Chapter 65

It was a very classic sci-fi film, but the director and actors hired for it were all very famous. The director was extremely skilled at making horror films, and the cast was made up of veteran actors and big names. Just based on this lineup, it was guaranteed to be good, and could be called the most anticipated domestic film of the year.

The promotions stated that Xie Corporation had invested nearly over a billion yuan in this sci-fi movie, aiming for the international market and awards. The special effects team was also hired at a high cost, and several post-production rendering videos were released. Whether it was the airships, spaceships, or monsters, they were all extremely realistic, with grand scenes.

If the film source got leaked and pirated versions circulated on the market ahead of release, who would still go to the theater to watch it? Losing money would be a certainty.

With over a billion invested, even the richest man would tremble, not to mention the subsequent losses, which were astronomical.

Zhong Ning panicked too. She didn’t even have time to sit down and immediately took out her phone to check Weibo for news.

The film source wouldn’t leak for no reason; usually, there was an insider. If there was no news about it online, then things were still within a controllable range. Perhaps with some money, the insider could be stabilized and prevented from uploading it online.

Zhong Ning had no appetite to eat, postponed her livestream, and paced anxiously in the living room. Yet she couldn’t do anything, only worry helplessly.

She had the common sense not to speak of such confidential matters, keeping it to herself.

The sofa seemed like it had nails hidden in it. As soon as Zhong Ning sat down, she would bounce back up.

She simply couldn’t sit still.

The butler, with a clear and calm gaze, brought over a plate of sliced mangoes. “Miss Zhong, have some fruit.”

This was Zhong Ning’s favorite fruit, but at this moment, it tasted bland. Her face drooped with disinterest, even a strand of her light blue dyed hair seemed to darken, as if someone had turned down its brightness separately. Everyone and everything in the villa appeared bright and shiny, except for her, looking like a little gray mushroom on a rainy day.

“You eat it. I don’t want any.”

Behind her glasses, the butler silently observed Zhong Ning.

She didn’t have Xie Shiqing’s extraordinary experience. Her scientific worldview couldn’t make her associate Zhong Ning’s changes with something as fantastical as a soul switch. But after this period of close interaction and observation, she had to admit that Zhong Ning had indeed changed.

This crisis was a grand scheme personally orchestrated by Xie Shiqing, aimed at fishing out the hidden mole and bribed spy within the company.

Only a few people knew the truth, and Zhong Ning was clearly not among them.

The butler could tell that this young woman had already fallen completely in love, sweetly immersed in it with no intention of escaping. But her master’s feelings were different; her closeness remained superficial.

Yet Zhong Ning didn’t notice.

The butler took the mangoes away and returned them to the chef.

She wouldn’t remind her. She wasn’t part of the Zhong family.

As expected, Xie Shiqing came back very late. Her brows and eyes were filled with exhaustion. She barely touched dinner, as if overnight, she had returned to her old self.

She didn’t say much, not even the usual goodnight kiss. After dinner, she returned to her room on her own.

Looking at her slender back, Zhong Ning felt countless stings of pain in her heart.

For the first time, she felt so useless. So what if she was lucky? She couldn’t help at all.

Compared to Xie Shiqing, she practically knew nothing.

Zhong Ning recalled the engagement banquet that day, when Xie Shiqing spoke confidently and became the center of attention.

She, who had never known self-abasement, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if pricked by needles.

No, one must not wallow in self-pity.

Indeed, she didn’t know how to handle business matters, but that didn’t mean she was completely worthless. Everyone had their own strengths. How could one completely deny oneself just because of one shortcoming?

Think, think about what she could do. Think about what she was good at.

Zhong Ning returned to her room, pulled down all the throw pillows from the sofa and laid them on the floor in a circle. She took out her phone to determine the cardinal directions, then sat cross-legged in the center, fixed her gaze, and began chanting.

“The film source leak will be safely and perfectly resolved, the film source leak will be safely and perfectly resolved, the film source leak will be safely and perfectly resolved…”

What was she best at? Of course, it was her strong luck as a jackpot queen!

From experience, eight out of ten times it worked. It wasn’t for herself, but for friends who asked for her help as well.

They were all minor wishes, like having a crush return feelings, guessing the right topics on exams, or retrieving lost cameras.

Please come true quickly.

Her good luck could be shared with those around her. Xie Shiqing was the person she liked, so of course, it could be shared.

Please come true quickly.

After chanting like this for over ten minutes, Zhong Ning got up, went downstairs, and planned to make a dessert she was skilled at—mango pomelo sago—to bring upstairs.

She was a mango fanatic and naturally loved this dessert as well, especially since it was simple to make, easy enough even for a kitchen novice.

The store-bought mango pomelo sago was expensive, but homemade versions were big and generous, so Zhong Ning had learned to make it.

She had recently asked the kitchen to prepare some, so the ingredients were still available. She cooked the sago, mixed coconut milk and regular milk, peeled the sweet and sour pomelo, cut the mango into small cubes, and blended part of it into a puree.

Finally, she mixed in the cooked sago, and it was done.

It was an almost effortless dessert, but the taste was excellent.

Zhong Ning crushed two ice cubes, mixed the ice shavings in to save on refrigeration time, and carried it straight upstairs after finishing.

She knocked twice on the door, very lightly. This was their agreed signal—if the knocking sounded like this, it meant it was her.

After a moment, the door opened. Xie Shiqing stood there in a thin white nightdress, her hair down, the scent of shower gel lingering on her. The lighting in the room was dim, with only the wall lamp glowing, like the last rays of sunset, casting a hazy light.

She looked like a princess in a castle, half her face hidden in the shadows, like an oil painting.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep