Soon, the man’s slightly heavy footsteps faded, and the smile on Ning Guiwan’s lips vanished for a moment, only to reappear immediately.
Today marked the end of the long holiday. After having breakfast with the elderly lady, Ning Guiwan drove to Tianchi Group.
At the entrance to the underground parking garage, just as she was about to drive into the tunnel, a red sports car suddenly surged from behind, darting into the garage ahead of her.
Ning Guiwan recognized the model of the sports car with some surprise.
The underground parking garage was brightly lit. As she drove in, she almost immediately saw the people emerging from the red sports car.
Ning Qinghan and Ning Rongyue.
The red sports car was a gift Ning Honghua had custom-ordered from abroad for Ning Guiwan’s eighteenth birthday four years ago. It was worth nearly sixty million and was quite impressive, even in Shencheng, a city teeming with luxury cars.
Unfortunately, so much had happened before her birthday even arrived.
Upon her return, Ning Guiwan had seen the car in the garage. She had lost all enthusiasm for owning it back then, but seeing it now as these sisters’ vehicle, she still couldn’t help but feel a surge of disgust.
Ning Rongyue, seemingly afraid Ning Guiwan might misunderstand, explained, "Dad said it was a pity for the car to sit unused for four years, so he gave it to Qinghan as a wedding gift. Please don’t be upset. If you like it, Dad will definitely get you something even better."
Ning Qinghan could hardly conceal her joy. Smugly jingling the car keys, she sneered, "Certain people are suited to certain cars. Some are only fit to drive junk worth a few hundred thousand. Who asked her to be such a tramp?"
"Qinghan..." Ning Rongyue tugged on Ning Qinghan’s arm, then said to Ning Guiwan, "Xiaowan, please don’t be upset. Qinghan is just straightforward and doesn’t mean any harm..."
Ning Guiwan laughed lightly upon hearing this.
She nodded in agreement and said slowly, "Your sister is right. Certain people are suited to certain cars, and some people are indeed only fit to pick up the scraps others don’t want."
Ning Rongyue’s expression changed at these words.
An unexpected gust of wind blew aside the bangs covering her left cheek, revealing a hideous scar.
She understood Ning Guiwan’s implication.
Everything she and Ning Qinghan possessed now, even what they once had—weren’t they all just Ning Guiwan’s leftovers?
From childhood, Ning Guiwan had always been the princess in the spotlight, the center of everyone’s attention.
Meanwhile, she and Ning Qinghan were merely the daughters of a nanny and a driver. Even their teachers and classmates knew their entire family served the Ning household. Everything they ate, wore, used, and lived in was bestowed by the Ning Family, subjecting them to endless ridicule and humiliation.
Even if she wore a newly bought dress, someone would inevitably jeer that it was Ning Guiwan’s hand-me-down.
At this thought, Ning Rongyue’s eyes filled with intense jealousy and resentment. But soon, those dark emotions were replaced by a faint, knowing smile.
So what if she was a princess? Wasn’t she now just a fallen heiress, enduring the world’s contempt and ridicule?
Just then, the sound of Ning Qinghan dropping her car keys reached her ears.
"It’s just a sports car! Who cares!"
Ning Qinghan heard and took everything at face value.
Ning Rongyue bent down, picked up the car keys, and pressed them back into Ning Qinghan’s hand. "It’s always been since we were little. What’s there to be angry about?"
Hearing this, Ning Qinghan grew even angrier, her face flushing red. "What does she have to be so smug about? Dad detests her! He’ll kick her out sooner or later!"
"How could that be?" Ning Rongyue countered. "Xiaowan has changed a lot since returning this time. She’s much more composed than before and won’t do anything reckless again. Dad will gradually come to accept her; after all, she is his biological daughter."
Hearing this, Ning Qinghan lowered her head and bit her lip, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Ning Guiwan took the elevator directly upstairs. On the first floor, she encountered Ning Honghua, who had just arrived at the company.
"Good morning, Third Miss."
Ning Honghua’s personal secretary greeted Ning Guiwan.
"Good morning." Ning Guiwan smiled at him, then turned to look at the employee rules posted on the elevator wall.
Ning Honghua glanced at his indifferent daughter from the corner of his eye. He wanted to speak but held back. When the elevator stopped at the project department’s floor, he finally said, "From now on, no staying out overnight."
Ning Guiwan forcefully suppressed the retort that nearly escaped her lips—What right do you have to control me?—and smiled brightly, though her eyes remained cold.
"Thank you for your concern, Dad."
Despite her pretense, the stiffness in her tone was still discernible.
Ning Honghua frowned, wanting to say more, but Ning Guiwan had already stepped out of the elevator.
It wasn’t until Ning Guiwan read the newspaper in her office that she understood why her father had said that.
A photo of her and Li Annan at an engagement party the previous night dominated two-thirds of a half-page in the newspaper’s entertainment section.
Although the report didn’t explicitly state the nature of her relationship with Li Annan, its insinuations strongly hinted at an improper connection.
This subtly lent more credence to the rumors of her promiscuous reputation.
There’s a saying: "The innocent will prove themselves so."
But for someone like Ning Guiwan, already so thoroughly slandered, she was unable to clear her name.
A sudden knock on the door resonated. Ning Guiwan closed the newspaper. Ren Xiaofei entered.
After they discussed work matters, Ren Xiaofei couldn’t resist gossiping, "Manager Ning, are you really dating Young Master Li of the Li Group?"
Ning Guiwan, her gaze fixed on the documents before her, didn’t look up. "What do you think?"
Ning Guiwan finally looked up at Ren Xiaofei, who was sitting on the sofa holding a folder, and smiled. "Why not?"
"He’s not good-looking enough," Ren Xiaofei said. "With your looks, you should be with someone like Longlong, right? That Young Master Li is rather... underwhelming."
The Longlong she mentioned was a recently popular male celebrity who had charmed legions of fans.
Ning Guiwan gave a soft laugh and slowly shook her head. "In my current situation, it’s a blessing if people aren’t afraid of being dragged down by me."
For some reason, after saying this, she recalled the scene in the Quanyu Car from the previous night. The man had been expressionless, but his eyes were exceedingly cold as he said he himself was no good person either.
"...Manager Ning!" Ren Xiaofei suddenly raised her voice. "Who are you thinking about so intently? You seem completely lost in thought! It’s not Young Master Li, is it?"
Ning Guiwan smiled. "No."