Zhou Yan's words were like fine needles, piercing Ning Yuan's heart.
She knew Zhou Yan was deliberately provoking her.
But the bitter scent of nicotine lingered on Zhou Yan's lips, and when it sprayed onto her face, she couldn't help but frown and cough. "Cough cough...you..."
Rong Zhaonan never smoked in front of her.
He doesn't like addictive things; he only smokes when he's really upset or desperately needs to calm down.
Later, because she didn't like the smell of smoke on his breath and clothes, he quit smoking altogether.
Ning Yuan, unable to bear it any longer, shoved him away and disgustedly wiped her lips with her fingertips, as if trying to remove something dirty: "Stay away from me, the smell of smoke on you makes me sick."
Zhou Yan, unperturbed by being pushed away, instead grabbed her wrist, pulled her into his arms, and gently asked, raising an eyebrow—
"Sister-in-law, now it's my turn to ask—what's the relationship between this batch of goods and Ghost Fourth and Ning Bing'an from Kowloon Walled City? And what's your relationship with Ning Bing'an?"
The distance was too close, and the face that resembled her husband's, along with his gentle yet cold voice, made Ning Yuan momentarily dazed. She was embraced by him almost without struggling.
But the next moment, she bit her tongue hard, the pain bringing her back to her senses, realizing that she had almost fallen for this man's trick.
She suppressed her surging emotions, stiffened her body, reached out to push him away, and gritted her teeth as she forced out a sentence: "Get out!"
Ning Yuan discovered that this bastard was using that face to coerce a confession!
Damn it, Rong Zhaonan's face is too lethal. Even this almost identical face is hard for her to resist.
Zhou Yan chuckled, then suddenly grabbed her waist with his large hand and pulled her forcefully against him.
Ning Yuan closed her eyes, refusing to look at his face, and said coldly, "Let go!"
The man's voice was gentle yet wicked: "Sister-in-law, don't be so cold. Brother is dead. We should be closer than you think, shouldn't we..."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at her: "Sister-in-law, are you afraid I'll find out something?"
Ning Yuan was wearing a thin evening gown, and the hard parts of his belt buckle and brooch... pressed aggressively against her soft body and skin, bringing a slight shiver.
The man's voice was soft, yet like a series of fine needles—
“Our people have been watching you for half a year. They’ve taken a lot of photos. And that dock where you ship your goods—do you know that the Ning family owns shares in it?”
Ning Yuan was startled and raised her eyes to stare sharply at Zhou Yan, trying to determine whether he was telling the truth.
She had no idea that the Ning family had shares in that dock!
“You…” Ning Yuan was about to speak.
Zhou Yan suddenly straightened up, released her, and increased the distance between them: "Tsk, sister-in-law, don't be nervous."
He casually stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, as if the intimacy and threat just moments before were merely a fleeting illusion: "I just wanted to tell you that I know the Ning family better than you think, and I know your whereabouts better too."
Just then, the sound of a key turning in the door broke the dangerous tug-of-war between the two.
Ning Yuan then understood why he had suddenly restrained his behavior.
She straightened her skirt, which Zhou Yan had messed up, without any expression, and distanced herself from him: "Zhou Sir, don't try to trick me. I've already said that I won't answer any more of your questions until the lawyer arrives."
Her voice was calm, but her eyes held a warning.
Zhou Yan smiled, straightened his slightly crooked police cap, and curled his lips into a nonchalant smile: "It's alright, sister-in-law, we'll see each other often in the future."
He paused, then changed the subject: "I heard... you have a daughter? As her uncle, shouldn't I go and see my little niece?"
A chilling light flashed in Ning Yuan's eyes, like a mother wolf protecting her cubs. Pointing at his nose, she said, word by word, "If you dare to touch my child, I guarantee you'll regret ever being born and never leave Hong Kong!"
Zhou Yan's smile deepened as he watched her bristle.
He suddenly turned and grasped Ning Yuan's hand, which was pointing at him, bringing it to his lips in a perfectly gentlemanly kiss. His beautiful phoenix eyes, however, lifted and, through the shadow of his hat brim, gazed at her with a smile—
"Sister-in-law, how could I bear to hurt you and my little niece? As your uncle, of course I will protect you."
Ning Yuan pulled her hand back expressionlessly.
No matter how he smiles, his eyes are cold and dark.
This caused those greasy and carefree playboys like Ning Bingchao (the third brother) to have a mixed and eerie sense of oppression about him, making people very uncomfortable, like being stared at by a gloomy, cold-blooded animal.
Zhou Yan suddenly straightened up and stared at her with a playful expression: "After all, there is a saying in ancient China, 'the elder brother inherits the younger brother's property,' meaning that I... am very willing to inherit my elder brother's property and sister-in-law."
Ning Yuan's face instantly turned ashen, and she could almost feel the rage surging through her veins. This man was utterly shameless!
Just then, the door finally opened.
Evan walked in with three lawyers from the Ning family, his face bearing a helpless yet polite smile, and repeatedly apologized to Ning Yuan.
"Ms. Ning, I'm so sorry, I think there might be some misunderstanding..."
One of the lawyers from the Ning family immediately went to Ning Yuan's side and asked in a low voice, "Ms. Ning, are you alright? Did you receive anything? Did they do anything to you, such as beating or intimidation?"
The other two Hong Kong government barristers stared at Evan with dark faces and piercing eyes. One of them said sternly—
"Superintendent Evan, you must give us an explanation! Superintendent Zhou's actions have seriously violated the legal rights of my client! We reserve the right to pursue his legal responsibility!"
Evan could only force a smile and try to smooth things over in Cantonese: "Ladies and gentlemen, I think there must be some misunderstanding. Superintendent Zhou has always upheld the law impartially and would never do such a thing..."
As he spoke, he subtly shielded Zhou Yan behind him, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
Ning Yuan sneered inwardly as she looked at Evan's protective manner.
Her gaze shifted to Zhou Yan, only to find him still calm and composed, his police uniform impeccably tailored and exuding an air of dashing heroism.
It was as if the roguish and eerie man from before was just her hallucination.
Noticing Ning Yuan's gaze, Zhou Yan even smiled slightly at her, the provocation in his eyes was all too obvious.
Ning Yuan narrowed her eyes dangerously, clenched her fists, but remained expressionless.
Evan was still trying to smooth things over: "Everyone, it's getting late, and Miss Ning must be tired. Why don't you all go back and rest first? We can talk about it tomorrow. I promise you'll get a satisfactory answer tomorrow!"
Ning Yuan turned and left without saying a word.
Evan breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, the young lady was finally willing to leave, otherwise he really wouldn't know how to handle the situation.
However, just when Evan thought the matter was over, Ning Yuan suddenly stopped.
She turned around and, before anyone could react, walked past Evan and stood in front of Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan looked down at her and asked teasingly, "What, reluctant to leave—hmm!"
Before he could finish speaking, he let out a muffled groan—
Because Ning Yuan raised her high-heeled foot and kicked him hard in the shin in front of everyone.
The force was so great that you could almost hear the sound of bones cracking.
The air suddenly felt suffocating, and Zhou Yan's handsome face instantly turned ashen and even distorted.
Ning Yuan's eyes were sharp enough to tear someone to pieces. She said coldly, "Zhou Sir, I've seen plenty of perverts in my life. This is a greeting gift for you. If you dare to get close to me again, it won't be this simple."
She then looked at Evan, her tone icy: "If the big boss thinks I assaulted a police officer, then have someone arrest me."
After saying that, she ignored the astonished looks of the crowd, turned around, and led her legal team away.
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