Chapter 222

Zhong Ning glanced over and couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile, but that tugged at her injured side, causing a sharp pain that made her hiss softly. She quickly forced her expression to remain neutral.

“You really came prepared. Hey, that profile picture—isn’t that the mood octopus?”

The corners of Xie Shiqing’s mouth lifted slightly. “I changed it yesterday after taking the photo.”

“You still kept it?”

“Ning Ning, it’s a gift you gave me. No matter what, I would never throw it away. I can’t bear to.”

Zhong Ning gently stroked the side of her face, her gaze as soft as water.

“But speaking of which, what exactly is the issue between you and Pine Mushroom? It’s better to treat the root cause.”

Xie Shiqing paused to consider. “Actually, I don’t like dogs.”

She admitted frankly, “The reason I brought Pine Mushroom back was to please you. I knew you liked cats and dogs, so I thought bringing a puppy might help calm you down.”

“It probably sensed that I didn’t like it, which is why it doesn’t like me either. The way we got along before was basically just ignoring each other.”

Zhong Ning fell into thought. Perhaps Pine Mushroom had gotten used to being free-spirited and spoiled under her care. It was actually very smart, and now that it was seeing someone it didn’t like again, it was boldly expressing its protest.

Sometimes, a dog being too smart wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

Zhong Ning said, “Anyway, bring two cans of food as a peace offering first. You can also bring a can of pet-safe whipped cream. I usually don’t let it eat too much of that kind of stuff.”

Xie Shiqing replied, “Then after we eat, let’s stop by the pet shop.”

They had ordered a set meal for two. The barbecue restaurant’s server came over pushing a cart that looked like a miniature fake mountain, stacked with various kinds of meat, all neatly arranged on plates.

The server handled all the grilling, so the two of them only needed to sit and eat.

After a satisfying meal, Zhong Ning even felt like her stomach didn’t hurt as much anymore—though she knew it was mostly psychological.

Together, they went to the pet shop to buy some snacks. Besides canned food, they also got dental chews, cheese sticks, and more. By the time they returned home, the sky had already turned completely dark.

Pine Mushroom hadn’t come back yet. Michelle was still out playing with her and had sent over a video—on screen, the puppy was happily catching frisbees, clearly not in a hurry to go home.

Zhong Ning went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Meanwhile, Xie Shiqing finally had the chance—and the time—to carefully observe the apartment.

It was spacious and seemed to have great natural lighting. The main color tone was warm. The sofa was adorned with many plush toys. In one corner of the living room sat a large box filled with Pine Mushroom’s toys, and beside it were the buttons.

It was a very cozy home.

One look and it was clear this was Zhong Ning’s style.

Her bedroom back in the villa had the same color palette.

Xie Shiqing bit her lip and withdrew her gaze, letting it fall back on Zhong Ning. “There’s something else I promised to come clean about.”

Hearing that, Zhong Ning sat down. The two of them sat together on the sofa, their knees touching. Her gaze was full of acceptance and encouragement. “What do you want to tell me?”

“It’s about my Pheromone Imbalance Disorder.”

Xie Shiqing took a soft breath, and spoke quietly but firmly: “I’ve never said this before, but I’m actually a 2S-class omega. I’ve never been able to find a compatible alpha. The tranquilizers and suppressants available on the market are all unusable for me. Forcing them only makes the symptoms worse, so I’ve always had to endure each heat cycle on my own.”

“Over time, that’s how I developed Pheromone Imbalance Disorder.”

Realization dawned on Zhong Ning’s face. “No wonder you wanted to use my pheromones to develop a customized tranquilizer. It doesn’t have any side effects, right?”

“If only I had shown up earlier.”

“My pheromones.” Realizing that what she said might sound strange, she quickly added, “I mean, if my pheromones had appeared earlier.”

Xie Shiqing’s heart trembled.

Of course, she didn’t misunderstand. On the contrary, she completely understood what Zhong Ning meant. After learning the truth about what had been hidden in the past, she hadn’t gotten angry. Her first reaction was heartache.

The corners of Xie Shiqing’s eyes grew slightly damp, but she pretended not to notice and said, “You only just reached adulthood. How could you have shown up earlier?”

Zhong Ning opened her arms and gently pulled her into a hug. “I feel sorry for you.”

“I know,” Xie Shiqing whispered. “I know Ning Ning feels sorry for me.”

“There’s one more thing.”

She pursed her lips, then slowly opened up. “I can’t have children. It was caused by that car accident—I lost the ability to conceive. Permanently.”

Zhong Ning was silent for a moment, then asked very gently, “Do you like children a lot?”

Xie Shiqing shook her head. “Not really. I don’t feel much toward children either way. But deep down, I don’t want to become a mother. I don’t want to have biological children of my own.”

“…My personality probably isn’t suitable for raising children. I don’t think I’d know how to teach them.”

She gave a faint, self-deprecating smile. “I’ve seen a lot of videos saying that a person’s original family is the foundation of their personality. Whatever kind of parent you are, that’s the kind of child you’ll raise.”

“I’d probably end up raising another lunatic.”

“You won’t.” Zhong Ning held her hand, placing one hand over the other, then wrapped both of hers around them. “The fact that you can reflect means you won’t repeat the same mistakes. You’re already better than most parents.”

“And honestly, I don’t feel much for children either. It’s not that I dislike them, I just feel like I’m not mature enough myself. I don’t feel like an adult, and I have no desire to raise a child.”

“Isn’t that great?” Zhong Ning kissed her on the forehead. “This way, we both belong completely to each other.”

“Besides, childbirth takes such a toll on the body. I don’t want to see you go through that kind of pain. The way things are now is just right. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Mm.” Xie Shiqing leaned her head back slightly and rubbed the tip of her nose against Zhong Ning’s chin. “There’s one more thing I want to tell you.”

Zhong Ning smiled. “What is it?”

“I love you,” Xie Shiqing said softly. “The greatest fortune of my life… was meeting you.”

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