Chapter 192

Zhong Ning picked up the tranquilizer, bent down, and lifted Xie Shiqing into her arms.

The person in her arms was like a burning lump of coal, a handful of scalding soft water, so hot that her fingertips trembled.

“I really wasn’t…”

Xie Shiqing’s fingertips lightly rested at Zhong Ning’s collar, but she didn’t dare to grab on. Instead, she slowly curled up.

Her tears were like sparks, penetrating the fabric and scorching Zhong Ning’s skin.

“It was me who misunderstood you,” Zhong Ning said, “I’m sorry.”

She gently placed the person in her arms back onto the bed, took out a bottle of tranquilizer from the box, twisted open the cap, and the scent quickly dispersed.

A faint grapefruit fragrance lingered sweetly at the tip of the nose, like a tuft of soft white cloud.

Once Xie Shiqing started crying, the redness on her face deepened. For a moment, it was impossible to tell whether it was an allergic reaction or the blush from her heat period.

The bitter aroma of absinthe in the room grew heavier. Zhong Ning took a towel and wiped her face clean, murmuring almost inaudibly, “I’m sorry.”

Then she stood up, closed the bedroom door, and turned on the ventilation in the living room.

The opened suitcase still lay on the floor. Zhong Ning walked over, intending to close it, and when she saw the charging cable fallen to the floor, it seemed to remind her of something.

She liked to lie in bed and play on her phone. The cable was a replacement, extra long. The sofa was some distance from the socket. Before sleeping last night, she had even been thankful that her cable was long enough.

Now it seemed this was likely the culprit that had tripped Xie Shiqing.

She hadn’t turned on the lights, and had walked in the dark.

For most people, losing light was difficult. Even if they remembered the general layout, walking was done with extreme caution, as if treading on thin ice, afraid of bumping into anything.

But Xie Shiqing had been blind for years. She moved through darkness like a fish in water. Even weakened by her heat period, she could still remember directions.

…She could clearly see now, so was she avoiding turning on the light for fear of waking her?

Zhong Ning sat back on the sofa, stiff as a newly sculpted plaster figure. Her face was pale, her pupils motionless, embedded in their sockets, staring blankly at a single point in the void.

She had inhaled several breaths of Xie Shiqing’s pheromones. A 100% match bond was more tenacious and enduring than any chain in the world.

Her body felt a bit feverish, but her heart was cold as an ice spike.

What was it that welled up inside—was it guilt?

How had love turned into something so complicated—heartache, remorse, obsession, and madness.

It had changed them both, made them no longer who they once were.

Zhong Ning went to splash cold water on her face. The chill hit her skin, carrying away the burning heat, and with it, the warmth from her expression.

She then went to the fridge, took out a bottle of water, and gulped down several large mouthfuls, cooling herself from the inside out.

Only then did she reopen the bedroom door.

Xie Shiqing’s posture remained the same as when she had left—legs together, slightly curled, lying on the bed, with dried tear stains on her face.

Hearing movement at the door, her dark eyes shifted. When she saw Zhong Ning, the corners of her lips lifted slightly into a faint smile.

“Ning Ning, thank you for bringing me the tranquilizer.”

Her fair arm propped her up on the bed, and as she sat up halfway, her fine, curled hair spread over her shoulders and back like seaweed. There was no resentment on her face—on the contrary, there was a strange sense of calm.

“I know, in your eyes, I’m probably someone who’s broken promises. Considering what I’ve done in the past, it’s not surprising you’d think that way.”

Her tone was disturbingly sincere. “Thank you for still being willing to help me, for carrying me back to bed.”

“Are you alright? Did I affect you in any way?”

Zhong Ning opened her mouth. Her voice was dry as she replied, “…No.”

Xie Shiqing’s eyes curved slightly. “That’s good.”

“I spoke too harshly just now.”

Zhong Ning couldn’t meet Xie Shiqing’s gaze. Guilt made her instinctively avoid eye contact. And the latter’s response caught her off guard—like stepping into empty air, her limbs tingled with a strange weakness.

“It’s alright,” Xie Shiqing answered gently and forgivingly as ever. “This isn’t your fault. It was the serious mistakes I made in the past that led to all this. At the root of it, the problem lies with me.”

“I also owe you an apology—for bumping into you, for waking you up. That was my fault.”

“It wasn’t,” Zhong Ning interrupted her abruptly, her voice rising slightly. “It was my charging cable that tripped you. It was my fault.”

“…Sorry,” she said softly.

“Oh come on, how long are we going to keep apologizing?” Xie Shiqing’s smile was light, and her tone carried a cheerful lilt, though the lingering frailty in her voice was still evident. “Let’s just let it go.”

“You feel you were at fault, and I think I was too—so that evens it out, doesn’t it?”

Zhong Ning could hardly believe such words would ever come from Xie Shiqing. No crying, no bargaining demands.

She could clearly see that Zhong Ning was feeling extremely guilty right now, yet didn’t take the opportunity to make any requests.

Zhong Ning had already mentally prepared herself for phrases like “let’s not be strangers” or “I want to pursue you again.” That would have been typical of Xie Shiqing—someone who would take advantage of anything beneficial to her.

But now, she let it go so easily.

Zhong Ning was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, “I’ll change the bed sheets for you.”

There was a patch of sweat-dampened fabric on them.

Xie Shiqing’s limbs were limp like overcooked noodles, but she didn’t ask for help. Instead, she slowly climbed off the bed on her own. “Should I take another shower? I sweated quite a bit.”

Zhong Ning gave a small nod. “Can you manage right now?”

Xie Shiqing just let out a soft laugh.

Even if she couldn’t, she had to manage. Was she supposed to actually say it out loud and ask Zhong Ning for help?

Would Zhong Ning help her?

Rather than hoping for uncertain things, it was better to rely on herself. She’d just barely regained a bit of favorability—it wasn’t worth spending it on such a small matter.

Xie Shiqing supported herself against the wall, her bones feeling as soft as if they were made of plastic. Her feet couldn’t stay steady even in her slippers, but she showed no intention of asking for help.

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