Although Ning Yuan was prepared, she still felt very uncomfortable and even a little suffocated for some reason.
She looked at Ye Dong expressionlessly: "..."
“Dongdong, this is your sister-in-law. She doesn’t look like anyone else. Don’t talk nonsense.” Rong Zhaonan frowned and took Ning Yuan’s hand.
Ye Dong was somewhat shocked, looking at Ning Yuan with a strange and sad expression.
Then, she looked at Rong Zhaonan, pointed at Ning Yuan, and asked in a trembling voice, "Brother, eldest sister is gone. Do you really think she can replace eldest sister?!"
Rong Zhaonan's face instantly turned cold: "Dongdong, apologize!"
"Dongdong, shut up! What nonsense are you spouting!" Ye Yuan frowned and immediately reprimanded him.
Ye Dong bit her lip, her eyes instantly filling with tears as she looked at Rong Zhaonan—
“Brother Zhaonan, you haven’t been back for so many years, and you’re actually yelling at me for her sake the moment you come back. You never used to yell at me. You’ve changed. My sister will be very sad!”
After saying that, she glared at Ning Yuan, stomped her foot, and ran away.
Ning Yuan narrowed her eyes and gave a mocking sneer. Was this a "gift" prepared by the Xiang brothers?
Ye Dong, who looks remarkably like Ye Qiu?
If Ye Qiu were still alive, there's a high probability he would only see Rong Zhaonan as a younger brother, and it would be fine if things were clarified.
But Ye Qiu's younger sister... Ye Dong, it seems this little girl treats Rong Zhaonan as her older sister's possession.
even……
Her own possessions.
Ning Yuan looked at Rong Zhaonan, who was staring blankly in the direction Ye Dong had left, his cool brows tightly furrowed.
He was somewhat lost in thought, his eyes still slightly red... those were traces left from his excitement and loss of composure when he thought Ye Qiu had been resurrected.
Ning Yuan softly called his name: "Rong Zhaonan..."
He turned to look at Ning Yuan, his eyes filled with a complex and bewildered expression: "..."
Before they could speak, Ye Yuan said apologetically to Ning Yuan, "Excuse me, comrade, my name is Ye Yuan. My little sister is spoiled, please don't take it to heart."
Ning Yuan noticed that Ye Yuan didn't call her sister-in-law, but only politely called her comrade.
She nodded and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "It's alright, Zhao Nan's sister is also my sister."
Aunt Qian also held Ning Yuan's hand and said reproachfully, "Ye Yuan, you are two months older than Zhao Nan, so you should also call him sister-in-law."
Ye Yuan didn't answer directly, but asked with a smile, "Is Chen Chen back too, Aunt Qian? My old man misses that kid terribly!"
Aunt Qian seemed not to notice that Ye Yuan hadn't directly answered her question, and laughed heartily: "Alright, I'll have that rascal go to your house to see Grandpa Ye tomorrow!"
As she spoke, Aunt Qian took Ning Yuan's hand and looked at Rong Zhaonan: "Let's go, Zhaonan, I can already smell the aroma of your food!"
As she spoke, she placed Ning Yuan's hand into Rong Zhaonan's hand.
Rong Zhaonan looked at the quiet Ning Yuan, took her hand, and took the gift box from her: "Let's go, wife, let's go inside."
Ning Yuan smiled slightly and said, "Yes."
Why panic? She didn't believe Rong Zhaonan would like a girl like that.
Seeing Rong Zhaonan lead Ning Yuan into the house, Aunt Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed them inside.
This whole thing is such a hassle!
Ye Yuan watched them walk in hand in hand, his expression indifferent, and sighed softly, "Zhao Nan is really confused."
Ah Heng rolled his eyes at him: "I think you're the one who's confused, what nonsense are you thinking! Third Brother Ye!"
After saying that, she put her hands in her pockets and followed him into the house.
...
As soon as Ning Yuan entered the house, she saw a middle-aged man standing in the living room, wearing black-rimmed glasses, a side-parted hairstyle, and a polyester short-sleeved shirt and trousers.
Standing to the side was a woman in her forties with a haircut resembling Liu Hulan's, who looked like a secretary, and dressed simply.
It was obvious that they had seen everything that happened at the door.
As Ning Yuan was trying to guess their identities, someone approached her and struck up a conversation.
"Zhaonan, you're back? The boss is waiting for you on the second floor," Secretary Qiu said gently as he stepped forward.
Rong Zhaonan nodded calmly and respectfully: "Okay."
Rong Zhaonan took Ning Yuan upstairs with him.
The bespectacled female secretary in her forties suddenly spoke up: "The leader wants to see Zhao Nan. No other unauthorized personnel are allowed to go up."
Ning Yuan paused, meeting the female secretary's cold gaze.
Is she the "irrelevant person" that the secretary was referring to?
“My wife is not some nobody. If he doesn’t want to see my wife, then I have no reason to go up there.” Rong Zhaonan spoke coldly before Ning Yuan could even open her mouth.
Ning Yuan raised an eyebrow at the secretary: "So, can someone like me, an outsider, go up?"
“You…” The middle-aged female secretary’s face instantly turned ugly.
Unexpectedly, Ning Yuan, a girl from a small town who was sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, would be so arrogant and provocative towards her.
Secretary Qiu observed coldly for a while before speaking calmly: "Aunt Xu, the kitchen is quite busy. Could you go and see how lunch preparations are going?"
Aunt Xu's expression changed, but Secretary Qiu was the chief's top confidential secretary, and the other staff members all followed his instructions.
She could only give Ning Yuan a cold glance and say, "Fine."
After saying that, Aunt Xu turned and left.
Secretary Qiu nodded apologetically to Ning Yuan and turned to gesture for her to go upstairs together.
Rong Zhaonan took Ning Yuan's hand and walked upstairs, saying calmly, "Don't worry about it, Aunt Xu is He Su's secretary."
Ning Yuan now understood why this middle-aged female secretary disliked her.
It's no wonder that no one would like to look at Rong Zhaonan's stepmother.
Led by Secretary Qiu, the two arrived at the office door.
Ning Yuan could sense that Rong Zhaonan remained silent, seemingly indifferent, but the large hand he held in hers tightened its grip.
Even someone as strong as her could feel a little pain.
She gently squeezed his hand back, lightly scratched his palm reassuringly, and whispered, "I'm here."
Rong Zhaonan paused, his stiff and cold expression softening slightly.
"Boss, Zhaonan is back." Secretary Qiu opened the door.
Rong Zhaonan looked at the somber figure standing by the window and suddenly felt a little dazed.
His father in his memory was always tall and imposing, cold and serious, making him unapproachable, like a statue.
But after so many years, when he saw his father again, and saw the gray in his hair, he realized that his father had already...
He's aged a lot, and my father seems to have gotten much shorter...
"You've finally decided to come back. Have you had enough of being wild outside?" Rong Wenwu turned around and stared intently at his son, whom he had once been most proud of.
His hands, clenched into fists behind his back, betrayed an excitement that contrasted sharply with the calmness on his face.
Rong Zhaonan said coldly, "Whether I come back or not, does it matter..."
Before he could finish speaking, a gentle and graceful voice rang out: "Old Rong, Zhao Nan rarely comes back, so stop scolding the child!"
Ning Yuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a slender figure with permed hair and wearing a gray suit carrying a pot of tea as she walked in.
The other person's exquisite, beautiful, mature, and charming face made Ning Yuan unable to help but be amazed.
This outfit, both elegant and exuding a mature, motherly charm, truly possesses a style rarely seen in mainland China today.
He Su seemed amused by Ning Yuan's admiring gaze and smiled with interest: "This must be Zhao Nan's wife, what a beautiful girl!"
This is the little girl who narrowly escaped death last time.
She's nothing special. I wonder what Rong Zhaonan saw in her.
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