Ning Yuan was stunned, a hint of surprise flashing across her delicate features.
She almost doubted whether she was hallucinating, looking at Ning Bing'an with the eyes of someone looking at a mental patient, as if asking—
Brother, are you alright? I didn't add anything I shouldn't have to this coffee! How did you get poisoned and have a seizure?
The aroma of coffee filled the air, but it couldn't mask the eerie atmosphere in the room.
Ning Bing'an remained calm and composed, as if what he had just made was not a shocking suggestion, but an ordinary afternoon chat.
However, in those deep phoenix eyes, there flickered a kind of unfathomable, dark light.
"Brother Bing'an, are you alright?" Ning Yuan asked tentatively, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm.
Ning Bing'an gently stroked the rim of the glass with his slender fingers, his tone calm and composed.
"Little sister, I'm serious. The child in your belly needs a father, and I need a wife."
He put down his coffee cup, interlaced his fingers, and said in a calm tone, "You know the chairman's personality. If I don't have a suitable wife, he'll keep arranging marriages for me, it'll never end, after all..."
Ning Bing'an paused, then lowered his eyes: "He has already started arranging a new marriage for me."
Ning Yuan frowned, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes narrowing into slits as she scrutinized the enigmatic and unpredictable man before her.
He did look somewhat tired, so dealing with Ning Zhengkun's pressure to marry him must not have been easy.
“Since Brother Bing’an has been so frank, then I won’t hold back either.” Ning Yuan’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
She paused, her gaze sharp as a knife: "Are you doing this because... you really want a bigger slice of the Ning family's pie? Otherwise, you don't have to go along with your uncle's wishes in everything. After all, he's not your biological father."
Ning Yuan's last words were like a fine needle, precisely piercing Ning Bing'an's most sensitive nerve.
Ning Bing'an's expression turned cold, but he quickly regained his composure, though the smile on his lips faded slightly.
He remained silent for a moment before speaking, his tone carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible coldness—
"Although Daddy is not my biological father, he raised me and taught me from childhood, giving me the love and respect a father should have. I cannot hurt him, and I cannot disobey him."
"Is that so?" Ning Yuan smiled coolly, her big eyes crinkling.
“Then let’s just pretend to comply while secretly disagreeing, so that we can be worthy of Uncle’s kindness in ‘cultivating’ Brother Bing’an?” She dragged out the last syllable of “cultivating”.
Ning Bing'an looked at Ning Yuan, his narrow phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, his expression inscrutable.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, his tone still as gentle as the wind: "Little sister, I'm just here to visit you and to offer a cooperation proposal that I think is quite good. You don't need to be so resistant to me."
"I resist you?" Ning Yuan chuckled softly, as if she had heard a joke.
Her slender fingers tapped lightly on the table: "Brother Bing'an, I'm not against you, but you have to tell the truth openly and honestly."
"Little sister, what do you mean by that?" Ning Bing'an asked calmly.
Ning Yuan put down her teacup, looked directly into Ning Bing'an's eyes, and sneered—
“Brother Bing’an, you are an adopted son, and I was picked up halfway through life. We are both marginal figures in the family, so there’s no point in hiding it anymore. There’s nothing shameful about wanting to avoid struggling for thirty or fifty years.”
The air seemed to freeze, filled with a faint smell of gunpowder.
Ning Bing'an remained silent for a moment, and when he raised his eyes again, his gaze was cold and sharp, lacking the previous gentleness and instead possessing a sharp edge.
“Daddy did promise to give me a portion of his assets. I do hope to do something with them, but I need to follow his arrangements and get married first.”
Ning Yuan chuckled lightly, but her smile held a hint of coldness: "It seems that Brother Bing'an has grown wings and wants to fly solo?"
Ning Bing'an lowered his eyes, his slender fingers gently stroking the coffee cup, his tone tinged with self-mockery—
"Isn't my little sister the same? Otherwise she wouldn't be pregnant out of wedlock and still running around everywhere, preferring to rely on herself rather than work for her older brother."
He looked up at Ning Yuan, his gaze sharp: "You know better than I do that in this family, charity and pity are useless if you want to truly gain a foothold."
Ning Yuan raised an eyebrow with amusement, observing Ning Bing'an's expression: "So, Brother Bing'an wants to join forces with me to fight against Big Brother?"
Ning Bing'an chuckled lightly, "Little sister, you overestimate me. I just want to fight for my rightful share of the benefits, just like you."
"So, does Brother Bing'an know what my elder brother would think if we really got married?" Ning Yuan's rosy lips curled up slightly, her tone carrying a hint of provocation.
Ning Bing'an looked at her and smiled slightly: "Your older brother gave you shares in the development of the land for the Maritime Building, right? Otherwise, given your personality, you wouldn't be the kind of person who would obediently cooperate with him."
“I can give you that too, double the price.” Ning Bing’an took out a document from the inside pocket of his suit and gently pushed it in front of Ning Yuan.
"You won't be treated badly, and... the child in your belly won't be called an illegitimate child."
Ning Yuan picked up the document and flipped through it for a while, a strange look flashing in her eyes: "Brother Bing'an is really generous. It seems he's gone all out for 'going solo'."
"It's just a matter of each getting what they need," Ning Bing'an said indifferently.
Ning Yuan pushed the document back to Ning Bing'an and shook her head: "I appreciate Bing'an's kindness, but I can't do this business."
She picked up her teacup and took a sip: "Brother Bing'an, instead of wasting your energy on me, you should find other partners. Find someone obedient, whether it's a marriage alliance or a marriage in name only, they're much easier to control than a country bumpkin like me."
Ning Bing'an raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly unsurprised by Ning Yuan's rejection. "Little sister, do you not believe in my sincerity?"
Ning Yuan's tone was slightly teasing: "No, I just think that with so many socialites and ladies in Hong Kong, Brother Bing'an will definitely be able to find a suitable one."
Ning Bing'an looked at her, his eyes deep: "Little sister, you make it sound so easy. The old man is watching, and Daddy wants to use my marriage to control my older brother. It's not that easy to find a suitable candidate."
He remained as gentle and refined as ever: "Besides, I'm not looking for a pretty face; I need someone who can be helpful and who will satisfy my father... That's why I came to you."
He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, "Little sister, if we cooperate, you'll still be free after marriage, and I won't interfere with any of your decisions. We both get what we need, isn't that a win-win situation?"
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