Chapter 19

Xie Shiqing was excessively slender, appearing fragile and soft—completely parallel with the notion of good health.

It made people feel a strange sense of pity.

“Right,” she suddenly remembered something, “can I also call you Shiqing?”

She seemed a bit shy, her earlobes turning red. Thinking the topic too abrupt, she hurried to explain, “It’s just that I saw others calling you that, so I… And, well, we’re going to get married, right? Calling you Miss Xie, doesn’t it feel a bit too distant?”

Xie Shiqing keenly sensed something unusual in her stammered words.

Was this shyness?

The rising body temperature, the broken yet hurried breathing, the clumsy word choice… Yes, without a doubt, she was shy.

—Because she was trying to close the distance between them.

What a good act.

Xie Shiqing felt a wave of absurdity and unspeakable amusement.

However, the aversion in her heart oddly diminished somewhat.

Xie Shiqing liked smart people, disliked fools. If Zhong Ning could truly keep this up, perhaps the two of them could become decent partners.

Of course, only until the complete annexation of the Zhong family.

She was determined to seize the Zhong family. While Zhong Ning wanted to leverage the Xie family, little did she know, she herself was being used as a stepping stone by Xie Shiqing to interfere with the Zhong family’s shares.

Xie Shiqing said with a gentle smile, “Sure, you can call me whatever you like.”

No matter how you looked at it, she was reaping all the benefits. The development of the tranquilizer would also progress more smoothly.

“Darling, baby, sweetheart, honey—anything is fine,” she said. “You said it yourself, we’ll be wives in the future. A bit more intimacy added is natural.”

“Isn’t that right, Ning Ning?”

————————

Zhong Ning (concerned): What happened to your throat?

Zhong Zinuan: She wants to poison my voice!

Zhong Ning (concerned): You’ve seemed down lately.

Zhong Zinuan: She’s laughing at me behind my back!

Zhong Ning (concerned): Want to go shopping together?

Zhong Zinuan: She wants to humiliate me in public!

Chapter 10

The Head of the Zhong family was a talkative person—or rather, she was very good at putting on a warm and friendly exterior. She played the role of a kind elder well, showing concern for Xie Shiqing and advising Zhong Ning to settle down after the engagement, live a good life, and not stir up trouble all the time.

As someone with experience, she even offered some marital advice—like compromising, being tolerant, communicating—her words were full of love and concern.

The meal seemed joyful for both hosts and guests. There wasn’t a single awkward moment. Everyone wore smiles, a perfect picture of a widely celebrated and much-anticipated joyous event.

After the meal, Zhong Ning expressed her wish to stay at the Xie family’s home.

The Head of the Zhong family agreed immediately, even giving her a look of approval.

Before her departure, she called Zhong Ning into the study and said, “You’ve changed a lot today, and that’s very good. I, Zhong Lin, don’t want a foolish daughter.”

She too had a pair of sharp phoenix eyes that carried authority even without anger. “Very good thinking. Keep it up.”

As expected, Zhong Ning showed an expression of excitement and gratitude. The Head of the Zhong family waved her hand. “Go on. Remember what I said.”

This daughter had given her no shortage of headaches.

To the Head of the Zhong family, wives and lovers were replaceable—just pastimes. But a daughter was not. A daughter was the one who carried on her bloodline, the future successor of the Zhong family.

Zhong Ning had committed too many disgraceful acts in the past. She had almost given up on this daughter and excluded her from the list of potential heirs. But Zhong Ning’s performance today made her especially satisfied.

Hypocrisy was a compulsory course for any businessperson. For Zhong Ning to grasp this concept so quickly, it seemed her head wasn’t entirely filled with straw.

Zhong Ning gently closed the study door, the curve of her lips rising uncontrollably—no amount of force could straighten it.

She had been quite anxious, thinking her mother wouldn’t approve. After all, she had just turned eighteen. Moving in with someone right after becoming an adult was almost rebellious.

She hadn’t expected her mother to be so open-minded—not only did she agree, but she also said “very good” and told her to “keep it up.” It was almost unbelievable.

Beaming with joy, she bid farewell to her mother and sister, brought her suitcase, and got into the Xie family’s car.

On the way back, she nearly burst into song.

Xie Shiqing could feel her excitement and felt a bit strange inside.

To keep up such an act—wasn’t it exhausting? Could money really be that important? Could it make someone change so completely, become utterly unrecognizable from before?

But… she didn’t seem to have the right to criticize Zhong Ning.

There was a murky, inexplicable feeling in her chest—a tightness. In that moment, it was as if she could foresee her future: one spent immersed in pretense and deceit.

Xie Shiqing suddenly asked, “How’s your training with marking techniques going?”

The cheerful air came to a sudden halt, turning into confusion, then quickly into panic. “I’ve been learning, um… it’s just…”

Xie Shiqing frowned. Thinking of the upcoming heat period made her irritable again. It felt as though her body was trying to make up for all the pheromones she’d lacked before. This heat was coming on strong. On the way back, with so many red lights, every stop and sway of the car made her head start spinning.

“I need pheromones, Ning Ning.”

As the streetlights flickered to life, their glow cast an icy pale hue on her face, like frost and snow.

Zhong Ning jumped, thinking something was wrong, and quickly released her gland.

The elegant scent of grapefruit blossoms filled the car. Xie Shiqing tilted her body, leaned into Zhong Ning’s arms, rested her face on her shoulder, and buried her face in the crook of her neck, feeling much calmer.

She exhaled softly and said lazily, “Don’t forget, if you don’t do it well…”

“I will! I’ll study hard, and do my best!” Zhong Ning hastily cut her off.

The most important thing was to stay rational—not to be driven by instinct. Otherwise, all the training would be for nothing.

Even though she made such promises, inside, her heart was on the verge of flying out of her chest.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep