Chapter 133

Xie Shiqing was feeling drowsy, as if she had just been pulled out of some sticky pond. She looked exactly the same as when Zhong Ning had left—no change at all.

Without pulling back the blanket, Zhong Ning simply wrapped her up and carried her like a lump of clay, nudging open the bathroom door with her foot. Then, hooking the door shut with her leg to keep the steam from escaping.

Xie Shiqing was soft like a silkworm baby, lying there pliantly. Zhong Ning first set her legs down—sure enough, she couldn’t stand at all.

She could only hold the girl’s waist, letting her lean against herself, while using her free hand to pull the thin blanket away.

“Are you really that tired?” Zhong Ning couldn’t help but laugh.

Xie Shiqing pursed her lips, not saying a word.

“You were the one who insisted,” she said.

There had already been an extra round, but it wasn’t enough—she just had to have another one.

And now she had made herself unable to get out of bed.

But a girlfriend still had to be spoiled. Zhong Ning gently placed her in the bathtub and gave her a careful wash. A few red marks could be faintly seen beneath the rippling water, all in rather private spots.

When she brushed past the inside of her thigh, Zhong Ning glanced twice. She had bitten a bit too hard there—Xie Shiqing had insisted on pulling her hair, and she hadn’t been able to control her strength.

She kneaded the area a few extra times before moving on.

When it came to bathing Xie Shiqing, Zhong Ning was already an expert among experts—knowing the perfect water temperature, and how long the soak should last. Xie Shiqing didn’t like blow dryers, so her long hair had to be dried bit by bit with a bath towel.

Once she put a bathrobe on her, Zhong Ning pulled out a small stool and sat down, letting Xie Shiqing sit on her lap, obediently letting her take care of everything.

When her hair was almost dry, Zhong Ning looked closely and found that she had fallen asleep, a faint blush on her cheeks, her expression deeply content.

Like a flower blooming again after a passing rain.

Since the master bedroom was too much trouble to tidy up, she carried Xie Shiqing into another bedroom instead.

The next day was the weekend, so Zhong Ning woke up a bit later.

Xie Shiqing was still asleep, the dark circles under her eyes not yet faded—she must have been sleeping poorly lately. Zhong Ning couldn’t bear to wake her, so she quietly got out of bed like a thief and went back downstairs to her own place to clean up.

After closing the bedroom door, she sent Xie Shiqing a voice message saying she had gone to the company to work, and reminded her to remember to eat breakfast.

Not only did she remind Xie Shiqing, she also instructed the butler to have breakfast prepared in advance—otherwise, Xie Shiqing would surely just skip the meal on an empty stomach.

When Zhong Ning cared about someone, she was extremely attentive.

Once she left the house, she resumed her daily habit of reporting in.

“I’m driving out now.” “At a red light, I saw a stubborn Samoyed on the roadside, haha, its owner couldn’t even drag it along.” “The weather’s a bit chilly today, and the sky’s overcast—it looks like it might rain. Remember to wear a jacket if you go out.” “I just saw a mother and daughter in matching dinosaur outfits. The adult was playing the violin, and the child was sitting right next to her—so cute. It’s a pity I couldn’t stop to listen.” Then came a short voice clip of violin music. “Listen, it’s ‘Dandelion.’ Cute, right?” “I’m at the company now.”

Only then did the stream of messages end.

How could one not feel it? Whether a person was warm or cold, whether they cared or not, it was like ink on white paper, a flame in the snow, an oasis in the desert—impossible to miss.

And when Zhong Ning cared about someone, she could melt even a glacier. No wonder Xie Shiqing had gone mad after experiencing such a stark contrast.

At the company, she ran into a familiar face—Zhong Zinuan.

Ever since Zhong Ning had started showing up at the company, Zhong Zinuan always managed to avoid her. They rarely bumped into each other directly, so this time was pure coincidence.

Zhong Ning never went out of her way to avoid her, so it could only mean Zhong Zinuan was deliberately avoiding Zhong Ning.

“What a coincidence,” Zhong Ning greeted first. “You’re at the company too.”

Zhong Zinuan turned around, her face brimming with a smile. “Little Ning, it really is a coincidence. What brings you here?”

Zhong Ning met her gaze and answered calmly, “I’m here to meet a client with Assistant Hua.”

Zhong Zinuan ground her teeth inwardly but walked over with an elegant smile, a fragrant breeze trailing after her. “Then you should go find Assistant Hua—she’s in the office. I just submitted a proposal about the mall’s future development plan. After reading it, Assistant Hua said it was pretty good.”

Zhong Ning said, “Oh.”

Zhong Zinuan tightened her grip on the strap of her bag. “Haha, then you’d better go quickly. I still have student council matters to handle. Oh, right—next weekend the student council is having a gathering. Don’t forget to come. Everyone will be there. If you don’t, you’ll seem very unsociable.”

Zhong Ning replied, “Oh.”

Truly playing the lute to a cow.

Zhong Zinuan clicked away in her high heels, tap-tap-tap, until she was gone.

Once she stepped into the elevator, her smile finally crumbled.

Damn Zhong Ning. Ever since she had started coming to the company, nothing had gone smoothly for her. The rumors that had been spreading so well before had suddenly collapsed on their own. This woman was putting on such a proper, decent act that no dirt could stick to her.

She had indeed come to hand in her proposal, but Assistant Hua hadn’t said it was good at all—just gave it a glance and sent her away, clearly showing dissatisfaction.

Damn old hag! Making things difficult for her at every turn. She had already revised that proposal three times—what more did they want?

She also knew about the client meeting. It was for a top international luxury brand entering the market, to sign a long-term contract. She had volunteered to go, but was rejected.

And yet, Zhong Ning—a useless person who had never even touched company affairs—was allowed to go!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Zhong Zinuan couldn’t stop herself from kicking the elevator door hard.

Bang.

This lousy company, everyone from top to bottom seemed determined to go against her. Assistant Hua… Once she became the chairwoman, she would fire that dog for sure.

Zhong Zinuan stormed off, her murderous look almost slipping from her face.

Meanwhile, Zhong Ning greeted the receptionist with a smile and leisurely went to find Assistant Hua.

Just because she had been foolish before didn’t mean she would always be foolish. She had only been too lazy to use her brain. A person with high intelligence could never have that low an emotional intelligence—unless there was some kind of psychological illness. Otherwise, in most cases, it was deliberate. She simply hadn’t cared.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep