Madam Ning shook her head: "If it weren't for the fact that her second uncle was the son of her grandfather's concubine, and that he had contracted syphilis from keeping a male actor and lost his fertility, thus losing her grandfather's attention and favor, your Aunt Zhou might indeed have lost her inheritance rights because she was a daughter and insisted on marrying Rong Zhaonan's father, squandering half of the family fortune."
Ning Yuan frowned. Ah... this is hard to judge. Aunt Zhou's second uncle kept a male actor, which affected his fertility.
Madam Ning gently patted Ning Yuan's hand: "From this perspective, it also explains why Rong Zhaonan's second great-uncle asked your Aunt Zhou to adopt one of his children, and why he didn't adopt the 'Zhao' generation, but the 'Yan' generation. This 'Yan' is the generation name of the direct male descendants of the Zhou family in your Aunt Zhou's generation..."
Large families often include characters in the names that symbolize generation. For example, boys in Ning Bingyu's generation all start with the character "Bing," such as Ning Bingyu, Ning Binglun, Ning Bingkun, and so on.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the cup in her hand: "Mom, do you mean that Aunt Zhou is really capable of hiding Rong Zhaonan's twin brothers?"
She could understand that her mother was trying to persuade her not to believe that Zhou Yan was Rong Zhaonan, or rather, not to let her have too much hope.
Madam Ning rubbed her temples: "Your Aunt Zhou's temper, well, how should I put it, she's the kind of person who... goes down a path to the bitter end. She married and divorced secretly, and she's like whoever raised her. When I saw Xiao Ai's stubborn temper back then, she was just like her mother! So sullen and stubborn!"
Ning Yuan looked up at Madam Ning, seemingly lost in thought: "So, the best thing for us to do now is to remain still and observe the situation?"
Madam Ning nodded: "Yes, in the business world, one must remain unchanged to cope with all changes. If there is a real need, Mommy will accompany you to that apology banquet tomorrow night, and I will help you take a look."
Ning Yuan felt a little more at ease. With her mother's support, she felt as if she had found her pillar of support.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Ning Bingyu pushed open the door and entered, his expression indifferent: "Mommy, little sister, I just heard you talking about tomorrow night."
Madam Ning looked at him with a hint of helplessness: "You really are something... such a big CEO eavesdropping at the door?"
Ning Yuan coughed lightly and grasped Madam Ning's hand: "Mom, my eldest brother must have something important to say."
Seeing that Ning Yuan rarely spoke up for him, Ning Bingyu raised his sharp eyebrows and said, "It's rare for you to say something sensible."
Ning Yuan: "..."
Pig intestines are not supposed to be used to hold feces in a pig's stomach, so why does this pig intestine spew feces as soon as it opens its mouth?
Ning Bingyu sat down to the side and said bluntly:
"Let's establish a principle first—if Zhou Yan really is Zhao Nan, then it means he's carrying out a life-or-death or extremely important mission. We'd better not interfere. His deliberate appearance in front of those of us in the Hong Kong government who are the only ones who know him is a warning to us."
He pushed up his glasses slightly: "After all, a certain country recently won the Falklands War, and it will not give up Hong Kong as an international financial center."
Ning Yuan frowned: "I've considered that possibility, but I haven't received any news from the mainland. When I went back, I processed the benefits for the family of a martyr."
At the time, the mainland sent more than one group of people to secretly search and rescue, but to no avail.
When they returned to Shanghai, Chen Chen couldn't help but tear up as soon as he saw her; his reaction was genuine.
Ning Bingyu nodded slightly and added, "I'm just expressing a speculative view. I think the possibility is very small, but it's not impossible. Of course, it's also very possible that Zhou Yan is not Rong Zhaonan, but really Zhou Yan."
His tone turned cold: "But if he is not Anan, then it is very dangerous, because his aggressive approach to my younger sister at this time, and his use of this face and identity to test the Ning family, means that he is an enemy from the opposite side of us and the mainland, and his ambitions are not small. Everyone in the family must be careful."
Ning Yuan's eyes were complicated; she certainly understood what she meant.
Even though Rong Zhaonan "sacrificed" himself, the Ning family's business in the mainland did not stop; it's just that the contact person changed to Lao Xu and a newly sent comrade-in-arms.
If a fake Rong Zhaonan were to approach the Ning family at this time, he might have the same goal as Cha Shenlou before—to destroy the Ning family's 'foreign trade' business with the 'inland customers'.
Ning Bingyu looked at Madam Ning and said, "Mommy, you don't need to go to that banquet tomorrow. My younger sister is going because she's the one in charge, and as the CEO of Ning's Group, my presence is already a great honor."
"As the matriarch of the Ning family, your personal visit would only make us seem to be taking it too seriously, which might attract unnecessary media attention and affect the company's stock price."
After thinking about it, Madam Ning thought Ning Bingyu made sense: "What A-Yu said is also right. Then I will not go for now and will see how things go."
Ning Yuan nodded in agreement; she didn't want her mother to get involved in this mess.
The next day, Ning Yuan and Ning Bingyu both chose simple business suits to attend Regent's banquet.
It shouldn't be too formal, lest it seem too aggressive; nor too casual, lest it seem unimportant.
Ning Yuan looked slender and composed in a custom-made gray striped suit, while Ning Bingyu looked even more elegant and capable in a dark blue striped suit.
Also present were two senior lawyers from the Ning family's legal team, just in case.
Evan, on the other hand, was dressed in a suit and casual clothes, accompanied by several high-ranking police officers, including Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan wore a black trench coat today, his hair hanging down casually, making him look exceptionally handsome and unrestrained.
Upon seeing Ning Yuan and Ning Bingyu enter, Zhou Yan stood up and greeted them with a half-smile: "Miss Ning, Mr. Ning, good evening, how have you been?"
Their irritating tone made it seem as if they were just old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time, rather than former adversaries who were once at loggerheads.
When Ning Yuan saw that face again, which looked just like Rong Zhaonan's, her heart clenched as if it had been squeezed tightly.
But she quickly regained her composure, her face remaining calm, and her tone indifferent: "Superintendent Zhou, how have you been?"
Ning Bingyu stood beside Ning Yuan, observing Zhou Yan's reaction without making a sound. His sharp gaze seemed to penetrate people's hearts, stripping away all of Zhou Yan's pretense.
Evan stood up and apologized to Ning Yuan and Ning Bingyu with a smile: "What happened before was indeed due to our police team's inadequate work, and we have offended many people. We hope that Miss Ning and Mr. Ning will forgive us."
He turned to Zhou Yan, his tone slightly warning: "Especially this subordinate of mine, whose actions were somewhat inappropriate, I have already severely criticized him. Today, I have specially prepared this banquet, firstly to apologize, and secondly in the hope of taking this opportunity to turn hostility into friendship."
Evan then gave Zhou Yan a suggestive look: "Zhou Sir, why don't you apologize to Miss Ning?"
Zhou Yan was unusually serious at this moment. He put away his frivolous smile and nodded slightly to Ning Yuan in a solemn manner: "Miss Ning, please forgive me for my previous offense."
He paused, then turned his gaze to Ning Bingyu: "Mr. Ning, I am a straightforward person, and sometimes I don't consider other people's feelings when I speak and act. I hope Miss Ning and Mr. Ning will forgive my rudeness. What happened before was my recklessness."
He nodded slightly, his posture perfectly balanced, neither overly humble nor arrogant.
Ning Bingyu chuckled lightly, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "Superintendent Zhou, you're too kind. Our Ning family isn't the type to hold grudges. Besides, to be able to eat at the hands of the top police officer, and not even in the police station, but at the Regent Hotel, is quite a rare experience."
The Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, who was standing next to Evan, immediately chimed in to smooth things over: "Mr. Ning, you're joking. Our Chief Secretary is approachable and loves making friends. This meal today is just to clear up the previous misunderstanding. We'll all be friends from now on."
Ning Bingyu had a good relationship with the Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong government, and his tone softened: "Well, since it's a misunderstanding, it's good to talk it out."
Evan nodded with a smile and said to Zhou Yan, "Zhou Yan, hurry up and toast Miss Ning and Mr. Ning. We'll all be friends from now on. You're new here, so you should pay your respects!"
Zhou Yan picked up his wine glass, walked up to Ning Yuan, and raised his glass in a gesture of respect: "Miss Ning, this glass is for you."
Ning Yuan looked at him with a complicated expression, her fingers tightening slightly as she gripped the wine glass.
She is allergic to alcohol; one beer is enough to make her drunk. Rong Zhaonan knows this better than anyone, especially after she was almost kidnapped after being forced to drink alcohol.
But Zhou Yan, with a face exactly like Rong Zhaonan's, held up a wine glass to offer a toast.
In the past two years, to avoid trouble, she has not touched a drop of alcohol, at most only drinking some non-alcoholic fruit champagne.
Was Zhou Yan truly unaware, or...?
Ning Yuan did not take the glass, but said in a calm, almost indifferent tone, "No need, Superintendent Zhou, I don't drink."
Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening: "It seems Miss Ning is unwilling to do me the honor and hasn't forgiven my previous rudeness."
Ning Yuan suddenly took the glass, looked at him and sneered: "Superintendent Zhou is joking. You have to be sincere when you apologize. It seems you're not sincere at all. You didn't even know that I'm allergic to alcohol and that I get drunk after just one glass of beer. How can I possibly drink this?"
As she spoke, she twisted her wrist, and the wine in the glass spilled onto the ground.
The atmosphere froze.
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