In the days that followed, Ning Yuan's attitude towards Rong Zhaonan remained as indifferent as ever.
But Rong Zhaonan keenly noticed that she was at least no longer deliberately avoiding his gaze.
Although it is still very difficult and unsettling.
But even this slight easing was a comfort to him.
He dared not ask for more. Over the years of their marriage, they had moved from the countryside to Shanghai, then to Beijing and Hong Kong.
She suffered so much for him, and only hoped that time would slowly heal those wounds.
Moreover, he had too many things to deal with during this period, and he was almost constantly on the go.
Mrs. Sachet has arrived at the Hong Kong government, and negotiations have officially begun. The situation is complex and turbulent.
Just as they lost the fierce "underground battle" offstage, they also completely lost the negotiations on stage!
They left in a disheveled and angry state, and not long after, Mrs. Sachet was ousted from her post.
Ning Yuan was equally busy.
The downfall of Cha Shenlou led to a financial war that should not have escalated, but was several times larger than she remembered.
It's almost as bad as the 1998 Asian financial crisis that swept across Asia.
Many of Hong Kong government businesses have been severely damaged, and the reconstruction of the market and the integration and recovery of Ning's businesses are all troublesome matters.
She had already entered the core power circle, so naturally she couldn't not participate.
In addition, her own OEM technology business, which is just starting out but is already taking shape, involves many things that require her personal attention.
But as long as Rong Zhaonan can find a little space.
Even late at night, he would drive to the villa in Repulse Bay to stay with Ning Yuan and their daughter.
He might not be able to exchange more than a few words with Ning Yuan; sometimes she was already asleep, and sometimes she was still working on documents in her study.
He simply sat quietly on the sofa in the living room, watching the light coming from the study, sensing Ning Yuan's presence not far away.
Or perhaps you're looking at your daughter's soft little face, listening to her sweet, childlike cries, bathing her, and playing with her.
Then I felt that the empty space in my heart that had been there for so long had been quietly filled with a little warmth.
That evening, Ning Yuan had just finished a conference call with a factory engineer in her study.
She received another unexpected phone call.
The person on the other end of the phone was her fourth uncle, asking her to come over.
Ning Yuan hung up the phone, thought for a moment, then changed her clothes and prepared to go out.
As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, she saw Rong Zhaonan carrying Xiao Jiajia out of the children's room.
The little creature was nestled on his shoulder, fast asleep, breathing evenly.
As Ning Yuan picked up her bag, she said casually, "Superintendent Zhou, I'm going out for a bit."
Rong Zhaonan carefully handed Xiao Jiajia to the nanny next to him, and then naturally followed her, saying, "I'll take you."
In public settings within the Hong Kong government, he remains known as Senior Superintendent Zhou Yan.
But at this point, even though some high-ranking officials in certain countries knew something, no one dared to touch him casually anymore.
In this situation where both sides know the truth, he is practically the official spokesperson. Taking action against him at this critical juncture would be like setting off a volleyball.
Ning Yuan paused for a moment, but did not refuse: "Okay, let's go."
Rong Zhaonan felt a surge of joy.
The car drove smoothly away from Repulse Bay, and we arrived at Uncle Si's shop in silence.
But she didn't see her fourth uncle; she only saw the pheasant.
When Shanji saw Rong Zhaonan, the two exchanged a glance and both inexplicably felt guilty standing next to Ning Yuan.
Chicken recalled how that thin girl, with her empty eyes, had repeatedly asked him if he had rescued anyone from the sea…
He lied to her time and time again, watching her despair.
Pheasant looked away guiltily and coughed lightly: "Ahem, Miss Seven, please come with me, someone wants to see you."
Ning Yuan nodded and, together with Rong Zhaonan, followed Shanji through the elegant corridor to a quiet tea room.
She pushed open the door and saw Ning Bing'an standing by the window.
Or rather, he should now be called Sheng Bing'an.
He was wearing a well-tailored off-white silk satin Tang suit.
She remained slender, like a figure straight out of a traditional Chinese ink painting.
However, the gentle warmth he had deliberately maintained between his brows had been replaced by a calmness born of experience.
The afterglow of the setting sun outside the window fell on him, outlining his cool and aloof profile.
Hearing the noise, Sheng Bing'an turned around and looked at Ning Yuan: "They're here."
Ning Yuan nodded and walked over: "Brother Bing'an."
Sheng Bing'an also saw Rong Zhaonan, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
"Superintendent Zhou stayed by my side at all times."
His tone did not conceal a hint of sarcasm.
Rong Zhaonan remained expressionless, arms crossed: "My wife and I are guests here together. Does Young Master An have any objections?"
Sheng Bing'an scoffed: "Your wife? Superintendent Zhou must be out of his mind. The entire Hong Kong government knows that my sister married me!"
Rong Zhaonan's eyes darkened. This guy always uses this to stab himself!
Ning Yuan sat down expressionlessly: "..."
She didn't want to talk; they should finish arguing first, then get down to business.
Sheng Bing'an's gaze returned to Ning Yuan's face, and his tone softened: "My flight is this afternoon, to America, and I'm never coming back. From now on, there will be no more Ning Bing'an in this world."
Ning Yuan wasn't surprised, but hesitated slightly: "Leaving this afternoon?"
This was the plan that was agreed upon by all parties in this tea room.
With his merits and demerits balanced out, he can retire unscathed and start anew as "Sheng Bing'an".
However, there was still one person waiting for Sheng Bing'an...
Sheng Bing'an seemed to sense the unfriendly gaze behind him and looked at Rong Zhaonan with a cold face: "I have a few words I want to say to my younger sister alone. You are an outsider and it is not appropriate for you to listen to the Ning family's affairs."
Rong Zhaonan's eyes darkened, and he stepped forward, blocking Ning Yuan's path: "Say what you have to say here."
Ning Yuan stood up, stepped out from behind Rong Zhaonan, and met Sheng Bing'an's gaze: "Okay."
Rong Zhaonan stiffened slightly, suppressing his anger and slight pain, and stepped aside: "Okay, I'll wait for you outside."
outsider……
Yes, he was an outsider, but Ning Bing'an became Sheng Bing'an, and soon he too would be an outsider kicked out of the Hong Kong government.
What's the point of arguing with this kind of "ex-husband"!
Ning Yuan didn't say anything more and followed Sheng Bing'an out of the tea room, heading towards a study next door.
The office was dimly lit.
Sheng Bing'an looked at Ning Yuan in front of him. She was more composed and more dazzling than when they first met.
Those beautiful, clear eyes held a resilience that transcended her appearance; her future achievements would be no less than those of her eldest sister, Ningman'an.
His gaze was somewhat complicated, as if he had a thousand words stuck in his throat.
In the end, he simply took an antique mahogany box from the drawer and handed it to her: "This is for you."
Ning Yuan looked at the box but didn't immediately take it: "What's this?"
Sheng Bing'an twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a faint smile: "Consider this my... divorce gift to you."
Ning Yuan looked up at him and said softly, "Brother Bing'an, according to the rules of the Hong Kong government, if a wedding is not held for more than six months, the binding force of the registration will be automatically released. It does not count as a divorce, and no gifts are required."
Their relationship was merely a mutually beneficial collaboration.
Their marriage license will expire in two weeks.
Looking into her clear and honest eyes, Sheng Bing'an insisted on pushing the box forward: "Open it and take a look first, then decide whether to refuse."
Ning Yuan was slightly taken aback, hesitated for a moment, but still took the box and opened it as instructed.
Inside lay three crystal-clear, plump jade-green chili peppers.
She looked up at Sheng Bing'an in disbelief: "This...isn't this what Grandpa gave to your fourth uncle?"
In the end, Grandpa Ning gave the three real chili peppers to Sheng Bing'an as a way of giving the Sheng family an explanation and compensation.
Seeing her shocked expression, Sheng Bing'an said gently, "The old man did give it to me, but it wouldn't be proper for me to take it."
"I am indeed a descendant of the Sheng family, but in terms of blood ties, I am still a step below you, my granddaughter."
Ning Yuan hesitated: "But... I'm not the only one who bleeds the blood of the Sheng family..."
Sheng Bing'an smiled and interrupted her—
"As Fourth Uncle also said, among the Ning family generation, only you and Old Madam Sheng share a love for antiques, and you look the most alike. You also have the temperament of 'better to break than bend.'"
“Since you didn’t grow up in the Ning family, you don’t have those complicated ties and concerns with them. It’s safest for you to keep these things. They’re more suitable in your hands than in mine.”
Ning Yuan fell silent.
Her slender fingers gently caressed the jade chili pepper that had been made from a broken jade bracelet.
It's like caressing a piece of old time from decades ago, filled with love, hate, grudges, and cause and effect.
After a long while, Ning Yuan raised her eyes and looked at Sheng Bing'an with clear eyes: "Since Brother Bing'an and Fourth Uncle have both said so, then I will accept it without hesitation."
"However, I will not be going to Switzerland to open this batch of goods for the time being."
"Perhaps decades from now, when the time is right, I will donate them back to museums in mainland China."
Now, the mainland needs to concentrate its efforts on economic development, so let these treasures temporarily reside overseas.
Sheng Bing'an nodded calmly: "I've given you the things; how you deal with them is your business."
Ning Yuan closed the box, smiled at him, and said sincerely and frankly, "Then thank you, Brother Bing'an. I also wish you a smooth start to your new life in America."
She paused, then added, "I heard that Sister Manfei is also going to America."
When Ning Manfei was mentioned, Sheng Bing'an's eyes flickered slightly, becoming somewhat complicated and difficult to describe.
He suddenly remembered that a few months ago, he had seen Ning Yuan and "Zhou Yan" here.
I also saw...
Ning Manfei.
She stood in the room, no longer wearing her fine clothes and jewelry, and her heavy makeup was gone. She looked at him somewhat awkwardly.
She was slender, just like she was more than a decade ago, wearing a simple white dress with her long hair hanging down casually.
The Ning family's daughters are all beautiful, and she takes good care of herself, so a simple and plain style suits her better.
He looked at her, and time seemed to turn back in an instant.
In a daze, it felt like I had returned to my childhood...
He was an outcast in Hong Kong's most prestigious private elite school.
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