Before Mu Chen could leave, Ning Zhe stood up and angrily said, "Don't change the topic! Zhuang Ji was left to Ning Xia by Zhuang Yi. No one can take it from her. I don't know what's your purpose of marrying her, but you better not have any thoughts about Zhuang Ji!"
Mu Chen looked at Ning Zhe and sighed inwardly. It seemed like Song Ning's father did not care about Song Ning at all; it seemed all her father cared about was Zhuang Ji. After a moment, he asked, "President Ning, why don't you tell me then what I should I do to prove I don't have any thoughts about Zhuang Ji?"
Ning Zhe shifted his gaze away from Mu Chen to the lounge of the second floor of Zhuang Ji before he slowly said, "Bring Ning Xia back to the Ning family. Until you prove to me that you're sincere about Ning Xia, let the Ning Group manage Zhuang Ji."
Mu Chen smiled sardonically. "President Ning, what you mean is to operate Zhuang Ji under the Ning Group?"
Ning Zhe nodded. "That's right! I'm Ning Xia's father. I'm responsible for her wellbeing."
Mu Chen looked at the seemingly gentle middle-aged man in front of him and tried to suppress the anger in his heart. No matter how much of a jerk Ning Zhe was, he was Song Ning's father. He could not teach Ning Zhe a lesson no matter how much he wanted to. He inhaled deeply before he asked, "President Ning, what if Song Ning disagrees?"
Ning Zhe replied, "It doesn't matter. She doesn't know how to manage a business. In any case, the Mu Group has no business in this industry so it's useless even if you have control over Zhuang Ji. I'm sure you won't go so far as to let outsiders say you covet a small business such as this, right?"
Mu Chen laughed angrily before he replied, "President Ning, Song Ning is my wife. For her, I'm willing to bear any kind of infamy. So what if the Mu Group has no business in this industry? In that case, this is a good chance to expand our business to this industry. I don't mind sharing the burden with Song Ning. We're married after all."
Upon hearing Mu Chen's words, Ning Zhe's expression turned unsightly.
"You can stay and have a look if you want. All these works are by Ms. Zhuang Yi's work. However, I have guests to understand so I won't be accompanying you. Please excuse me," Mu Chen said. Following that, he left without even sparing Ning Zhe another glance.
…
When Mu Chen returned in the evening, he did not mention Ning Zhe to Song Ning. He knew since Ning Zhe had come looking for him, Ning Zhe would not let this matter go so easily. In any case, the most important thing now was to help Song Ning get rid of the demons in her heart. He did not want her to have such a strong reaction whenever she saw people from the Ning family. He could not bear to see her hurting.
During bedtime, Song Ning seemed uncharacteristically clingy.
Mu Chen knew she was nervous. He kissed her slightly damp hair as she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck as she pressed herself to close his body. He gently stroked her bed as he said, "Ningning, Grandma is right. No matter what our parents are like, we should always strive to be happy. We have to be honest with each other, support each other and love each other, okay?"
Song Ning nodded slightly as she lay in Mu Chen's arms.
"Both of us don't have a lot of experiences with relationships, but let's just go with our feelings, okay? We're so happy now. Let's live the rest of our lives like this, okay?"
Song Ning raised her head slightly to look at Mu Chen. "Mu Chen, thank you!"
Mu Chen lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Silly, what are you thanking me for?"
Song Ning said, "Thank you for not rejecting me. I… I have a lot of emotional baggage, but you're still willing to accept me."
Mu Chen leaned back and looked at her seriously as he asked, "So, did you give yourself to me out of gratitude?" At the same time, he moved his hand to her waist and gently stroked it.
Song Ning let out a soft moan immediately, igniting the fire in Mu Chen's heart.
Mu Chen leaned over as he said roguishly, "Alright, you can show me your gratitude with your body first. I believe I'll obtain your heart sooner or later as well…"
Song Ning panicked. "No, no. Mu Chen, please."
Mu Chen said, feigning anger. "No? Aren't you giving yourself to me to show your gratitude?"
"No, no. That's not what I meant," Song Ning hastily said. Mu Chen's was still pressed against her, and his hands left trails of flames on her bare skin, causing her breath to quicken. She pleaded weakly, "Wait, Mu Chen. Let's… Let's have a good talk…"
Mu Chen stopped moving as he said, "Alright, call my name…"
"Mu Chen," Song Ning called out softly as she held onto Mu Chen's hand that was causing mischief.
Mu Chen's lips curled up slightly as he said, "Try again. It sounds rather distant like we're strangers..."
Song Ning thought for a moment. "Brother Chen?"
Mu Chen glared at her. "Why did you learn from Cheng Che?"
Song Ning smiled. Mu Chen would always act like a child when Cheng Che was mentioned.