CHAPTER 115: 115: I WON’T LET ANYONE BULLY YOU AGAIN (2 MORE UPDATES)

"This is the decision of the board," Ren Xiaofei brought news on the fourth day of Ning Guiwan’s hospitalization.

Due to Ning Rongyue’s lack of personal integrity, the board decided to remove her from her position as vice president of the group.

The media had been buzzing with news of Ning Rongyue and Qian Lucheng these past few days. As a high-ranking executive of Tianchi Group, she had even appeared on television. It was hard for Ning Guiwan to remain unaware.

Over the past two days, Ning Guiwan had also revisited the experiences from four years ago. The whole world had been condemning her, which was an unpleasant feeling.

Ren Xiaofei added, "This is better this way. Because of her issues, the company phones have been almost bursting from reporters’ calls. She should receive the formal notice tomorrow."

Ning Guiwan leaned against the pillow and said nothing.

Ren Xiaofei had become her assistant again, visiting daily to report on company affairs. After finishing her updates, she would sit for a while before leaving around four in the evening.

"My dad hasn’t been feeling well lately. I’m going to the vegetable market later to buy some of his favorite dishes to cheer him up." Ren Xiaofei was tall and sturdily built, not exactly svelte. She was famously tough to deal with at Tianchi Group, but her thoughts were surprisingly delicate.

These were ordinary sentences, but they left Ning Guiwan somewhat dazed.

She had heard some things about Ning Honghua pulling strings all over for Ning Rongyue.

Four years ago, when I faced a similar situation, how did he react? He slapped me and threw me out of the house.

Ning Guiwan closed her eyes, suppressing the bitterness welling up in her heart.

Don’t mind it. It’s all in the past.

She told herself this.

At six-thirty, Lai Yang came over after work.

"Traffic in Shencheng is terrible, especially in the downtown area. I was stuck on South Ring Road for a good half hour," Lai Yang said as she took off her hat and hung it on the back of a chair. Ning Guiwan noticed it had water stains.

She asked, "Did it rain?"

"It snowed," Lai Yang replied, taking off her coat and scarf. Underneath, she wore a thin knit top paired with a small leather skirt, revealing her long legs and a pair of knee-high leather boots.

Luckily, the room was well-heated.

"It just started," Lai Yang said. "It hadn’t begun when I left work. The sky was just gloomy and depressing, which really affects one’s mood."

"This snow is rather late this year," Wang Yanyan remarked, placing the food sent over from the old family home on the small table for the two young women. "It’s almost Chinese New Year."

After they finished eating, the snow outside had become a heavy downfall, like goose feathers.

The wind was also strong, swirling dense snowflakes in the air. Ning Guiwan watched, memories surfacing.

She had secretly adored Quan Xiangru for over two years. Back then, her personality was cheerful, yet she was surprisingly reserved when it came to her feelings. Quan Xiangru must have noticed. Finally, during the winter of their senior year of high school, he made things clear between them.

They hadn’t seen each other for a long time because she had heard rumors that he had an outstanding girlfriend at school.

That day was Grandfather Quan’s birthday, and it was snowing just like this. She had come with her parents to wish the old man a happy birthday, but her heart ached. Seeing Quan Xiangru made it worse, so she hid alone in the pavilion in the back garden.

The cold wind, carrying snow, blew against her. She felt no cold, only an inner agony.

Quan Xiangru came looking for her. He asked why she had been avoiding him lately, even refusing his tutoring sessions.

"My grades are so good, I don’t need your tutoring," Ning Guiwan said, turning her face away, not wanting him to see her reddened eyes.

Quan Xiangru exposed her lie. "Aunt Shuang told me you dropped more than ten places in this month’s mock exam."

In that instant, Ning Guiwan felt aggrieved and heartbroken. Her poor grades had disappointed her mother, and the young man she adored, standing right before her, cherished someone else.

"Why are you crying?" Quan Xiangru noticed the tears on her face. He turned her around and cupped her face, wiping them away. "Don’t cry. You won’t look pretty if you keep crying."

His eyes held genuine concern.

Ning Guiwan pushed him away forcefully. Doesn’t he realize his actions could lead to misunderstandings? That they could make people harbor false hopes?

"You already have a girlfriend, why do you care about what I do?"

It was the first time she had spoken to him with such an implication, and she regretted it immediately.

Quan Xiangru, after a moment of surprise, smiled. He took her hand, his eyes shining brightly. "So, you were jealous."

"That was just a misunderstanding. The girl confessed her feelings to me, and I told her I already liked someone. When she asked who it was, I told her..."

"I’ve fallen for a student I once taught."

That day, he kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, "Consider it sealed. From now on, you’re mine. No more wild thoughts."

Snowflakes drifted down that day, yet she felt even the snow was warm.

Time has the ability to heal wounds, but some injuries, though seemingly healed on the surface, will crack open and bleed upon encountering the right trigger, causing a pain that chills to the bone.

Late at night, Lai Yang settled down to sleep.

Wang Yanyan, still uneasy, squeezed in to sleep at the foot of Lai Yang’s makeshift bed. Ning Guiwan, a light sleeper, heard the door open and woke instantly.

Light from the hallway spilled onto the floor, slowly expanding into a fan shape. Ning Guiwan propped herself up and watched the slender figure leisurely approaching. "Why are you here?"

"Did I wake you?" Quan Yu asked, walking towards the hospital bed, his back to the light.

Wang Yanyan also woke for a moment. Seeing it was Mr. Quan, she fell back asleep.

"I shouldn’t have come and disturbed your rest," Quan Yu said, placing a pillow behind Ning Guiwan’s lower back. His voice was a little hoarse, possessing a unique magnetism.

He sat down beside Ning Guiwan. "I missed you a lot. I couldn’t resist, so I came to see you."

Amidst the tender atmosphere, Ning Guiwan smelled alcohol.

"How much did you drink?" His current state suggested he was drunk.

"Two bottles, maybe," Quan Yu replied, moving a bit closer. "Don’t worry, I’m not drunk. I’ll just sit for a bit and then leave."

A brief silence followed.

The room was quiet, save for Lai Yang’s soft snores.

His intense gaze fell on Ning Guiwan’s face. She remained quiet for a moment, then looked up to meet his eyes. "Thank you."

She didn’t specify what she was thanking him for, but they both understood.

Quan Yu raised his hand, gently covering the back of hers. He bent slightly, bringing himself to her eye level. "I won’t let anyone bully you again."

Ning Guiwan watched him. The dim yellow light from the corridor lamp near the bathroom door cast a warm glow in the room.

Outside, the north wind howled, its sound seeming to pierce right through her eardrums.

The girl’s dark eyes were clear, her features as beautiful as a painting.

As their eyes met, a faint affection seemed to pass between them.

Quan Yu gazed at her, slowly drawing nearer—

Not unexpectedly, he was blocked by the girl’s hand.

"You said you wouldn’t force me," Ning Guiwan reminded him of his words from a few days ago.

Quan Yu smiled. "Alright, I won’t force it."

After this exchange, the atmosphere became somewhat delicate. Ning Guiwan lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the chair beside the bed.

Lai Yang’s creamy-white, fluffy hat and scarf were still hanging on the corner of the chair.

Suddenly, Ning Guiwan’s vision darkened.

Before she could react, Quan Yu lightly kissed her lips.

When she looked up, a triumphant glint was evident in his deep brown, glass-like eyes. Set against his refined features, he looked exceptionally handsome.

But he was clearly smiling as he said, "I won’t keep you from resting. I’ll head back first."

With that, he indeed got up and left.

Ning Guiwan watched his retreating figure as the door opened and then closed.

After a long moment, she slowly raised her hand to her lips...

Guo Shuzhen came to visit with fish soup just as Ning Guiwan had finished washing up and was preparing to eat breakfast.

Having struggled to sleep the previous night, she had woken up a bit late this morning. Lai Yang had already gone to work.

Wang Yanyan was busy making tea.

Guo Shuzhen smiled. "Don’t trouble yourself. Just a cup of plain water will be fine for me." As she spoke, she personally ladled out the fish soup and placed it on the small table in front of Ning Guiwan. "Try this. I simmered it myself."

Ning Guiwan took a sip and gave an honest appraisal, "It’s very good. Thank you."

"Thank me for what? It’s the least I could do," Guo Shuzhen said, her eyes filled with apology. "If it weren’t for my thoughtless daughter, Youning, you wouldn’t have suffered like this."

"Mr. Qiao and I are both very sorry. There’s not much else we can do, so I made some soup to help you recuperate."

The noble lady, though past sixty, was well-maintained and looked to be in her forties. She had given birth to Qiao Youning in her forties after considerable hardship, so she doted on her excessively, which had nurtured a naive disposition in her daughter.

Having lived a privileged life for decades, it was not easy for her to humble herself like this for her daughter.

The Qiao Group was influential in the business world. Ning Guiwan, intending to do the Qiao family a favor and not wanting to dwell on the matter excessively, said, "Miss Qiao is still young. With guidance, she will eventually mature."

Hearing this, Guo Shuzhen smiled with understanding. "You are a good child."

However, on the day Ning Guiwan was discharged from the hospital, Guo Shuzhen unexpectedly rushed to the Quan family mansion looking for her.

Her wound had not fully healed. Having not washed her hair for several days, her scalp felt unbearably uncomfortable. She was just about to ask a housemaid to help her wash it when a servant reported that Mrs. Qiao had come to visit.

Ning Guiwan gathered her hair behind her, put on a hat, and went downstairs to meet her guest.

Seeing Guo Shuzhen’s urgent expression, she was somewhat puzzled. "What’s wrong? Is there an emergency?"

"Youning took the entrance exam for the National Orchestra’s training program yesterday..." Guo Shuzhen began.

Ning Guiwan nodded. She had heard about this before. So? She remained silent, waiting for Guo Shuzhen to continue.

Guo Shuzhen reached this point and suddenly paused. After a moment, she sighed slowly and said, "Youning has always been very talented at the piano, and the examiner team unanimously praised her. Getting into the training program should have been a certainty. But just recently, they said Youning’s personality isn’t suited for the orchestra..."

"I made some careful inquiries and found out that they had heard about the incident where Youning injured you."

"And..." Guo Shuzhen hesitated again before continuing, "Last night, the Quan family’s second son had dinner with the examiner team..."

Ning Guiwan immediately understood her implication. "You suspect... Uncle Yu?"