The study door closed gently, and the hallway was covered with a soft imported Persian wool carpet, with only the wall lamps emitting a dim yellow glow.
Ning Yuanxin remained silent the entire way.
Seeing that no one was around, Rong Zhaonan glanced at her and whispered, "What are you thinking about?"
Ning Yuan raised her head, her clear black and white eyes appearing exceptionally bright and calm in the dim light.
"These people are different from Xiang Ziye and Xiang Ziying back then. That time it was in the mainland, your home turf. The weapons Xiang Ziye and his gang could get their hands on were mostly our Type 54 pistols or Type 54 submachine guns..."
Ning Yuan frowned slightly, her voice tinged with worry, "But the situation in Hong Kong this time is much more complicated. They have foreign backing, their weaponry is definitely much better than the Xiang brothers', and..."
"Worried about me?" Rong Zhaonan took off his sunglasses, his deep, dark phoenix eyes flashing slightly.
Ning Yuan poked his strong arm: "You're my man, if I don't worry about you, who will I worry about?"
Looking at her adorable face, Rong Zhaonan felt a surge of tenderness in his heart. He reached out and pinched her soft cheek: "Don't worry, my life isn't so easily taken away. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a bargain for another man?"
Ning Yuan snorted, slapped his hand away, and glared at him slightly: "Hmph, you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Rong Zhaonan suddenly paused and interrupted her, saying, "Seventh Miss, I'll leave you here."
Ning Yuan was taken aback, and then looked towards the staircase as if she had a premonition. Sure enough, she saw the head maid Angela leading a young maid downstairs.
Angela stopped in her tracks and bowed slightly when she saw Rong Zhaonan and Ning Yuan: "Good evening, Miss Seven."
Ning Yuan nodded and said calmly, "Mm."
Angela glanced between Ning Yuan and Rong Zhaonan, and said in English, polite yet firm, "Mr. A, this is Miss's private room. Male staff members are not allowed to enter without permission. You may leave now."
The housekeeper said that this British security expert only had the code name "A", but since the other party was also a staff member, he had to abide by the rules of the old house.
She deliberately emphasized the words "young lady's boudoir," her tone carrying a hint of innuendo and warning.
Ning Yuan knew Angela was doing her duty, but it still made her unhappy: "Angela..."
Just as he was about to speak, Rong Zhaonan nodded slightly, his tone calm and even: "Young Master was worried that Miss Seven would be scared if she encountered any danger, so he asked me to bring Miss Seven up here."
After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Ning Yuan. His dark eyes seemed to flash with a faint, soft light in the dim light before returning to their usual indifference: "It's getting late, Miss Seven, you should get some rest."
Ning Yuan's words got stuck in her throat, neither coming out nor going down, making her feel even more frustrated.
They could only watch helplessly as Rong Zhaonan turned and went downstairs.
The man's tall, straight back, like a poplar tree, appeared even more austere in the dim light, disappearing around the corner of the stairs.
Ning Yuan withdrew her gaze and glanced indifferently at Angela: "I know my own affairs, so there's no need for Head Maid Angela to worry about them."
After saying that, she turned and went into the room, slamming the door shut.
Angela frowned and shook her head as she looked at the closed door: "Miss Manfei is right. She wasn't raised by the Ning family after all, so she doesn't know the rules."
But she still remembered the lesson Ning Yuan had taught her last time, so she didn't say anything more and turned to leave with her maid.
...
Ning Yuan returned to her room, but couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was filled with what Rong Zhaonan and Ning Bingyu had said that night.
She walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky outside, and felt a vague sense of unease.
The night sky over the port city is rarely starry, and tonight it is even more obscured by thick clouds, making it feel particularly oppressive and unsettling.
Ning Yuan was in a daze for a while, her mind filled with the bloody scene she had witnessed that night. She rubbed her throbbing temples.
Never mind, she can't see Rong Zhaonan now, nor can she contact him.
I decided to calm myself down, sit down at the table, and prepare to deal with the matter, instead of focusing all my attention on the other person.
She's always happy when she's with a man, and she makes sure she has her own things to do when they're apart—that's her habit!
Ning Yuan turned on the desk lamp and rummaged through the drawer to find a contract that Ning Bingyu had given her. Suddenly, a pager also fell out of the document bag.
This was prepared for her by her mother.
She picked up the pager and was surprised to see an additional message on the screen around 8 o'clock.
She immediately got up, grabbed her phone, and called back.
An elderly voice came from the other end of the phone, asking impatiently in Cantonese, "Who is this jerk? Are you kidding me? Look at the clock! What time is it for you to call?"
"Fourth Uncle, this is Ning Yuan. I'm sorry I saw your message too late. What do you think of the equity agreement?" Ning Yuan said a little embarrassed.
"Oh, it's you!" The other person's tone softened slightly, but they were still impatient: "I've looked at the contract, there aren't any major problems, just a few places that need to be changed. It's already been changed, remember to come and pick it up in the next couple of days."
"That's good, that's good. Thank you, Fourth Uncle." Ning Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally at ease.
"Since he was introduced by Lao Jiu, I'll give him face." The other party paused, then snorted, "Consider it a thank you for bringing news of Lao Jiu and Lao Fang after twenty years."
"It was nothing, Fourth Uncle, you're too kind," Ning Yuan said modestly.
She wasn't entirely comfortable with Ning Bingyu's lawyer, so two weeks ago she took the contract Ning Bingyu gave her and tried to find their old buddies who had gone to Hong Kong before the liberation, following the address given to her by Uncle Fang and Uncle Jiu.
Sure enough, they met the other party—Uncle Si—in an antique shop on Sai Yeung Choi Street.
When her fourth uncle learned that she wanted to hire a lawyer, he readily agreed and quoted a hefty price.
But she hadn't heard from her at all. She was still thinking about when she should go to Sai Yeung Choi Street again, but she didn't expect to receive a message tonight.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you. Remember to write up the check for the lawyer's fees and bring it to my office," the other party said, and hung up the phone without waiting for Ning Yuan's reply.
"Hello? Hello?" Ning Yuan shook her head helplessly as she listened to the busy tone on the other end of the phone.
This old man has a stranger temper than Uncle Fang and Uncle Jiu. He is very concise and doesn't mince words.
Just then, Rong Zhaonan's clear and cool voice suddenly came from behind her: "Who are you talking to on the phone in the middle of the night?"
Ning Yuan was startled and turned around abruptly. The pager fell onto the wool carpet with a dull thud.
Rong Zhaonan appeared behind her at some point, squatting on the windowsill. He was wearing a camouflage combat uniform and a black hood over his face, revealing only a pair of deep, obsidian-like eyes.
He resembled a black panther lurking in the night, exuding a dangerous and wild aura.
Ning Yuan patted her chest, somewhat helplessly: "Rong Zhaonan, why do you keep climbing through my window? Don't fall!"
She said that her own dog was not such an obedient person; Angela told him to leave and he left.
If someone is all bones and weighs ten pounds, nine pounds of that weight is rebellious.
Rong Zhaonan's sharp eyes were tinged with a faint smile, and his eyes held a cool light, like the cold moonlight in winter.
With a nimble leap, he jumped down from the windowsill, as agile and silent as a big cat.
Although his body was damp from the night dew, it couldn't conceal his refreshing aura.
Rong Zhaonan shook the paper bag he was carrying and said casually, "You didn't eat much at the party tonight, how about we grab some late-night snacks?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
