled and said, "When you're playing mahjong, what can't you hear? Hushi is only so big, and the circle of rich people is even smaller. If someone has a problem, you'll know about it after a few rounds at the mahjong table."
She paused, lowering her voice slightly, "And... Jian Zhou has a cousin who works in the planning department of Hushi City. I overheard them mention this project a few times at the dinner table. They said there was controversy when it was first approved, and they never expected it to actually go wrong."
“So,” Qiao Yiya looked at her daughter’s thoughtful face, her tone returning to normal, “Mom asked you if you were willing, not because she wanted you to fight for the family fortune. But because she wanted to tell you, Nini, what you look down on and don’t want might be exactly what others are currently struggling to obtain. And the trouble they’ve gotten themselves into might… why don’t you go back and slap them in the face?”
Yuan Ning's mind raced. Du Wenjin... Meng Qingxing... the real estate project in Hushi...
“But Mom, I’ve decided that I’ll never have anything to do with them again.”
Qiao Yiya's eyes sharpened: "Think about it, you've been working yourself to the bone in New York City. Your Casanova project needs start-up capital, local resources, and connections... I can't bear to see you working so hard all by yourself. You've called him 'Dad' for so many years, and this time I'm going to skin you alive!"
“I need to think about it carefully, Mom.” Yuan Ning did not agree immediately.
Yuan Ning didn't really want to retaliate or take back anything.
What shines through the cracks is not kinship, but opportunity.
Meng Qianyue was not her father, but her goal.
She's been walking on a tightrope for too long.
December 30th, Lunar New Year's Eve, South City.
Yuan Ning sat together with her mother, maternal grandparents, and aunt.
The air in my grandparents' old house was filled with the aroma of fried meatballs.
Yuan Ning was dressed in a red scarf and red gloves by Qiao Yiya and sat on the sofa with her grandparents watching TV.
"Dinner's ready!" Qiao Yiya called out as she brought out the last dish, steamed sea bass.
Everyone sat around the round table, and my aunt opened a bottle of red wine.
"Come on, Nini, try this. It's your grandma's specialty, sweet and sour pork ribs." Qiao Yiya served her daughter some food.
"Thank you, Mom." Yuan Ning took a bite; the sweet and sour, soft texture tasted like something from a long-forgotten memory.
Outside the window, sporadic firecrackers began to sound.
“Nini hasn’t come back to spend the New Year with her grandparents for a long time.” Grandpa took off his reading glasses and pointed at her lightly with the temple of the glasses.
Yuan Ning was a little embarrassed: "Yes, Grandpa."
Grandma gently patted the back of her hand, her skin dry and warm: "You're busy with your studies, we don't blame you. Remember to come home to visit often in the future."
Yuan Ning lowered her head, chewing the ribs in her mouth with all her might. The sweet and sour taste mixed with the sudden surge of bitterness in her nose, making her eyes instantly hot. She blinked desperately, trying to suppress the untimely tears.
She realized that she had never felt that family affection could be so touching.
There are so many things in the world to pursue.
She wanted everything, and wanted to have the best of everything, so in the end she couldn't make a choice.
Greedy? Perhaps. But it is precisely this "greed," this desire for the ultimate experience in different dimensions of life, that makes Meng Yuanning unique.
At that very moment, her cell phone vibrated in her outer pocket.
It is an international long-distance number.
Two worlds converged in the palm of her hand at this moment.
My family was still laughing and chatting, the sounds of the Spring Festival Gala on TV were deafening, and the sound of firecrackers outside the window was getting louder and louder.
Yuan Ning held her vibrating phone, her fingertips trembling slightly. She looked up and met her mother's questioning gaze.
"I... I need to take this call." She stood up, her voice a little dry, and pointed towards the balcony.
Qiao Yiya glanced at the phone in her hand: "Go ahead, it's cold outside, put on a coat."
Yuan Ning grabbed the down jacket draped over the back of the chair and wrapped it around herself before pushing open the balcony door.
In an instant, a cold night wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder, swept over her, completely pulling her away from the warm and noisy indoors.
The balcony had no enclosed windows, only cold iron railings. In the distance, more fireworks began to rise into the sky, exploding into brief but brilliant bursts of light that illuminated her slightly pale face.
She took a deep breath of the cold air, pressed the answer button, and held the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
Then he asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm eating sweet and sour pork ribs," Yuan Ning answered truthfully. "My grandma makes them. I haven't had them in a long time."
There was another silence. It was very quiet on his end. At this time, he should be at home or in his study.
It's probably a bad signal.
"Is it good?" she finally heard him ask.
"Mmm," Yuan Ning responded softly, "It's delicious."
She suddenly felt that discussing the taste of a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs across half the globe, at these two ends of such noise and silence, had an absurd yet strange sense of intimacy.
“Very good,” he said, his tone regaining its usual calm. “Richard has compiled a briefing on Percival’s investment in the Asia-Pacific consumer sector for the last quarter, which includes several data points related to accessible luxury and lifestyle brands. I think you might be interested in them. I can send them to you for reference if you need them when I get back to New York.”
Yuan Ning held her phone, her fingertips numb from the wind.
She looked through the glass doors of the balcony at the blurry smiling faces of her family under the warm light, and listened to his calm voice through the receiver.
At this moment, two worlds collided and coexisted with unparalleled clarity, both belonging to her.
"Thank you," she replied in the same calm tone. "I'll go back after the New Year."
"Mm," he replied.
Then, just as Yuan Ning thought the call was about to end in this manner, he suddenly called her name again, his voice lower and clearer than before, as if he were leaning closer to the receiver:
“Wynne.”
"Um?"
"Happy New Year."
He spoke impeccable Chinese. Yuan Ning thought he must have practiced for a long time.
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Author's note: Merry Christmas! Ten red envelopes, I'll send them out later.
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