Chapter 53

Zhong Ning divided her attention, listening to the chairmen exchange pleasantries while pondering over the matter.

It was worth considering.

As both an elder and the Xie family’s closest business partner—holding equal status—Zhong Lin found the right moment, then stepped in at just the right time to interrupt the conversation.

“It’s time for the speech,” she said.

The speech had long been prepared. Zhong Ning had memorized a copy, and it had been personally drafted by Xie Shiqing—flawless in every word.

After all, it was an engagement banquet. The topics were nothing profound, mostly touching on their relationship, such as “frequent contact in the past,” “a longstanding friendship,” and “feelings that grew over time.”

No matter the scripted words, applause was inevitable.

Zhong Lin spoke even more, reminiscing about the two members of the Xie family who had passed away unexpectedly, taking a deeply emotional route. Quite a few people wiped at the corners of their eyes, wearing looks of having been moved.

Everyone here was a master performer.

Zhong Ning inevitably saw Zhong Zinuan. As members of the Zhong family, there was no avoiding one another.

The moment she saw her, flames of fury ignited in Zhong Zinuan’s eyes. Xie Shiqing’s words had stopped her from launching an interrogation, but they couldn’t make her pretend to be cordial.

None of the surrounding guests felt anything was amiss.

The two Zhong daughters had always been at odds—wasn’t that common knowledge?

Their information network wasn’t so refined that they could keep up with other families’ affairs. They hadn’t heard that Zhong Ning had recently become “friendly.” So when they saw this current hostility, they simply took it as normal and familiar.

Zhong Ning’s explosive temper and her tendency to show a sour face to Zhong Zinuan in public were long-established. Even if they hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, everyone had certainly heard of her legendary deeds.

Not to mention the Zhong family’s old gossip—years ago, it had already spread throughout the entire social circle.

In terms of sheer explosiveness, it actually couldn’t compare to the Fu family’s two daughters. But the Zhong family had a death on their record, and Zhong Ning would, every now and then, offer up fresh new topics.

Zhong Zinuan, however, was impeccably dressed, showing not a trace of the madness from the staircase earlier. She wore a teal, modern Chinese-style ceremonial dress, with a jade bracelet around her wrist that made her skin appear like white lotus root. Her earrings were also made of gradient teal silk threads, resembling a leaf of bamboo.

From head to toe, everything about her outward appearance seemed to spell only one word: gentle.

Standing beside her was Le Xi, her current girlfriend. The two walked over arm in arm, looking like a match made in heaven.

Someone even half-jokingly, half-sincerely asked when their wedding would be held, but both brushed it off with a “we’re still considering it.”

They walked together toward Zhong Ning. Zhong Zinuan wore a smile that looked perfectly sincere. “Little Ning, attending your own engagement party—are you nervous?”

Zhong Ning could no longer associate that gentle face with any notion of concern. All she saw was something repulsive, and she truly wanted to roll her eyes a dozen times.

Boiling with rage, she forced the words through gritted teeth. “You still dare to come over?”

Xie Shiqing grabbed Zhong Ning’s arm and gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze. Taking the initiative, she said with a cheerful smile, “Thanks to you, she’s not nervous at all. Just now, Ning Ning asked me where her sister went. She really missed you, didn’t you, Ning Ning?”

Zhong Ning’s expression froze, her glare fixed on Zhong Zinuan. If only her eyes could turn into knives and slice the woman down, she would have done it already.

Only when Xie Shiqing gave her hand a small shake did she grudgingly nod her head.

Zhong Zinuan’s smile faltered for a brief second.

Truthfully, she hadn’t wanted Zhong Ning to catch what had just happened. Who would like having the secrets buried in their heart exposed? Their identities were complicated to begin with, and if this incident blew up, it would be even more dramatic than a primetime soap opera.

Beyond that, there was another reason—she was genuinely afraid this person might lose control and act out recklessly.

This was a banquet, after all. The venue was packed with guests, and all the prominent figures of Fengcheng were here. If Zhong Ning really ignored the setting and slapped her again like before, she might as well not exist anymore.

The key was—she truly couldn’t guarantee that Zhong Ning would endure it and pretend nothing had happened.

Only people who cared about appearances minded their image. Zhong Ning had no regard for such things, and the public persona others viewed her through was just another shackle and weakness.

If she were truly that unhinged, she wouldn’t have pulled Xie Shiqing aside to speak in the secluded stairwell.

That had been a moment of overwhelming emotion, a loss of control.

Now that she had calmed down, she deeply regretted it.

The Zhong family—she was determined to have it. Xie Shiqing—the one she longed for but couldn’t obtain—she wanted her too.

Zhong Zinuan’s gaze dimmed for a fleeting moment.

She had originally wanted to avoid Zhong Ning, but her identity forced her to come. Zhong Ning could go the entire banquet without giving her a pleasant expression, but she, on the other hand, had to take the initiative to approach and speak, to present herself as the picture of gentleness.

Now, Zhong Ning’s expression was downright awful, and Zhong Zinuan’s cheeks were beginning to ache faintly from the tension.

Le Xi, however, had no intention of leaving. As a young entrepreneur and the heir to the Le family, she was more than happy to build ties with Xie Shiqing—especially now that both of them had connections to the Zhong family.

As for the conflict between Zhong Zinuan and Zhong Ning, she didn’t think it had anything to do with her or would affect her cooperation with Xie Shiqing. They were all businesspeople—emotions had no place in their vocabulary.

Lately, Le Xi has been focusing her work on a newly developed short-video app. If she could get celebrities to join the platform, it would be a massive advertising boost.

Her company had already discussed the possibility with agents from the Xie Corporation, though nothing had been finalized. Now that she had the chance to meet the chairwoman of the Xie Corporation in person, she wanted to seize the opportunity.

And so, the two of them began to chat.

Xie Shiqing was an excellent actress. When facing an enemy, as long as it served her interests, she could maintain the most poised and appropriate demeanor.

As a result, the scene became increasingly awkward. Zhong Zinuan wanted to leave, but she couldn’t. Zhong Ning glared at her with blazing fury, her gaze sharp and fierce, like she was looking at a criminal she could dismember piece by piece.

Even with Zhong Zinuan’s cultivated composure, the muscles in her face were starting to tighten.

Just then, Fu Nanshuang and her group walked over. As friends of Zhong Ning, their looks toward Zhong Zinuan were equally unfriendly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep