As talked along the way, the atmosphere became less stiff.
Qiao Zhan felt that Ning Ran wasn’t as bad as what he had heard. He just couldn’t believe it.
While people might regard him as a brute, he actually had a lot of life experience.
His intuition had told him that there was something odd with Mr. and Mrs. Ning. But he didn’t have the evidence to justify his claim, so he could only report the results of the investigation based on the facts at hand.
It seemed Nan Chen had set the appointment at that restaurant, the one that required a reservation and was famous for its grilled steak.
Ning Ran really liked that place. The last time around when she came here with Feng Minsheng, she didn’t even have the chance to enter. But you could say that her wish was fulfilled today.
If only it wasn’t for what had happened, I would have enjoyed this steak thoroughly…
What is she worried about? Nan Chen thought to himself as he could sense Ning Ran’s anxiousness in her eyes.
Well, it doesn’t matter, I’ll have her speak after she had finished eating. I wouldn’t want to put such a good steak to waste.
“I apologize, I might have drunk a little too much yesterday. Did I say anything weird?” said Ning Ran as she chuckled.
“You did.” Nan Chen replied coldly.
Do you know how to read the room? How could you just answer that straight to my face? Ning Ran thought to herself, feeling a little awkward.
“Then why didn’t you stop me from drinking? I’m not a good drinker, to begin with.” Ning Ran attempted to shift the blame.
Nan Chen didn’t bother to refute. He merely pointed to the red wine sitting on the table and asked, “Would you like to have some?”
Ning Ran shook her head, before saying “No thank you. I wouldn’t want alcohol to get in the way of business.”
“I’ll give you the money tomorrow,” said Nan Chen.
“Really?” Ning Ran cried out, delighted.
His words put her into a good mood and she finally gained her appetite.
Nan Chen took a sip from his glass of wine and remained silent.
“On second thought, I think I would like to have some.”
Ning Ran handed Nan Chen her glass and drank the wine in one go.
The wine was marvelous and Ning Ran knew it, but she couldn’t put a finger to what was so special about it.
Such an exquisite wine, you ought to savor it as much as you can. Nan Chen thought to himself as he furrowed his brows.
Little did she know that a mouthful of wine she had swallowed actually cost thousands. She had drunk it as if it was just some plain water, oblivious to its value.
Given her position and hierarchy in society, what more could you expect from her?
“This wine is not bad at all. It should have cost quite a lot right?” Ning Ran smiled, trying to gain favor from Nan Chen.
Nan Chen paid her no heed and gestured her to eat.
He didn’t want to affect her mood prior to her meal, he would only talk about it afterwards.
Ning Ran was finally able to relax a little. She had been stressed out due to what had happened to his father.
The steak was delicious, to begin with, so Ning Ran ate heartily.
It didn’t take her long to finish the whole steak.
“Do you want another serving?” asked Nan Chen.
Ning Ran was a little embarrassed as she said, “Thank you, but that’s enough. I apologize for my unladylike behavior… I’ve been quite busy recently and had no choice but to get used to eating faster.”
Nan Chen didn’t bother to refute. This wasn’t the first time he saw her wolf down her food.
“Let’s get right to the topic.”
“What did you want to talk about?” asked Ning Ran with a solemn face.
“I just want you to tell me the truth. No matter how bad it is, don’t worry, I’ll still give you the money,” said Nan Chen.
“Alright. What do you want to know?”
“Is your dad sick?”
Ning Ran was stunned. So that was what he wanted to ask me?
She was caught off-guard as she didn’t think he would be asking her about that.
Luo Yi had already told her to not spill anything to the Nan family. If she were to tell him the truth, her father’s life might be in peril. Not to mention that Luo Yi also had her grandfather’s and mother’s urn in her hands.
It was still uncertain whether Luo Yi would actually murder Ning Ziqiang, but to destroy her grandfather’s and mother’s urn, that would be an easy thing for her to do.
Ning Ran couldn’t afford to take the risk as she could not possibly live with the guilt.
“I don’t know.” Ning Ran could only give him a vague answer.
“Has your dad ever asked for any money from you?”
“Yes.” This time her answer was resolute, after all, it was the truth.
“Then are you willing to give some to him?”
“Yes,” answered Ning Ran once again.
“Then regarding what you have told me yesterday, was everything a lie?” asked Nan Chen, his face appearing icy cold.
Ning Ran hesitated for a bit; she didn’t know what to do.
If she did not admit to it, there was a chance Nan Chen might confront Luo Yi.
Knowing how cruel Luo Yi was, it was a gamble Ning Ran couldn’t take.
“I have my circumstances,” answered Ning Ran vaguely.
“You lied to me, and you lied to everyone,” said Nan Chen coldly.
“You promised you would hand over the money to me.”
“You think I would give the money to a liar?”
“I have my own circumstances. You’ll understand sooner or later that I’m not that kind of person.”
“Then what kind of person are you?”
Ning Ran remained silent, not knowing what else she could say.
She had told Nan Chen everything yesterday, thinking he would believe her. But Luo Yi had been cunning enough to manipulate the Nan family, causing Ning Ran to be in quite a tough spot now.
“Give me the money, I’ll explain it to you once this is all over.”
“Do you think your words have credibility when you can even lie when you are drunk?”
The thought of being lied to by a drunk wounded his pride.
I had even sympathized with her for a moment. It never crossed my mind that she was such a vile woman!
There was nothing Ning Ran could say. It was the first time she had felt so helpless; beads of tears had formed at the edge of her eyes.
“Quit your act.”
“I’m not acting. I really do have my own circumstances.”
“Then is it true that your father was ill? And that you were unwilling to help even after he had asked you for some money?”
Ning Ran didn’t dare to answer. She couldn’t bear the responsibility for the consequences that would come after answering Nan Chen.
Nan Chen stood up from his chair and pointed at Ning Ran, before saying, “I already gave you a chance.”
“Listen to me, Sir Chen…” Ning Ran cried out In a panic as she tried to block his way.
“I’ve had enough! Step aside!” yelled Nan Chen angrily.
If it wasn’t for the fact that she had given birth to two of his children, he would have chased her out of Flower City for her lies.
“It doesn’t matter what you think of me. Just give me the money as you promised,” said Ning Ran.
“Are you actually playing me for a fool?”
“I…”
Nan Chen strode out of the room before Ning Ran could finish her sentence.
She chased after him immediately and blocked the entrance to the lift. “Give me the money. I’ll return it to you one day. You have already signed the contract, you can’t just go against your words at this stage.”
“The contract says that I will be giving you five hundred thousand annually. You have already taken your share,” reminded Nan Chen coldly.
Ning Ran was at a loss of words.
“Please, I beg you, I’m really in need of that money. I’ll return you the money next week by hook or by crook,” said Ning Ran.
Nan Chen looked at the woman before him. So you still intend to act at this stage? Nan Chen thought to himself.
“Why did you chase after me?”
“Sir Chen, think about it! I have rejected your offer of a billion to hand over the custody of my children. So why would I be thirsting over a mere ten million? If money is the only thing I wanted, I would have asked it from you long ago. What’s the point of begging you to lend me some money now?”
Her words certainly seemed convincing. Nan Chen didn’t interrupt her, he was obviously listening to her plea.
“Please, just trust me once more. If I couldn’t return the ten million, I’ll hand over the custody of the kids to Nan family.”
“Then why don’t we sign another agreement? I’ll even give you the money if you hand over the custody.”
“That won’t do. I’ll never sacrifice my kids,” said Ning Ran firmly.
Nan Chen’s eyes darkened. He couldn’t fathom the woman before him.
If money was the only thing in her mind, why did she decline the offer then?
