This autumn in Shencheng was somewhat abnormal, with continuous gloom and rain. By three in the afternoon, the sky was already as dark as if night were about to fall.
Ning Guiwan remained quiet for a long time. Slowly, she turned her head to look out the window. This weather is atrocious, she suddenly thought.
Every afternoon, once the Quan Family's elderly matriarch finished her nap, she would spend time in the ancestral hall with her late husband.
Ning Guiwan paid her respects to the old master, then sat to one side on a cushion, watching the matriarch rotate her Buddhist prayer beads and strike the wooden fish. Outside, the rain pattered softly. The slow, rhythmic tapping of the wooden fish seemed to carry a cleansing power, purifying the heart.
Filled with thoughts, Ning Guiwan slowly let them settle as she picked up a Buddhist scripture from the shelf beside her to read.
It was unclear how much time had passed before steady, heavy footsteps approached from outside. Ning Guiwan slightly lifted her eyes—
She saw Quan Yu, dressed in a black shirt and black trousers, walk in. By this time, the outside had brightened a bit. His figure, backlit by the daylight, appeared exceptionally tall and straight. As he neared, Ning Guiwan noticed the fabric on his left shoulder was slightly damp.
Ning Guiwan gave him a smile as a greeting.
Quan Yu's gaze briefly halted.
The girl, seated on the cushion, her face clear and clean without makeup, her eyes sincere and devoted. As she smiled slightly, she looked just like the young girl she once was: pure and beautiful, untouched by dust.
"Are you not busy today?" The Quan Family matriarch recognized her son's footsteps without even lifting her eyelids.
Quan Yu usually valued every second of his time. Sometimes, even when joining her for a meal, he would rush in and out. It was indeed rare for him to be at home for most of the day like today.
"Is it not good to spend time at home with you?"
As Quan Yu spoke, he shifted his gaze lightly away from Ning Guiwan and sat down in an antique rosewood chair nearby. He leaned back slightly, resting his elbows on the armrests, his slender, fair fingers with distinct knuckles hanging casually.
Inside the ancestral hall, the Quan Family's elders were venerated. Quan Yu's gaze was mild and indifferent, but it deepened when it swept over a memorial tablet inscribed with 'Ancestral Grandmother.'
The matriarch stopped striking the wooden fish and opened her eyes to look at her son. Sensing something unusual about him today, she was about to speak when a servant came over with an umbrella. "Old Madam, the Young Master has arrived. He says he's here to see you."
Ning Guiwan was reading the Buddhist scripture, only half-understanding its content. As she finished one page and was about to turn to the next, the words "the Young Master" halted her movements and her breathing all at once.
Even though she quickly suppressed her emotions of that moment, the subtle change didn't escape Quan Yu's notice.
Even if he wasn't her biological grandson, Quan Xiangru had called her 'Grandma' for years. Since the child had specially come to visit her, she couldn't just leave him waiting. She immediately placed the wooden mallet down and stood up to go to the living room.
The rain outside continued, seemingly the same as before, yet somehow growing worse, oppressively heavy.
"Do you really want to see him?"
The sudden deep male voice startled Ning Guiwan.
Looking up, she met Quan Yu's eyes. Perhaps it was an illusion, but she felt that his dark brown, glassy gaze was unusually somber and cold.
Ning Guiwan paused for a moment before smiling again, her eyes twinkling with charm as she transformed back into the radiant woman.
"See whom?"
Quan Yu didn't answer. He gazed at her intensely for a moment, then stood and walked out of the ancestral hall, his retreating figure chillingly distant.
Ning Guiwan slowly let the smile fade from her lips. Lowering her head, she realized that she had crumpled the pages of the Buddhist scripture.
She had thought she wouldn't have to see the person she dreaded meeting anytime soon.
Unexpectedly, she encountered him at the evening party she attended with Quan Yu that night.
At the time, she was wearing a black cross-collar evening dress, her makeup glamorous. Her fair skin and elegant poise made her stunningly attractive. Upon her arrival, she became the center of attention.
After making a round with Quan Yu, she collected a number of business cards, including from bigwigs in various business sectors. She knew those people were only acknowledging her for Quan Yu's sake; among the many glances cast her way, there was plenty of disdain and contempt.
Ning Guiwan deliberately ignored those unfavorable gazes, mingling effortlessly among the successful figures of high society, her cheerful and charming demeanor shining ever more captivatingly under the lights.
