Chapter 164

The bodyguard wore simple gray clothes, sportswear style. The short sleeves revealed well-defined muscles on his arms, his honey-colored skin like a piece of caramel chocolate. The waist bag at his side was bulging.

“Hello, my name is Michelle.”

Her smile carried the same warm and refreshing atmosphere as the weather of this city.

“Hello, I’m Zhong Ning.”

…

These past two days, Xie Shiqing had not really been sleeping well. How could she possibly sleep peacefully? With this matter unresolved, it was as if a noose was wrapped around her neck, her toes barely pressing on a stool. One slip, and she could easily fall into the void.

But Zhong Ning’s demeanor still gave her a little comfort.

It allowed her to steady herself slightly and think about her own explanation.

Having gotten used to sleeping beside Zhong Ning, waking up to an empty space every day left her feeling hollow.

Xie Shiqing lowered her brows. Waking up early in the morning, she was already in a foul mood. After washing up, she sent a message to Zhong Ning, saying breakfast was ready. She waited for ten minutes but received no reply.

So, was she unwilling to eat together?

She bit her lip and sent another message, yet there was still no response.

Did she not want to speak?

Fortune had turned its wheel. Now, she too experienced what cold treatment felt like.

Xie Shiqing fidgeted restlessly, waiting a bit longer, but she really could not sit still anymore. She decided to go downstairs to find Zhong Ning. Even if it was a cold war, even if she did not want to talk, at least she needed to hear it face-to-face, not wait in silence like this.

Ever since the time Zhong Ning had moved out of the villa without a word, she had been terrified of her leaving again.

She had the keys to the downstairs apartment, but when she reached the door, she did not unlock it immediately. Instead, she knocked several times.

No sound. No response.

Xie Shiqing suddenly felt panic rise. She hurriedly dug out the key from her pocket, trying to slot it into the lock, but fumbled clumsily and could not find the right angle. Her hand slipped, and the key fell to the floor with a clang.

“Quick! Hurry and open the door for me!” she shouted frantically at the person beside her.

The bodyguard immediately picked up the key and unlocked the door. Xie Shiqing rushed in first, as if her back were on fire.

Silence.

Her ears were filled with silence; she could not hear anything at all.

No footsteps, no sounds of washing up, no voices, not even the dog’s noise.

“…Is Zhong Ning here?” She leaned against the wall as if she could not stand upright, her fingers clawing into the surface so tightly that her fingertips turned white.

The bodyguard searched the place thoroughly. The rooms were completely empty. On the coffee table lay only a voice recorder, pressed under a sheet of paper.

The paper read—”Please give this to Shiqing. Inside are some things I want to say to her.”

The bodyguard picked up the note and recorder, walked over to Xie Shiqing’s side, and said in a low voice, “The room is empty. All her belongings are still here. I found this on the coffee table.”

She read aloud the words on the paper, then silently placed the voice recorder into Xie Shiqing’s hand.

Then she was considerate enough to step outside and close the door.

Xie Shiqing gripped the pen; its cold body felt like a dagger plunging straight into her heart. Every beat tore at her like a rending pain.

What was she — an insect about to be dissected and made into a specimen? The worst kind of sinner?

She slid down the wall and hit the floor. For a long while her head spun and she could not think.

No forgiveness… Zhong Ning had not forgiven her at all…

She had imagined it too beautifully.

She had thought Zhong Ning’s gentle, warm attitude was a sign of reconciliation, not knowing it had been the last bit of pleasure before euthanasia, poison hidden in sweetness.

She had done this only to numb her.

Xie Shiqing inhaled a deep breath as if something had been clamped over her mouth and nose, preventing her from taking in any air.

Her fingers trembled; she kept failing to hold onto the recorder. It slipped and rolled to the floor more than once, and she crawled after it without regard for her dignity.

One accidental knock hit the power switch; Zhong Ning’s voice came through. Xie Shiqing froze mid-motion and just knelt on the floor without drawing a single breath.

“Since you’re hearing this recording, it should be morning. Good morning. I don’t know if you slept well last night.”

Zhong Ning’s tone was exceedingly flat — flat to the point of coldness, of indifference.

Her words carried a heavy breathiness, as if she were sighing all the time; each syllable contained a thread of melancholy.

“I left. I left Fengcheng, left here. I admit it was irresponsible, but there was nothing for me to be responsible for anymore, so forgive my selfishness and willfulness.”

“I could no longer stay here.”

“Shiqing, I really loved you. Even now, my feelings have not changed. But I could not continue with you. It’s strange — I had imagined this scene many times, but I never imagined we would actually separate one day. Things ending up like this isn’t your fault, and I don’t think it’s mine either. It’s just that we aren’t very compatible.”

Xie Shiqing collapsed as if someone had instantly pulled out her spine; she went limp on the floor, powerless. A sudden wave of dizziness and nausea seized her, as if a hand had squeezed her stomach hard.

But there was no one to lift her up, none to anxiously ask what was wrong.

The recording continued to play slowly and evenly.

“Everyone has their own temperament. I shouldn’t have forced my views onto you and expected you to adapt to me. Looking back now, perhaps I was wrong. I tried to change the fundamental color of a person’s character, attempting an impossible thing — to be like God and remodel a soul. Wasn’t that delusion?”

“You had always been an excellent person, with your own thoughts and convictions, and an extraordinary perseverance and ability. I hope your career goes farther and your life remains forever radiant.”

“No, it’s not like that…” Xie Shiqing choked and murmured; her tears pooled into a puddle deep enough to drown her. “It’s not like that…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep