Chapter 33

Because she had been reborn, Xie Shiqing simply couldn’t ignore these oddities and couldn’t help but let her mind drift toward a fantastical explanation.

But she didn’t know Zhong Ning well. Even though the two of them lived under the same roof, she didn’t even know what this alpha liked. Otherwise, she might have already noticed something was off.

Still, she wasn’t a fool. After spending this time together, all the unreasonable aspects about the other girl kept surfacing in her mind.

For no other reason than that the current Zhong Ning was just too different from the one in her previous life!

Her index finger tapped unconsciously on the sofa as footsteps suddenly approached.

Just as she was thinking, the person arrived.

“Shiqing, I’m going out to meet some friends in a bit. I probably won’t be home for dinner,” said Zhong Ning. “But I’ll be back before ten.”

Back before ten? Did she think she was still in elementary school? It was truly absurd.

Xie Shiqing originally intended to mock her with a few sarcastic words, but a sudden flash of insight struck her. She bit her lip and asked, “Where are you going?”

“Lvxue Bar.”

“How about a kiss before you go? I’ll miss you, Ning Ning.”

Sure enough, Zhong Ning came over and exchanged a kiss with her, filling the entire room with her pheromones as a bonus.

“I’ll miss you, too, but Nanshuang and the others have asked several times already. I have to go at least once,” Zhong Ning said reluctantly. “I’ll come home early. Don’t forget to have dinner.”

“Go on, have fun.”

Once Zhong Ning left, the smile on Xie Shiqing’s face vanished. She called for the driver, brought along just one bodyguard, and drove away from the villa.

Her destination — Lvxue Bar.

She didn’t understand Zhong Ning, but those friends certainly did, surely?

If… if Zhong Ning was really just pretending, she would be more likely to slip up in front of people who knew her well.

If a person suddenly changed, who would think she was someone else? Most would just assume something had triggered her, causing her to act so out of character, or acting to gain something.

The more familiar someone was, the less likely they would overthink things, because they would fill in all sorts of justifications for their friend themselves.

Xie Shiqing didn’t expect these people to notice anything suspicious. She just needed to listen to what they talked about and observe Zhong Ning’s behavior.

To confirm the suspicion in her heart.

Lvxue Bar was also run by someone within their circle, where high-end customers frequented. Xie Shiqing got in just by showing her face.

She asked the bartender where Zhong Ning’s group was and instructed her not to say anything. Then she quietly circled around and entered the empty private room next door.

Wearing a hat and sunglasses, with a simple disguise, no one paid her any attention.

Thanks to the lack of soundproofing, she could hear every word from the next room loud and clear.

Zhong Ning rarely initiated a topic herself. She mostly echoed what others said. Whenever the conversation turned to the past, she would be vague, using ambiguous responses to brush things off.

The awkwardness in her tone was very obvious, with a trace of nervousness. Regularly, she would actively bring up something else to change the subject.

Compared to the alpha flawless performance in front of herself, this version of Zhong Ning felt more real.

But what if those so-called “performances” were actually real? If she hadn’t been acting at all, then it would make sense why Xie Shiqing couldn’t see through her.

Xie Shiqing’s expression slightly darkened as countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.

When the topic shifted to the arranged marriage, Zhong Ning spoke a bit more.

These were all close friends, so they didn’t hold much back. They bluntly asked what she really thought, and then followed up with the same kind of comments Xie Shiqing was long tired of hearing — things like how Zhong Ning used to hate her so much, and so on.

But Zhong Ning refuted them one by one, saying that she actually quite liked her.

These kinds of words, at first, made Xie Shiqing want to laugh. But now, with so many questions buried in her heart, she couldn’t even muster a smile.

This gathering, however, turned out to be more relaxed than Zhong Ning had expected.

Birds of a feather flock together. These four people were all easygoing and straightforward, the atmosphere was light and cheerful. When they reminisced about the past and Zhong Ning glossed over it, none of them reacted much. They simply assumed she didn’t want to talk about it and considerately changed the topic to something else.

Zhong Ning finished off the sundae and moved on to fried chicken and pizza.

While others were drinking, she stuffed food into her mouth like a hamster. They had karaoke plans later that night — she had to fill up somehow.

A waiter came by with freshly squeezed juice. But after placing it down, she didn’t leave.

Fu Nanshuang glanced over. “Why are you still standing here?”

“Zhong Ning… Zhong Ning!” The waitress raised her head, revealing a pale face and reddened eyes. Her expression was full of hatred, mixed with grief and sorrow.

Her hands at her sides clenched and released repeatedly. Taking a deep breath, she said coldly, “I don’t know if you still remember what happened last spring.”

“Lantern Festival night, at Lingyun Hotel.”

The woman stared at her fixedly, while Zhong Ning looked utterly confused.

What was this? Who was this person? She had no memories from the original owner at all — she had no idea what had happened in the past!

It looked like someone was coming to collect a debt!

The expressions of the others changed as they glanced at each other. Zheng Xuan said in a low voice, “What are you doing here? If you have something to say, just say it.”

The woman sneered. “I didn’t want to come to you. I didn’t want to have anything to do with someone as rotten as you. But Miaomiao’s illness is really beyond what I can afford. The money you gave is already gone. She’s your daughter — surely you won’t just abandon her, will you?”

Zhong Ning: !!!

Zhong Ning’s mind went completely blank. What! I have a daughter?! What the hell?!

When her friend recommended this, they didn’t say this was some kind of second-marriage drama!

The woman continued coldly, “Don’t worry. I won’t pester you. As long as you pay the medical expenses, I’ll leave immediately.”

Zhong Ning: “Wait, hold on…” She tried her best to suppress the ringing in her ears and stay rational. “Can you tell me the whole story from the beginning? And who is this Miaomiao? I really don’t remember any of it.”

The woman let out a short, mocking laugh. “Fine. Alright. I can tell you.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep