Ni Yang finally let out a sigh of relief, the corners of her lips curving upward slightly.
[Alright.]
[Mhm.]
A businessman like He Siyu would naturally place profit above all else, and marriage was no exception.
Only by maximizing the benefits of an alliance between their families could she achieve her goal of replacing her fiancé.
After returning to Yinshuang Manor, Ni Yang headed straight for her room. Over the past two years, Qi Huaiyu had given her many gifts. She had attached sticky notes to every single one, clearly recording the price, the date, and the occasion on which it had been given.
She disliked owing people favors, especially in relationships. She kept accounts particularly clear when dating. Every gift Qi Huaiyu gave her during their relationship had been repaid with something of equal value. It was not because she was calculating, but because one could never be too careful.
They had never held any legal status together. No matter how deeply in love they appeared, human nature could never be ignored.
She stored all the gifts in a display cabinet. After the engagement banquet ended, she intended to sell them all and donate the money to an orphanage.
What truly gave her a headache was tomorrow’s meeting with He Siyu.
Ni Yang furrowed her brows and trudged out of the walk-in closet in defeat before lazily collapsing onto the bed.
Unconsciously, Qi Huaiyu’s words surfaced again in her mind. The more she thought about them, the more wronged she felt. Her nose suddenly stung with bitterness, and she covered her eyes with her arm, quietly crying for a short while.
She still had important things to do tomorrow.
She could not afford to ruin her appearance.
At ten that night, Qi Huaiyu and the others finally ended their gathering. In the lobby on the first floor, most of them had drunk quite a bit, their steps unsteady as they leaned heavily against their girlfriends.
Zou Jie, reeking of alcohol, slapped Qi Huaiyu on the shoulder.
“Brother Yu, I almost forgot the important thing tonight. Congratulations on finally winning the beauty.”
A trace of disgust flashed across Qi Huaiyu’s face as he subtly shrugged off the man’s hand.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t forget to make Sister-in-law change jobs. We can’t afford that embarrassment.”
“Mhm. Head back already. It’s late.”
“Alright!”
After watching them leave, the fake smile on Qi Huaiyu’s face vanished instantly. He brushed off the shoulder Zou Jie had touched with obvious distaste before turning toward the front desk.
He pulled a card from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and placed it on the counter.
The strong smell of alcohol coming off him made the receptionist, who usually maintained excellent professionalism, unconsciously frown slightly. Still, she kept a polite smile as she accepted the card.
“Mr. Qi, your total comes to 1.3 million yuan. Here is the bill.”
The receptionist placed the printed receipt in front of him.
“This is the original price? Yangyang’s membership discount can’t be used?”
He casually scanned the receipt. The final total was indeed the full amount.
“I’m sorry, sir. Miss Ni’s membership expired and has not been renewed yet.”
Qi Huaiyu was just about to say he would renew it himself when he remembered Mandu Restaurant’s rule that memberships could only be renewed in person by the owner.
The alcohol was getting to his head, and he frowned impatiently.
“Then charge the original price.”
“Yes, sir.”
After swiping the card, the receptionist returned it to him.
“Please keep your card safe. Here is your receipt. Welcome again next time.”
Suddenly remembering the shadow he thought he had seen through the crack of the private room door, Qi Huaiyu asked coldly,
“Did Ni Yang come here?”
The receptionist smiled politely.
“No.”
Only after hearing that answer did he finally let out a heavy breath of relief. The corners of his lips curled slightly.
“Alright. Thank you.”
Taking back his card, he turned to leave.
Thankfully she had not come.
Thankfully she had not heard what he said.
But the moment he thought about the extra money he had spent tonight, the annoyance and blame in his eyes immediately peaked again.
What was wrong with Ni Yang? All she did every day was film those ridiculous videos, yet she could not even bother keeping track of her expired memberships.
He had only prepared one million yuan tonight to entertain his friends, but the bill exceeded the budget by another three hundred thousand—enough to buy two excellent bottles of wine.
Outside the restaurant, the car sent to pick him up was already waiting at the entrance. The night was dark and turbulent, and under the headlights, the streaks of rainwater were especially clear.
The rainy night carried a cold chill. Exhaustion was evident between Qi Huaiyu’s sharp brows and eyes as he quickly descended the steps and climbed into the car.
The rain splashing against his face sobered him slightly.
As the car started moving, he closed his eyes and leaned heavily against the seat back.
After saying those words in the private room earlier, he had vaguely thought he saw Ni Yang outside the door. Fortunately, he had been mistaken.
Once the engagement was finalized, he planned to persuade Ni Yang into registering their marriage immediately. Once the alliance between their families was completely secured, the Qi Family would be free to use the Ni Family’s resources without restraint.
Slowly, he would swallow Ni Corporation under Qi Corporation’s control.
At that point, he would never again have to look at anyone else’s expression or lower himself to beg others.
A year ago, one of Qi Corporation’s most important projects had encountered problems, and their financial chain had suddenly broken.
He and his father had groveled before countless people. That period had been the most humiliating time of his life.
Pursuing Ni Yang had been the smartest thing he had ever done.
A wealthy heiress with absolutely no business sense was the easiest kind of person to manipulate.
Effortlessly, he had convinced everyone around her that Ni Yang had found an excellent boyfriend. He subtly influenced the people around her into constantly telling her how lucky she was. Without expending much effort at all, he gained a woman whose entire heart and attention revolved around him.
In just two more days, everyone would know that the Qi Family had risen again.
/
The next morning, Ni Yang woke up early to prepare herself.
Before sleeping the night before, she had repeatedly rehearsed in her mind what she intended to say today.
Under normal traffic conditions, the drive from Yinshuang Manor to Yi An Group took half an hour, so she left home at nine o’clock.
After a night of rain, the air felt exceptionally fresh, faintly carrying the scent of wet grass and soil.
Along the way, Ni Yang held a compact mirror, repeatedly checking to ensure her appearance remained flawless.
Forty minutes later, she arrived beneath the Yi An Building.
After He Siyu took over Yi An Group, the company’s market value had multiplied several times over. Nearly every industry bore his involvement, and the number of sectors he invested in was countless.
The Ni Family was one of the top elite families in Capital City. The only corporation in Capital City that could rival Yi An was Yinhe under Ni Corporation.
Marrying Qi Huaiyu had originally been marrying beneath herself.
Now that she no longer wanted that, why would she choose the inferior option when there was a better one available?
Though she still did not know whether this “better option” would work out.
At 9:50, Ni Yang spotted a man in a formal suit walking toward her in the lobby.
“Miss Ni, my apologies for making you wait.”
The man possessed perfectly proportioned features and appeared to be over 180 centimeters tall. His expression was respectful.
“I just arrived as well.”
Ni Yang smiled politely and followed beside the special assistant.
The man led her into the president’s private elevator. With no unrelated people around, she lifted her head and watched the floor numbers continue rising until they finally stopped at the fifty-eighth floor.
Ding—
The special assistant stepped aside in a welcoming gesture, inviting Ni Yang to exit first.
She smiled and nodded before stepping out.
Aside from the secretary department and the special assistant’s office, the entire fifty-eighth floor belonged exclusively to the president’s office area.
Inside Yi An, the interior design was dominated by black, white, and gray tones.
The special assistant guided her steadily toward the office before stopping in front of a pair of black double doors.
Knock, knock, knock—
“Come in.”
The voice from inside was low and magnetic.
The doors opened.
At a single glance, Ni Yang saw the man seated behind the desk.