Chapter 229

Zhong Ning was about to say something else, but stiffly changed the topic: “What are we eating tonight?”

Xie Shiqing replied, “We’re supposed to treat the people from the police station to dinner today, did you forget? They get off work a bit late, probably won’t be able to eat until after eight. Is Ning Ning hungry? Then we can have a little something first.”

Only then did Zhong Ning recall.

About the previous kidnapping incident, Xie Shiqing had promised to treat them to a meal. Many days had already passed, but they’d all been busy with the case. Today was finally a bit more relaxed, and if nothing unexpected came up, they probably wouldn’t have to work overtime.

Since they were the ones offering to treat, of course it had to be on the guests’ schedule.

“Let’s eat a little something first, to fill our stomachs. We’ll have digested most of it by then,” Zhong Ning said. “Do you want pan-fried buns? Or should we get some afternoon tea cakes?”

“Ning Ning’s craving pan-fried buns, aren’t you?” Xie Shiqing kissed her. “Then let’s go get some pan-fried buns.”

The driver parked the car by the roadside a bit farther away—it was the only available spot they could find—so the two had to walk the rest of the way.

Hand in hand, they arrived at a well-known century-old brand.

There were many items on the menu, but Xie Shiqing didn’t even look and skillfully ordered four dishes. Zhong Ning glanced over the menu and added two of the new items.

The restaurant was still quite busy. The prices were a bit on the high side, but not to the point of being unaffordable. A portion of pan-fried buns ranged from double digits to low triple digits. If someone wanted to eat, they could still afford to.

There were no private rooms available, so the two of them sat at a table by the window. The environment was a bit noisy, but Xie Shiqing no longer cared about such things.

Ever since regaining her vision, she had become much more tolerant. It wasn’t entirely an act.

After sitting down, Zhong Ning looked around, then lowered her voice and said, “A lot of people are here for blind dates, and some are on actual dates.”

People on blind dates weren’t hard to spot—both parties were dressed decently, but there was an obvious sense of detachment between them.

What surprised Zhong Ning was that she had assumed blind dates mostly happened in coffee shops, and hadn’t expected to see them here.

Xie Shiqing followed her line of sight and glanced over. “The pair next to the green pothos plant aren’t. They’re on a date.”

“Huh? How can you tell?”

“They’re wearing matching couple rings,” Xie Shiqing said. “Ning Ning, I want a pair of couple rings too.”

Zhong Ning curved her lips into a smile. “Sure. It’s a pity I’m not a design major, otherwise I could design a pair myself.”

“For couple rings, it’s better to have something one-of-a-kind. Let’s find a jewelry designer to custom-make a set. But after we eat, we can go to the store and pick out a pair to wear for now.”

“I should be able to afford gemstones,” she teased with a raised eyebrow. “After all, you’ve given me so much money.”

Xie Shiqing chuckled along with her, then after a moment, pursed her lips slightly. “Ning Ning, do you want a company? I can transfer ownership to you.”

Zhong Ning was genuinely startled. Her head shook like a rattle drum. “No no no, why are you suddenly saying that? You scared me to death!”

“…The situation with Zhong Lin has been causing a stir online lately. The media doesn’t dare make things up about me, but in private circles, there’s a lot of gossip about you, and they don’t use very kind words,” Xie Shiqing said softly. “You also have the ability to run a company, Ning Ning. You’re a very capable person. You could take it over.”

“I can only stop the rumors said to my face, but I can’t stop all the malice behind my back.”

“I don’t care about that,” Zhong Ning said, smiling with calm ease. “Maybe they’re just jealous that I get to live off someone else.”

“People’s malice is endless. They’re all bad people, wicked people, petty people. You don’t need to listen to what petty people say—they can’t affect me.”

“And besides, I really don’t want to do that kind of stuff. Handling company affairs is so tiring, just way too exhausting,” Zhong Ning said, pouting. “It’s so hard. My precious time should be spent accompanying you, eating, playing games, and sleeping, not wasted on going to work.”

“Alright then,” Xie Shiqing said. A moment later, she added, “Then how about I give you a nominal position as the company’s president? You don’t need to work, just a figurehead.”

Zhong Ning looked at her helplessly. Xie Shiqing put her hands together, pitifully pleading, “Please, Ning-jiejie, it’s just a figurehead role. You won’t have to go to work.”

“Fine, fine, fine,” Zhong Ning sighed. “Just a figurehead then. I really don’t care about these things.”

“I know, Ning Ning. I know you don’t care,” Xie Shiqing held her hand. “But I care. I don’t want you to be subjected to all those rumors and gossip.”

“Then go ahead,” Zhong Ning pressed her face gently against hers. “This is your love for me, Shiqing. I’ll accept it properly.”

The pan-fried buns were made to order, so they needed some time. She shook her phone and said, “Wanna play a round? The casual mode is fast.”

“Sure,” Xie Shiqing said.

She also pulled out her phone and opened Battle at the Summit.

At first, she had only played to get closer to Zhong Ning, but after several matches together, Xie Shiqing gradually started to enjoy it.

She was good at playing piano, so her hand speed was excellent, her fingers nimble, and she was smart—she picked it up very quickly.

Xie Shiqing liked playing high-skill characters, relishing the mental effort required. Watching the in-game characters under her control kill enemy heroes brought a real sense of satisfaction.

The two of them started a match in brawl mode. After Xie Shiqing selected and locked in her hero, she said, “Recently someone from Senye reached out. Apparently, the game is holding a tournament soon, and for the awards ceremony’s entertainment match, they want to invite a few talents signed under the company.”

She thought back carefully. “It’s happening at the end of this month, and the location is in Fengcheng. Ning Ning, do you want to attend the award ceremony?”

“Who are they inviting?” Zhong Ning asked curiously.

Xie Shiqing leaned in and whispered a name in her ear.

“I know her. Her movies are really good, but I’ve never paid attention to her personally. She plays games too?” Zhong Ning raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“…Supposedly, her skills are quite decent,” Xie Shiqing’s brows slowly furrowed.

“Haha, are you actually jealous about that?” Zhong Ning bumped her shoulder lightly. “I don’t like her—I only like you, Shiqing.”

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