Chapter 59: A Past Episode

I suppressed a smile. He really hadn't forgotten! Eldest Miss Grace did indeed share a rather scandalous past with him!

"What is it, Mr. Ning?"
"The Grace family is a major international force. Do you feel unsatisfied with this?"

Ning Yuanzhou glared at me with wide eyes, suddenly realizing something.
"You... you..."
He wanted to say something, but didn't dare to speak. Liu Hanyue had been staring at him coldly the entire time.

"What's wrong, Mr. Ning? Are you dissatisfied with this proposal?"
"Could it be that you have some shady history with the Grace family?"
Liu Hanyue's eyes were sharp, catching the subtle clues.

Liu Zhuyin also asked with a puzzled expression, "Ah-Zhou, what's wrong with you?"
"Do you have a conflict with them?"
"If so... I think you can recuse yourself during the collaboration; you don't need to be the point of contact."
Liu Zhuyin was still innocent and hadn't thought that deeply into it.

"I... I just feel that the reputation of the Grace family might not be that great."
"I'm... I'm afraid it might delay our project."
Ning Yuanzhou stammered for a long time, finally squeezing out such a lame excuse.

"Is that so?"
"But from what I understand, the Grace family is quite reputable."
"Have you collaborated with them before? Is that how you know?"
Liu Zhuyin countered with a question.

Ning Yuanzhou was left completely speechless, stuttering and fumbling over his words.
I couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on him.
"Alright, Mr. Ning can go back and think it over."
"But I believe collaboration is necessary."

The meeting was effectively over, and Ning Yuanzhou was the first to bolt out the door.
Liu Zhuyin looked at me and said, "I'll discuss it with him. Actually... he has put in a lot of effort. If we can cooperate, of course that would be best."

I didn't care about this matter at all and casually replied, "Sure, fine, you two can discuss it."
Liu Zhuyin didn't say anything more, but right as she was about to leave, she suddenly issued an invitation.
"Tonight... will you come home for dinner?"
"I learned a new dish and want to make it for you to try."

My brow furrowed, and my instinctive reaction was to say that I couldn't possibly go back.
Before I could open my mouth, Liu Hanyue's small hand rested on the back of my neck.
"Brother-in-law, you'd better think carefully about your answer."

I was dumbfounded. I had asked her to come along just to shut Ning Yuanzhou up. I didn't want to listen to his endless nagging; with his manipulative green-tea skills, he might twist black into white and ruin my plans. But I never expected that I would trap myself in the process.

"I... I'll arrange my schedule."
I gave a bitter smile, feeling like I had lifted a rock only to drop it on my own feet.

"Alright, I'll wait for you."
Liu Zhuyin left amidst a wave of lingering fragrance.

I stiffly turned my neck and looked at Liu Hanyue.
"Yueyue, shouldn't you let go of your brother-in-law now?"
Liu Hanyue let out a huff. After pulling her hand back, she immediately brought up the subject of the Grace family.
"Tell me the truth, are you stirring up trouble?"
"Ning Yuanzhou definitely has history with the Grace family, doesn't he?"

How on earth was this girl's brain wired? Why was she so painfully sharp?
"That's right!"
I didn't deny it; after all, this girl was definitely on my side.

"Tell me, what on earth happened? Why did Ning Yuanzhou react so strongly?"
Her interest was piqued, and she blinked her big eyes, brimming with gossip.
"Well, that story is quite interesting."

Back then, Ning Yuanzhou abandoned Liu Zhuyin for a foreign aristocratic lady. He wanted to marry into wealth, and besides, that woman was indeed stunning. Unfortunately, he was useless as mud on a wall, offended a powerful rival, and got severely beaten up. Moreover, once that lady realized he was nothing more than a loser, she dumped him.

By that time, however, he had exhausted everything, practically emptying the Ning family's coffers. He owed a massive amount of favors and debts. Meanwhile, the eldest daughter of the Grace family happened to be at loggerheads with that woman. Whether for revenge or simply to humiliate her rival, she took Ning Yuanzhou in as her kept toy! She frequently dragged him around in public, making his life a living hell. Eventually, after scraping together some money, he managed to contact Liu Zhuyin and fled back to the country.

The eldest Miss Grace couldn't be bothered to pursue him further, but she had never forgotten. She had wanted to teach this disobedient dog a lesson, but due to territorial boundaries, it wasn't convenient for her to make a move. My phone call naturally reignited her interest.

Hearing all this, Liu Hanyue widened her eyes in astonishment.
"Oh my god, Ning Yuanzhou has a past like that?"
"Still... he does fit Western aesthetic standards; he'd make a decent plaything."
Ning Yuanzhou was indeed handsome, otherwise Liu Zhuyin wouldn't have fallen for him back then. It was just a pity he was all looks and no substance.

"So, you deliberately orchestrated this just to kick Ning Yuanzhou out of the game and snatch the project?"
"Or were you trying to utterly ruin him and make him disappear from my sister's side?"
Liu Hanyue started guessing my intentions.

Just as I was about to answer, she figured it out herself.
"You only did it for the project!"
"Not to chase him away, nor to trample him to death."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have played it this way today."

I nodded. "I have no personal grudges with him; I don't want to go too far."
Liu Hanyue let out an indignant huff. "But he stole your wife!"
"Are you even a man?"

That was something Bai Beichuan had implied before. Luo Mingzhu had said it too. Even I had thought about it myself. But I knew the fault didn't lie with Ning Yuanzhou. Liu Zhuyin's beauty and capability made her the object of countless people's desires. The problem started with Ning Yuanzhou, but the biggest problem of all was Liu Zhuyin herself.

"Yueyue, if getting rid of Ning Yuanzhou could make your sister love me with all her heart..."
"Believe me, the grass on Ning Yuanzhou's grave would already be three feet tall by now!"
"But... do you think that's possible?"

Liu Hanyue sighed, understanding what I meant.
"Brother-in-law, you're a perfectionist, but in all these years, I've rarely seen anyone who is truly perfect."
"So, don't demand too much."
"Past ties cannot be completely severed, and old flames cannot be fully extinguished."
"As long as my sister lives a good life with you from now on, isn't that enough?"

That argument held water. Who didn't have a first love? They say first love is the hardest to let go of, and I understood that logic. However, what truly made up my mind to divorce wasn't this matter at all!

"Alright, enough chatting."
"Tonight I will..."
Liu Hanyue glared at me.
"No way! You must come home tonight!"
"If you dare not to show up, I'll skin you alive!"

She spat out that fierce warning and stormed off.
I felt deeply depressed. Go back? I certainly didn't want to. But I still needed to find a decent excuse. After mulling it over, I finally came up with a good idea. I dialed Ning Yuanzhou's number. Since my goal was to kick him out anyway, I might as well lay my cards on the table and have a frank conversation.

"Hmph! Gu Yichen, you bastard!"
"Did you deliberately try to make things hard for me?!"
As soon as the call connected, he started shouting curses.

I didn't deny it. "Tonight, let's have dinner together and sit down for a talk."
"Of course, you can choose not to come."
"But you'd better think carefully about the consequences of standing me up!"

I hung up immediately, booked a private dining room, and texted him the location.
He... would come.