Chapter 45

Who? Whose doing was this? So besides Zhang Min, was there actually someone else trying to frame her? How did the original body accumulate so many enemies? This was ridiculous.

Zhong Ning felt aggrieved and shocked as she thought, she hated these riddle-speakers so much.

And yet, she could not ask a single word about it, which made her even more furious.

After the conversation, Liu Rushi left, her head lowered the entire time, tears falling all along her path.

Once she left, the remaining people looked a little awkward.

It was mainly Fu Nanshuang’s group. In the past, they had often followed behind Zhong Ning, speaking sarcastically about Xie Shiqing behind her back. Now that the person herself was standing right in front of them, they didn’t quite know what to say.

The most absurd thing was that the very person who had led them in making those comments was now together with the supposed victim. If this were a novel, one might barely consider it a “mortal enemies turned lovers” trope, but in reality, the atmosphere was rather subtle.

They only had some collaborations with the Xie family through endorsements. They knew Xie Shiqing was formidable and had heard many stories about her, but they were not personally close. Today’s display of “truth” had nonetheless stunned everyone present.

Even four of them combined could not match her alone. They didn’t even know when Xie Shiqing had discovered this matter. During their own investigation, they hadn’t noticed anyone else looking into it. They had been utterly crushed. No wonder Xie Shiqing could not only maintain control of the Xie family but also develop it to its current standing. Her skills and strength were far beyond the ordinary.

For her to grasp everything so quickly, it was clear that she was paying very close attention to Zhong Ning, probably even knowing her daily activities.

Zhong Ning had said it was because Xie Shiqing “cared about her,” noticed her mood was off, and thus started investigating. Such words might fool someone currently falling in love.

But not these few.

For now, it seemed highly likely that Xie Shiqing was indeed very invested in Zhong Ning.

It was just that this possessiveness…

Zheng Xuan, being a company owner herself, maintained flawless demeanor and expression. She quickly engaged in small talk, saying a few polite words such as thank you, your relationship is really wonderful, and even brought up the topic of the engagement banquet.

Zhong Ning listened as their conversation shifted so quickly, soon reaching discussions about the band and food for the engagement banquet.

She turned her head. Xie Shiqing’s delicate face looked as though it had been crafted in a game, as if artificially modeled. The small mole beneath her eye moved with her smile, vibrant and alluring.

Love was unreasonable.

She loved Xie Shiqing, and Xie Shiqing loved her as well. She truly was the happiest person in the world.

Now that Xie Shiqing had intervened, they no longer needed to handle Zhang Min’s matter. After chatting for a while, Fu Nanshuang and the others tactfully suggested leaving, giving the two of them some space.

“Going home?” Xie Shiqing asked, smiling radiantly.

“I am.” Zhong Ning said, gazing at her without blinking. “I missed you so much.”

She missed her to the point it was almost unbearable.

Xie Shiqing merely smiled.

She did not respond to those words.

…

The matter with Zhang Min was resolved rather swiftly. This person was not someone decent to begin with, and the incident with Liu Rushi served as solid evidence.

Assistant Fang took full charge of the matter. Of course, she did not confront Zhang Min directly, but went straight to the Head of the Zhang family, demanding fifty million as compensation — both as hush money and an apology — which was handed over to Liu Rushi, neatly wrapping things up. The matter concerning Miaomiao was also buried, with the official explanation stating only that she was her sister.

Because of this incident, the Head of the Zhang family flew into a rage. She had known that Zhang Min was a troublemaker, but she had not expected her to be so brazen as to provoke someone from the Xie family.

Xie Shiqing might not necessarily be someone protective of her people, but she was certainly a capricious madwoman. No one could predict what she might do.

Since she had intervened, it was best to handle the matter according to her wishes.

In terms of influence, the Zhang family could not compare to the Xie family.

As a result, Zhang Min was confined to house arrest for six months. The Head of the Zhang family ordered her not to leave the house and to stay away from her usual crowd of friends.

She had no choice but to comply, though she did so reluctantly. A simple rape case did not involve enough people; Xie Shiqing’s goal was certainly not just to help Zhong Ning fulfill her wish.

What she wanted was the Zhang family itself. A mere Zhang Min could never satisfy her appetite. She needed to find another flaw through Zhang Min and take her time with it. Resolving the entire matter in a single day was simply impossible.

The key evidence had to be used at the most critical moment, to deliver a fatal blow.

…

The engagement banquet was held at Haiyue Restaurant. In terms of scale, this was practically the largest banquet in Fengcheng so far this year.

The hosts were two of the city’s top elite families.

Although the Xie family now had only Xie Shiqing as its sole heir, no one could deny her power and status. The Xie family owed everything it had today to her efforts alone.

The Zhong family needed no further elaboration. Zhong Li was an old fox in the business world, a smiling tiger. Making money seemed like an innate talent for her. This vast family enterprise was a commercial empire she had built from scratch, created entirely by her own hands.

This was merely an engagement banquet — no reporters were invited, and there would be no media coverage — but everyone in the inner circle knew what it signified. No one wanted to miss it.

It was not just a banquet, but a ticket — proof of one’s status and connections.

If one wasn’t even qualified to attend, how could they have the nerve to claim they had stepped into high society?

The night before, Zhong Ning had been overwhelmed with excitement, chattering endlessly to Xie Shiqing, until the latter finally dragged her into bed and shut her up the most direct way.

Zhong Ning was already quite adept when it came to intimacy. Though her experience was not extensive, it didn’t matter — after all, she only needed to pay attention to one person’s preferences.

Her memory wasn’t bad, but more importantly, she was attentive.

She remembered clearly what positions Xie Shiqing liked, the frequency, the angles, and all the sensitive spots on her body.

Yet they had never slept together after.

After it ended, Xie Shiqing would go take a shower. She never took the initiative to ask Zhong Ning to stay the night. Zhong Ning could only suppress the feelings of disappointment and reluctance in her heart and return to her own room to wash up.

And she would comfort herself by saying: this is good too.

After all, she had always slept alone since she was a child. Suddenly sharing a bed with someone would naturally feel unfamiliar. Sleeping apart and giving each other enough space — that was something many couples did.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep