They were now in a stalemate.
Ning Ran knew perfectly well that if she were to call the cops, Feng Minsheng would immediately snatch the phone away from her hands.
But if she were to make a commotion, that wouldn’t look good for her either.
What If someone were to record them with their phone and the footage became viral? Things might get a little troublesome.
Hence, Ning Ran decided that it was best to listen to what he had in mind.
Ning Ran took the initiative to sit down, before picking up her chopsticks once again and placing a piece of tofu into her mouth.
She then poured herself a glass of wine and chugged it down in one go.
Feng Minsheng was a little taken aback by her sudden change of behavior, but she seemed to have calmed down.
“Have a seat. Didn’t you say that you have something that you wanted to talk about?” said Ning Ran as she gestured for Feng Minsheng to sit.
Feng Minsheng hesitated momentarily before he complied.
“What is it? I’m on all ears,” said Ning Ran as she poured some wine for Feng Minsheng.
Feng Minsheng skipped the formalities and knocked back the drink.
“Indeed, I have been in contact with Uncle Ning and Aunt Luo, that I do admit. But it is not what you think.”
“Continue,” Ning Ran prompted.
“They truly care for you, but they know that you feel nothing but contempt for them. That is why they decided to keep a distance and had me approach you in their stead.”
“Then I guess I have to thank you, since you came here to take care of me on behalf of my dad,” said Ning Ran sarcastically.
“I know that it is hard for you to believe what I have just said, but that is the truth,” replied Feng Minsheng shamelessly.
“Hey, I do believe you. I even wanted to thank you,” snickered Ning Ran.
“Ran, you are currently working as an actress, and you have a bright future ahead of you. There is no need for you to marry into the Nan household. You will do just fine without them,” Feng Minsheng continued.
“I know. I’m still waiting for you to give me a good life,” Ning Ran quipped with a laugh.
“You don’t have to trust me right now, but I will prove to you that I have the ability to make you happy.”
“How’s my dad doing?” Ning Ran asked as she poured refilled his wineglass.
“He’s doing just fine, but the company is struggling. It has been losing money for the past two years and incurred a large amount of debt. Who knows how long it might last,” answered Feng Minsheng.
It was all within Ning Ran’s expectations. The reason the company was doing fine previously was only due to her mother’s management.
While Ning Ziqiang was the chairman of the company, it was all just for show. From management to operation, her mother was the one who did everything behind the scenes.
Ever since they murdered her mum and took charge of the company, the company had been going downhill.
The only reason the company hadn’t gone bust was because of the strong foundation that her mum had established. The market that she had single-handedly created was large enough to last them a few years.
But no matter how strong the foundation was, it would be impossible to sustain them forever if the management was incompetent, especially in an ever-changing world of business.
They’re just getting what they deserved.
“Do they have any plans to revive business? Or are they just going to watch the company go under?” asked Ning Ran.
Feng Minsheng opened his mouth to reply, but the words got stuck in his throat.
Looking at Feng Minsheng’s expression, Ning Ran knew that she had asked the right question.
His hesitation revealed that it was somehow related to Ning Ran.
At this moment, a waiter approached them and asked them if there was anything that he could help them with.
As Ning Ran gestured for the bill, Feng Minsheng took the initiative to pay for both of them.
“Let me pay for my share too. But the expenses in the past was out of your willingness, I didn’t force you to play the wealthy man.”
“It’s fine. It’s a small price to pay for keeping you next to me. But Ran, don’t you think you should ask for some compensation for babysitting the Nan family’s children?” asked Feng Minsheng.
“What do you mean?”
“It is pretty unreasonable of them to not pay you for your services, especially since they come from such a wealthy family.”
“I didn’t do it for the money, so why should they be paying me?”
“Now that’s where you’re wrong. You should be rewarded for your effort. Raising two kids from the Nan family is by no means a small matter,” Feng Minsheng said with certainty, thick-skinned as ever.
“If I were after the money, wouldn’t it be better for me to become the young mistress of the Nan family? If you truly cared for me, shouldn’t you be thinking of ways for me to marry into Nan family? Don’t worry, I’ll reward you for your effort,” Ning Ran retorted.
“That won’t do. How could I allow the woman that I love to marry into Nan family?”
Feng Minsheng’s eyes flickered, a dead giveaway that he was insincere with his words.
“What about this – you help me marry into Nan family, I’ll file for a divorce and receive a huge amount of alimony, and then we can be together. Wouldn’t that be a great idea?”
“No… There is no need for you to marry into that family. You just have to ask for money.”
“Then how much do you think should I ask for?”
Feng Minsheng’s eyes lit up.
“We’re talking about the Nan family here, so twenty million shouldn’t be a problem.”
Ning Ran scoffed internally at his suggestion. Merely twenty million? His ambition is too small! Others would have asked for a billion!
“But what happens if they refuse?”
“You could just use their children as collateral. Trust me, they wouldn’t be too stingy when it comes to their kids.”
These words seemed to come from his heart.
His ploy was a relatively simple one. The first step was to gain Ning Ran’s trust by showing his affection for her, and then prevent her from marrying into Nan family by spoiling her relationship with the Nan family.
If Ning Ran were to marry into Nan Family, the amount of money she had would have nothing to do with him.
Hence, his plan had two objectives. The first was to prevent Ning Ran from marrying into Nan family, and the other, to gain a sum of money by taking advantage of their squabble.
As long as he could establish a relationship with Ning Ran, he would naturally have a share of what she demanded from the Nan family.
After returning the kids to Nan family, Ning Ran would once again become a single woman – a pretty and wealthy one at that.
Being able to marry a woman of such high status would be the dreams of many. Naturally, Feng Minsheng planned to use Ning Ran to reach the peak of his life.
He was pleased with his schemes, and had full confidence that it would work. Hence, he was willing to rent a BMW just to impress Ning Ran, which was a profligate act on his part.
Feng Minsheng believed that the more he invested, the more benefits he would reap. Feng Minsheng fervently hoped that the day his investments produce a tenfold return would eventually arrive. That was the reason that he had persevered and continued to pursue Ning Ran.
However, not only did Ning Ran want to leave, she had also explicitly told him to never call her again. It was impossible for Feng Minsheng to stay calm.
If I don’t see her anymore, wouldn’t that mean that my investments were all for naught?
“Ran, what are you thinking right now?” asked Feng Minsheng when he saw Ning Ran spacing out.
“I was just thinking that your idea is a pretty good one. Problem is, it wouldn’t look good if I were to be so blunt about it, and things would get messy if the Nan family were to reject my demand.”
“Rest assured, the Nan family wouldn’t reject your request. You have their kids with you.”
“Then I’ll have a talk with Nan Xing about this.”
“That’s right, you should do just that! You can negotiate with them If that amount is too much for them. It will be fine as long as you bring home at least 10 million. Once you successfully obtain 10 million, we won’t have anything to worry about for the rest of our lives! We can elope to a place where no one can find us and spend the rest of our lives in luxury!” Feng Minsheng exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with greed.
He was clearly yearning for the good life.
“How delusional!” Ning Ran thought to herself as she sneered silently.
