Chapter 101

But Xie Shiqing wouldn’t drink it.

Xie Shiqing’s eyes contained no one else, and she didn’t care where she was. When she had first reunited with Zhong Ning, she could still restrain herself a little. But now that they were touching, she had completely detached from reality.

She could only see the sweet alpha. She could only hear her. Anything else no longer registered in her mind.

The butler looked at Zhong Ning pleadingly. “Miss Zhong, please help us.”

Xie Shiqing was no longer crying. Perhaps it was because Zhong Ning’s comfort had taken effect, but she still clung tightly to her, refusing to let go, gazing at her with all her heart and soul, murmuring softly over and over, “You won’t leave? You won’t abandon me?”

She paid no mind to her own injuries, but Zhong Ning couldn’t just stand by and let her hurt herself again. While answering her softly, she steadily carried her upstairs, trying to place her on the bed—but couldn’t.

Xie Shiqing’s arms were hooked around her and wouldn’t let go, no matter what.

Because of her action, the tears that had just stopped a moment ago began to flow again. She didn’t cry out loud, just kept pressing closer into her arms, trying to bury her face in the hollow of her neck.

Her collar had long been soaked by tears, clinging coldly to her skin. Before long, hot tears warmed it again.

Zhong Ning really wanted to sigh, but held it back just as it reached her lips.

If she sighed now, would Xie Shiqing mistake it for disgust or impatience?

With that thought, she gave up on trying to pull away, simply holding her and leaning against the bed together.

She opened her arms to embrace her, to soothe her, wiping the tears from Xie Shiqing’s face with her palm, and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

“I’m not leaving,” Zhong Ning said. “I’ll stay here with you. Shiqing, don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid.”

She pulled over a thin blanket and wrapped it around them both, trying to leave no gaps, to create a feeling of safe enclosure.

Maybe it worked—about ten minutes later, Xie Shiqing’s emotions settled quickly. It wasn’t that she had returned to normal, but at least she had stopped crying.

Zhong Ning said, “Shall we take the medicine now, okay?”

Xie Shiqing’s face was all scrunched from crying—there was nothing beautiful about it. How could anyone look good when sobbing like that? Her whole face was red, the rims of her eyes swollen as if someone had hit her, her hair wet and clinging to her skin, a mess like she’d just been pulled out of water.

She was still hiccuping from crying too long. Though no tears fell at that moment, her breathing remained ragged and broken, impossible to calm down right away.

Zhong Ning stroked her hair and took the warm, damp towel from the butler’s hands, gently wiping away the tear stains from her face, trying to get the dried, sticky mix of tears and sweat off her skin.

It was an unbearable feeling.

“Shiqing, how about taking the medicine?”

Xie Shiqing curled up in her arms. When Zhong Ning wiped her face, she obediently lifted her chin, but when it was time to take the medicine, she acted as if she didn’t hear.

Zhong Ning had thought of a solution; if she threatened to leave, Xie Shiqing would definitely drink it—probably in a panic, no less.

But doing that would obviously be a kind of psychological coercion. Sure, it would get her to take the medicine, but it would only deepen her wounds.

So she just coaxed her gently, in a soft and low voice, as gentle as the morning breeze rippling across a lake, as light as willow catkins falling to the ground. She whispered beside Xie Shiqing’s ear with that same gentleness.

“Did you eat anything today?” she suddenly thought of this question.

Medicine couldn’t be taken on an empty stomach—it was already damaging to the body, and on an empty stomach, it would hurt even more.

Though the question was directed at Xie Shiqing, her eyes turned to the assistant, who shook her head. Without needing further instruction, the butler went off to tell the kitchen to make some rice porridge.

Cooking porridge in a pot was fast. Once the water boiled, the porridge would soon be ready.

Now wasn’t the time to care about appearance—what mattered was speed. In less than ten minutes, a bowl of porridge was brought up.

The butler divided it into several smaller bowls and set them aside to cool.

Zhong Ning reached out from within the tightly wrapped blanket, one hand holding a bowl, the other a spoon.

“Ah… Shiqing, open your mouth, have something to eat, ah—”

The porridge had been cooked until it was very soft, giving off a light fragrance of rice. Zhong Ning brought it to her lips and blew on it a few times before moving the spoon to Xie Shiqing’s mouth.

After taking a sip, Xie Shiqing stopped hiccuping. As if that single spoonful were some miraculous cure-all, one taste and all her ailments vanished.

A kind of ecstatic bliss descended from heaven and landed upon her, making her dizzy with joy. Her entire being radiated a sudden vitality; all pain fled her, and all delirium and convulsions scattered. She lay in the arms of love, her expression nearly feverish with devotion.

“Ning Ning, you’ve forgiven me, haven’t you?”

The smile at the corners of her mouth widened unnaturally. That unfiltered joy took over her limbs and bones, making her want to move and writhe in delight.

“You’re feeding me. That means you’ve forgiven me. We’re still together, right?”

Her heart began to pound once more, but this time for reasons entirely different from before. The flush on her face had taken on a new meaning.

“You’ve forgiven me, Ning Ning has forgiven me, you still love me…”

Zhong Ning kissed her gently on the forehead without giving a reply, but that gesture was more powerful than a hundred declarations of love.

Xie Shiqing drank all the porridge obediently and even offered to take the medicine herself—because that was what Zhong Ning wanted her to do.

The medicine had a sedative effect. Not long after drinking it, she grew drowsy, her eyelids heavy, as if her upper and lower lids were eager to stay together.

Zhong Ning continued to hold her, embrace her. Her expression was almost one of compassion, though her emotions were too tangled to define.

Only when Xie Shiqing completely fell into deep sleep did she finally lie down and cover herself with the blanket.

But she didn’t leave. She sat at the bedside, dazed, staring at her.

The butler and assistant had already left. Only the two of them remained in the room.

Xie Shiqing slept soundly. The curtains were drawn, and only the wall lamp cast a soft, warm glow, like twilight, gently spilling over the room.

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