Chapter 215

She walked to the cloakroom and took out a thick shirt.

“There’s no need to take the packed food. I didn’t have any vegetables at home and was worried that if you stayed hungry too long, your stomach would get upset, so I suggested eating this. It’s what I had left over.”

“Since you’re going home, let the chef make something fresh.”

“I want to eat this,” Xie Shiqing said softly. “Ning Ning, I just want to eat the portion you’ve eaten from.”

Zhong Ning hesitated, wanting to say something. She felt that Xie Shiqing’s words had a certain subtle undertone, but then again, she had eaten Xie Shiqing’s leftovers too—more than once. It didn’t really seem like a big deal.

Tolerance.

She had to be tolerant.

She couldn’t force her own way of thinking onto Xie Shiqing.

“I’ll get it for you.”

The large round takeout container was taken from the fridge. Zhong Ning held the tote bag.

“Is your car outside? I’ll walk you downstairs.”

“Ning Ning, I really love you,” said Xie Shiqing.

“I love you too.” Zhong Ning took her hand first. “Pine Mushroom isn’t allowed to follow.”

The dog turned its head with an expression of disdain.

Being too smart wasn’t always a good thing. Zhong Ning had a headache and didn’t know what to do about it.

She and Xie Shiqing once again took the elevator downstairs, walking side by side along the stone-paved paths of the residential complex.

“I was still impulsive today,” Zhong Ning said in a low voice, “but I don’t regret it.”

“Actually, back when we were in Lancheng, I had already thought—once the foundation’s affairs were settled, and I returned to Fengcheng, I would leave. With the way I am, once I make a decision, I act immediately. I never delay.”

She squeezed Xie Shiqing’s hand in a comforting gesture, then interlocked their fingers instead.

“But this time, I kept hesitating. I kept making excuses in my mind—calling it a farewell trip. When I think about it now, it’s kind of funny.”

“It’s because deep down, I didn’t want to sever things with you like that.”

“You remember the condition I mentioned, right? To find a psychologist.” Zhong Ning gently pinched her knuckles.

“What?” Xie Shiqing looked over blankly. “What kind of doctor?”

“…” Zhong Ning sighed. “A psychologist. You need to see one, and I do too. It would be best if we saw the same one, together.”

“If we know there’s a problem, we have to fix it. I’m not going to play around with my half-baked psychology knowledge. It’s best to leave it to a professional.”

Xie Shiqing was a bit resistant, but she knew that when it came to this matter, there was no room for negotiation. Zhong Ning was determined to do it.

Even so, she nodded reluctantly.

“I really don’t want to say this, but it’s truly good for you, and it’s good for me too.” Zhong Ning tilted her head slightly, letting the wind blow the strands of hair off her forehead.

“Just give it a try.”

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll be by your side.”

Xie Shiqing: “As long as you’re with me, I’m not afraid.”

“How did I never notice you were such a love-struck fool?” Zhong Ning chuckled softly and kissed her on the forehead. “Good thing I am too.”

“Be careful on the way home, drive safe. Even if there are fewer cars at night, don’t speed.”

Xie Shiqing opened the car door, then paused.

“I… I still have some things I want to tell you. About myself.”

“I don’t want to hide them from you.”

“Don’t rush,” Zhong Ning said. “Don’t rush. We have plenty of time. It’s late—hurry home and eat. Don’t go hungry and trigger your stomach problems again.”

Xie Shiqing bit her lip. “Then… can I have one more kiss?”

Zhong Ning stepped forward, held the back of her head, and leaned down to give her a deep kiss.

“It really feels like a dream… I’m so afraid that when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll find out that all of this was just my imagination,” Xie Shiqing murmured. “I’ve had this kind of fantasy so many times before—each time it felt so real, but every time I still woke up.”

“It’s real,” Zhong Ning said. “I promise you, it’s real.”

“You say that every time,” Xie Shiqing looked up at her with grievance in her eyes.

“Then what do you want me to do?”

“Here.” Xie Shiqing raised her hand and tugged down her collar, revealing the delicate, pale skin on the side of her neck. “I want a hickey, a mark.”

In the darkest area between two streetlamps, only that patch of pale skin was faintly visible. Her curled hair blended into the shadows like seaweed, like a sea siren.

Zhong Ning leaned in as if bewitched, took the tender flesh into her mouth, and sucked gently but firmly, leaving behind a dark red mark.

“It’s done.”

Xie Shiqing looked satisfied yet unsatisfied, casting a glance at Zhong Ning that was part coy, part complaining. Still, she got into the car, raised her hand to take the tote bag, and placed the takeout box on the passenger seat.

“Focus on the road while driving. Don’t let your mind wander.”

Xie Shiqing nodded. “Got it.”

The car engine started, then the vehicle slowly pulled out of the parking spot and merged into traffic, gradually disappearing from sight.

Only then did Zhong Ning retract her gaze and lower her head, heading back home.

She hadn’t even reached the entrance of the complex when suddenly someone jumped out and blocked her path.

“Mother?”

Zhong Ning looked at the person in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Standing before her was Zhong Lin—once the proud Head of the Zhong family. Now, she looked like a disheveled, desperate unemployed woman. Her hair was an utter mess, heavy dark circles hung under her eyes, and her clothes were crumpled and creased—as if she had rolled around on the ground.

This was nothing like the domineering, high-spirited Head of the Zhong family from the past. She looked like a completely different person.

“You! You unfilial girl! You’ve got some nerve to say something like that!” Zhong Lin was seething with rage, pointing at her nose, her arm trembling with fury.

“If it weren’t for you giving shares to Xie Shiqing, how could I have lost the Zhong family? You’re truly insane! Helping an outsider gain our family’s foundation, still entangled with her—being all touchy and affectionate! You’re the heir of the Zhong family, and what she’s occupying now is your company! You really must’ve lost your mind! You’re just some fool blinded by love!”

“How could I have ever picked you to be the heir? I must’ve been blind!”

Zhong Ning had initially been surprised to see her—curious about what had happened to make her look so down and out. But before she could ask anything, she was immediately met with a storm of curses and accusations. The slight curve of a smile that had been at the corner of her lips disappeared instantly.

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