Zhou Yan's fingers tightened suddenly around the wine glass, his knuckles turning white.
His eyes sparkled like fireworks, but they were cold, dark, and chilling, sending shivers down one's spine.
Ning Yuan seemed to notice his gaze and met his eyes from a distance.
Then, she raised her champagne glass across the crowd and gently gestured to him.
She was so calm, composed, and even a little defiant.
Cha Meiling could feel the stiffness in Zhou Yan's arm muscles, as if he was hiding anger.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and suddenly said, "Brother Bing'an and Little Sister have really fallen in love these past two years. They're getting married so soon. Normally, families like ours should get engaged first."
She paused, then smiled gently: "I really don't know if my little sister is already pregnant with Bing'an's baby, which is why she's in such a hurry to get married?"
Zhou Yan glanced at her coldly, his tone filled with undisguised annoyance: "Shut up."
Cha Meiling choked and wisely kept quiet.
Although Zhou Yan humiliated her in public, she was secretly pleased. Ning Yuan and Ning Bing'an's marriage was not necessarily a bad thing for her.
At this moment, Ning Zhengkun was clearly in a very good mood.
He laughed heartily, his voice booming, and continued to announce, "To celebrate this joyous occasion, we will hold the wedding as soon as possible, and I will also give a portion of my shares as a wedding gift to my younger sister and Bing'an!!"
Ning Zhengkun had barely finished speaking when
A murmur rippled through the crowd: This is quite a grand gesture!
Ning Bing'an, an adopted son from another family, received such a generous gift. Many people felt envious, but they still had to pretend to congratulate him.
"Young Master Bing'an is truly blessed to have married such a beautiful woman as Miss Ning Yuan and to have gained Mr. Ning's appreciation!"
"Chairman Ning is so generous! This congratulatory gift is truly substantial!"
Ning Bing'an glanced at Zhou Yan without showing any emotion.
Then, he suddenly lowered his head and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear—
"Thank you, little sister, for helping me get the shares. It also fulfills my mother's last wish. She always felt that only by getting the Ning family's shares would Daddy truly treat her as his 'wife' and keep her in his heart."
He paused, then asked, "Do you want me to help you and tell that Zhou Sir to stop bothering you?"
Ning Yuan glanced at Ning Bing'an indifferently: "How do you plan to handle this? Are you going to kiss me in public to assert your dominance? Or just beat him up? Forget it, I don't intend to cause any trouble, nor do I intend to make such a big sacrifice. Zhou Yan should stop bothering me now that he sees I'm getting married."
Ning Bing'an smiled gently as always: "Little sister, as long as you're happy, don't hesitate to ask if you need any help."
Ning Yuan nodded absentmindedly, but a thoughtful look flashed in her eyes.
At this moment, Ning Yuan had finished receiving everyone's blessings, and as the banquet was drawing to a close, she suddenly felt a little hungry.
She was about to call the waiter over for some smoked salmon when a hand wearing delicate lace gloves gracefully handed her a plate of sliced smoked salmon and placed it right in front of her.
Ning Yuan looked up and saw that it was Ning Man'an.
Ning Man'an's tone was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger: "Congratulations, little sister."
Ning Yuan accepted the exquisite silver tray, and subtly raised her eyes to sized up Ning Man'an in front of her: "Thank you, elder sister."
There were two people in the Ning family whom she could never understand, like two wisps of mist hidden in the shadows of the deep mansion.
One is Ning Bingyu, who always appears gentle and unassuming, while the other is Ning Man'an, who is always aloof and powerful.
Ning Yuan initially thought that she, a "country bumpkin" who had returned halfway through her life, would definitely be rejected by Ning Man'an.
In the Ning family's enormous arena of fame and fortune, having one more person means having one more resource to be divided up.
However, in the few years since she returned to the Ning family, she has seen Ning Man'an only a handful of times.
Ning Man'an, the eldest sister, sometimes doesn't even go back to the old house for the New Year, let alone someone like Ning Manfei who openly or secretly targets and trips her up.
There wasn't even a single extra word of greeting between the two.
Ning Manfei, a "native" who was pampered since childhood and had a high opinion of herself, regarded Ning Yuan as a thorn in her side because of Ning Bing'an.
I was fed up with Ning Manfei's antics, so I tricked her into going to Macau. I knew that my older sister, Ning Man'an, would definitely retaliate against me because of this.
Instead of that, Ning Man'an scolded Ning Manfei and even sent her jewelry as an apology!
This is the first time Ning Man'an has taken the initiative to talk to her.
This older woman has a similar aura to Ning Bingyu and Ning Zhengkun, both exuding an indescribable sense of oppression.
Ningmanan sat down beside her, her posture elegant and composed, like a queen entering her own territory.
She smiled slightly: "Little sister, when did you and Bing'an become so close that you're getting married? I haven't seen you two interact much before."
Ning Yuan suddenly remembered that Ning Bing'an's mother was Ning Man'an's mother's mortal enemy.
Back then, it was the appearance of Ning Bing'an's mother that led to the First Madam being forced to divorce Ning Zhengkun and leave for distant lands.
Ning Bing'an, the adopted son who has no blood relation to the Ning family, received most of the care that Ning Zhengkun showed to the child.
People like Ning Manfei, who are blinded by love and fall in love with the son of their enemy, are a minority.
Ning Man'an seems quite normal; she should dislike Ning Bing'an.
Ning Yuan quickly calculated in her mind, but answered calmly, "Big sister, Brother Bing'an is gentle and kind, and he treats me very well. We get along quite well."
“My uncle and grandfather both hope that we can get married soon, and I also feel that... it’s time to settle down. After all, the child also needs a father who knows him well.”
She made up a reason on the spot, a mix of truth and falsehood, just to see what Ning Man'an was going to do.
But Ning Man'an curled her lips into a strange smile: "Know everything about me? Little sister, you really dare to say that. Even I wouldn't dare to say 'know everything about me' to Ning Bing'an. It seems that little sister is really... quite capable."
There was no sarcasm in her tone; rather, it sounded like self-deprecation.
Ning Yuan frowned slightly, looking at Ning Man'an's elegant yet indifferent face for a moment.
She simply asked directly, "Sister, what exactly do you want to say? Just say it. I don't really like this guessing game in social circles."
Ning Man'an was taken aback, then looked at Ning Yuan and sighed softly, as if somewhat disappointed.
“I just didn’t expect that you, little sister, would be willing to make such a big sacrifice for the second branch of the family. After all, the Ning family wronged you first. I thought... since the outside world calls you the second ‘Ning Man’an,’ at least you wouldn’t be so easily swayed by family ties and give in so easily.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