When she felt it was about time, Ning Guiwan excused herself from the people around her and headed out through a side door.
Everyone in there wore a mask, and dealing with it for so long was tiring.
She proceeded to the rest area, intending to sit for a while. Seeing a waiter passing by, she called him over and asked for a glass of warm water.
The waiter looked at her with astonishment. After walking a short distance, he turned back to look at her again. Ning Guiwan, seeing this, gave him a radiant smile. He was clearly stunned for a moment before walking straight into a wall.
Ning Guiwan couldn't help but laugh at this scene.
"Shameless!"
The abrupt voice made Ning Guiwan's smile vanish.
She recognized the voice. Turning her head, she indeed saw Ning Qinghan, her face full of fury.
"Seducing men everywhere, are you that desperate for men?" Ning Qinghan was visibly agitated and seemed to have just cried; her makeup was smudged, and her eyes were red-rimmed, making her look somewhat disheveled. She glared at Ning Guiwan fiercely. "Your mother is dead, and your father doesn't want you! Why did you come back?"
"Ning Guiwan, you are a murderer! You killed my child, so you got your retribution—your mother died! It's because of you that your mother died!"
"No, wait! Having you was your mother's retribution. She must have committed some grievous sins in her past life to give birth to someone as vicious as you!"
SLAP!
Ning Qinghan's face was struck to one side.
Ning Guiwan's face was cold, her eyes filled with a frosty glare. "Say that again, I dare you!"
"Ning Guiwan, you hit me!" Ning Qinghan's cheek instantly reddened, the burning pain sending her rage to its peak. Without thinking, she rushed at Ning Guiwan.
But in the next second, her arm was caught by a hand.
"Let go of me!" Ning Qinghan struggled frantically, as if she had lost her senses.
"Had enough?" The person restraining Ning Qinghan spoke in a soft, unhurried manner, yet each word carried an irresistible authority.
Upon hearing this, Ning Qinghan immediately calmed down. She looked up at the man, her face full of grievance, and cried out, "Ning Guiwan hit me, and you're actually protecting her!"
Quan Xiangru glanced at her swollen cheek, then turned to look at Ning Guiwan standing opposite him.
Ning Guiwan was also looking at him, but her gaze was like that of looking at a stranger.
"You should go back first," Quan Xiangru said to Ning Qinghan.
"Brother Xiangru..." Ning Qinghan looked at Ning Guiwan with a mix of vigilance and resentment, clutching Quan Xiangru's arm tightly. "I don't want to. I want to stay with you..."
Quan Xiangru looked down at her, his tone becoming firm. "Be good. I'll come find you soon."
Ning Qinghan had been with Quan Xiangru for over four years. She knew that when Quan Xiangru spoke in this tone, it meant his patience was wearing thin.
She didn't venture far, keeping a close watch on the scene from a short distance.
In the rest area, the pair stood face to face. Two people who were once so familiar and fond of each other now appeared so distant. After a while, Quan Xiangru finally spoke, "Long time no see. Are you doing well?"
Ning Guiwan smiled faintly. "Very well."
Quan Xiangru looked at her in silence for a while, then nodded. "That's good."
Just then, the waiter who had left earlier returned with the glass of warm water. As he approached, he somehow slipped, and the water went straight for Ning Guiwan.
Quan Xiangru reacted very quickly, pulling Ning Guiwan into his arms and using his back to shield her from the water.
It was a bit hot, but not scalding.
The waiter was terrified and kept apologizing, but Quan Xiangru paid him no attention, only lowering his head to look at the girl in his arms. His gaze was complex and anxious. He couldn't help but tighten his hold on Ning Guiwan, his Adam's apple bobbing as he struggled to find his voice. "Are you alright?"
"You..."
Ning Guiwan meant to say, 'You can let go now,' but after uttering a single word, another arm suddenly grabbed hers. Then, a domineering and somewhat rough force pulled her from Quan Xiangru's embrace.
She staggered a few steps, unprepared, and fell into another hold.
Looking up, she saw Quan Yu's face, dark and ominous.
Quan Yu's gaze was heavy and brooding as he looked at Quan Xiangru, his aura fully unleashed, the air around them seeming to freeze. After a moment, the corners of his lips curled into a cold smile. "Have you forgotten your fiancée is watching you over there?"