"Second sister, do you know what the biggest difference is between you and Ning Yuan?"
Ning Bing'an glanced at her expressionlessly, his fingers lightly tapping on the walnut coffee table—
"The difference is that no matter what, your mind can't hold anything but gold, jewels, and romance. Even though you come from such a much better background than her..."
The marble floor reflected the sunlight streaming through the window, and Ning Manfei stood where the light and shadow intersected, her face instantly turning grim.
She stepped forward with a sneer: "What, now you despise me? When you were little, you were like an unwanted stray dog, being beaten and bullied at the elite school. Wasn't it me who protected you? If it weren't for me, would you be alive today?"
Ning Bing'an gently stroked the bone china coffee cup in his hand, lowered his eyes, and ignored her sharp words.
"Second sister, you clearly have evidence that Ning Yuan auctioned smuggled goods. If this is exposed, it will indeed harm the Ning family's interests."
Ning Bing'an paused for a moment: "But in the end, Daddy and Grandpa chose to protect her and silence you. Do you know why?"
Ning Manfei gritted her teeth and angrily grabbed a glass ornament from the table, ready to smash it—
"Isn't it because they're biased! They're greedy for those petty gains!"
Ning Bing'an caught it quickly, put it back in its place, and a cold look of disgust flashed in his eyes.
"You're still so impatient. It's not because you're biased, it's because your perspectives and horizons are different. Those goods don't belong to Ning Yuan at all, they belong to someone else."
“But the auction channels she provides can directly launder smuggled goods, making the owners willing to give her 40% of the auction proceeds. Even with a 40/60 split, it’s still more profitable than the owners selling the goods themselves. With this connection, the owners are naturally more willing to offer discounts.”
Even though Gui Lao Si hated the Ning family, he was overjoyed to see the items sold for several times their original price at auction.
Ning Manfei sneered, her expression full of contempt.
"That northern girl is just using the Ning family and Second Aunt's socialite club to her advantage. She talks as if she's so capable."
Ning Bing'an asked coldly, "Isn't Second Sister also a director of the Socialite Club? Second Aunt prepared an office for you for many years, how many times have you been there? Have you ever thought about using the Socialite Club for business?"
Ning Manfei was even more furious that he had exposed her secret.
"That's because the socialite club is run by my second aunt and controlled by her. How could she possibly help me! Besides, even if Ning Yuan takes 40% of her business, it's only a few tens of millions!"
My older sister earns more at any casino in the Macau hotel than this! How could Daddy and Grandpa be so short-sighted!
Ning Bing'an narrowed his phoenix eyes, his gaze sharp. "Tens of millions is too little? You're not a daughter of the Ning family. According to the market rate, even returned elites only earn twenty or thirty thousand Hong Kong dollars a month."
He paused for a moment, then said coldly, "Yes, this time Daddy will take 50% of those tens of millions, which is only 20 or 30 million, and it is indeed just the profit of a small project. But have you ever thought about why Daddy and Grandpa are willing to tacitly allow my little sister to use the Ning family's influence when they only take this little money?"
Seeing Ning Manfei's face turn ashen and she was about to argue, Ning Bing'an decisively interrupted her.
"Because a girl who has only been back for a few months, who grew up in such a difficult environment in the mainland, is daring and hardworking, and can directly earn tens of millions for the Ning family."
"This proves that her value to the family does not lie in marriage."
Ning Manfei's face turned pale and then flushed, her heart aching—what did it mean that Ning Yuan's value did not lie in marriage?
Isn't this implying that she can only demonstrate her value through arranged marriages?
She fought back tears and sneered, "What power does she have? Power from associating with those lowlife gangsters? Does the Ning family lack that little bit of money?"
"Despicable scoundrels?" Ning Bing'an's eyes were like knives. "What do you think those people are? A bunch of rabble?"
He took a deep breath and said patiently, "I know you don't like to use your brain, but please think about this carefully this time—your little sister is all alone in the mainland, so what is it that allows you to mobilize these people to help her?"
"Do you think everyone is like you, only knowing how to use money to buy people's hearts, and not even understanding how to do it properly, only to end up being bitten in the back?"
These words struck a nerve with Ning Manfei. She took a step back and glared fiercely at Ning Bing'an.
"You look down on me too?! If it weren't for me, you would never have been able to enter the Ning family! What do you mean by saying these things now?!"
Ning Bing'an lowered his eyes, ignoring her anger, and continued—
"What do you mean? She has the ability to leverage the cargo owner's influence and her special background in the mainland to force Daddy and Grandpa to back down."
"Otherwise, why do you think the people at the General Administration of Customs you bribed would ultimately turn against you and stand up for Ning Yuan? Is this something that your second aunt or younger sister could do?"
Ning Manfei's face was pale, as if she had been slapped hard, and felt a burning pain.
She bit her lip so hard it almost bled, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Her father and grandfather never stood up for her, but for Ning Yuan's sake, they used their customs connections to get them to endorse and support Ning Yuan!
She slumped onto the leather sofa, tears welling up in her eyes that she could no longer hold back.
"I know they all look down on me, but Ning Bing'an, you can't, you can't look down on me!"
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have married into an English family and put up with that man who's more than ten years older than me!"
Years of grievances and resentment finally erupted at this moment.
Tears blurred along the carefully drawn eyeliner, making him look like some kind of comical clown.
Ning Bing'an looked at her disheveled appearance and hysterical state, and simply sighed. He took out a white silk handkerchief from his suit pocket and handed it to her.
He said gently, "Don't cry, Second Sister. I was a bit too harsh with my words."
Ning Manfei trembled slightly as she took the handkerchief and hastily wiped away her tears.
His sudden tenderness made her instinctively look up at him with teary eyes.
“Bing’an…”
The next moment, she cried and threw herself into Ning Bing'an's arms, hugging his waist tightly.
He didn't even care that there were two bodyguards standing like iron towers in the room.
The warm patchouli scent emanating from Ning Bing'an instantly enveloped her, bringing her a sense of comfort.
However……
Ning Bing'an let her hug him, only gently patting her shoulder and saying softly—
“But, second sister, I never begged you to marry into England for my sake. It was your own decision. And…”
He paused, seemingly somewhat helpless: "The thing I hate most about many women is that they like to make self-indulgent sacrifices and then take advantage of the situation."
Ning Manfei froze abruptly. The warm patchouli scent that had been surrounding her, belonging to Ning Bing'an, suddenly became suffocating.
She looked up in disbelief, her tear-streaked face filled with shock.
How could he speak the coldest and most heartless words with the gentlest expression?
Ning Bing'an looked at her, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
He suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her to the floor-to-ceiling window in the office, and forcefully pressed her against the blinds.
The force was so great that Ning Manfei's shoulder blades throbbed with pain.
Ning Manfei struggled angrily, but couldn't break free from Ning Bing'an's control at all, and could only cling awkwardly to the cold glass.
"Let me go! Ning Bing'an, are you insane?!"
How could he treat her like that!
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