Chapter 79

She wore a cinnabar-red cotton-linen cheongsam, sitting properly in the chair. A small orange tree stretched its branches and leaves over the desk, bringing vitality to the simply decorated study and softening her overly exquisite appearance.

“It was me.”

“Why did you come back? Didn’t you say you were going to the Fu family gathering?” Xie Shiqing asked with a light laugh.

Her brows and eyes were also relaxed, calm, the tail of her voice lifting gently, her tone cheerful, showing her good mood.

Zhong Ning looked at her dazzling features, and a pang struck her heart. “I want to talk to you.”

Xie Shiqing immediately sensed the change in her tone, and the smile on her face slowly faded. “What’s wrong, Ning Ning?”

Her eyes were dark and deep, the light reflected in her dull pupils like some smoldering dark fire. She gazed over quietly, as if she wanted to burn every person who dared look into those eyes.

Zhong Ning took a step back, her palm pressing against the cold door panel. Her heart grew heavy again—not because she feared that gaze, but because she instinctively dreaded the act of tearing down the last barrier between them. She feared the unknown.

But she still took a deep breath and walked step by step to the other side of the desk. She looked straight at the other woman and said softly, “I have two questions I want to ask you.”

“Have you never trusted me? In your heart, what am I really?”

Xie Shiqing was stunned.

It wasn’t an act. It was genuine, so much so that she opened her mouth but couldn’t speak right away. After a while, she furrowed her brows in confusion and smiled faintly. “Ning Ning, what are you saying? I don’t understand.”

Such a beautiful person, such soft lips, such a sweet voice—how could she say something so absurd?

Zhong Ning calmly gazed at her. “You really don’t know?”

“The leak of the ‘Lunar Rescue’ film source—was that something you deliberately did? All the reports said it was fake, not real, but when I asked you about it, you never told me anything.”

Without pause, she continued, “Was it because you thought I couldn’t keep a secret?”

“You and Dr. Qi are relatives, but after all this time, we’ve never formally met together, not as doctor and patient, but as family, sitting down to share a meal.”

“Shiqing, in your heart, where exactly am I? Have you ever regarded me as the partner and family you wanted to spend your life with?”

Her words were not rushed. Every syllable was clear, as though she was simply asking, tossing out a question, hoping someone would give her an answer.

But the calmer she was, the heavier Xie Shiqing’s heart grew.

Because this wasn’t some hysterical outburst, nor a moment of impulse. It was a decision she had reached after long deliberation.

The joy of a successful retaliation receded, and Xie Shiqing fell into a brief silence.

She had indeed become a little too carried away.

Zhong Ning indeed was not a quick-witted or sharp person, but she was far from foolish. On the contrary, she had her own principles and her own way of dealing with people and situations. She did not possess the kind of crooked “cleverness” that relied on petty schemes or little tricks.

She was a person who conducted herself with dignity.

But precisely such a person could not tolerate even a speck of sand in her eyes.

Toward all things, she had her own judgment, and she only interacted with people who met her standards.

Once someone crossed the line, it was almost unforgivable.

Now, she had brought her own standard to measure herself. Once she received the wrong answer, Xie Shiqing could already imagine what would come next.

Between them, there likely would be no good outcome.

Xie Shiqing was a smart person. She realized this almost immediately, but she still did not adopt a posture of explanation.

Because she was also an arrogant person.

Why?

Why should she have to rush to explain herself the moment Zhong Ning came to question her? Why should she have to humble herself? Did Zhong Ning think she really needed her so badly? That no one else could take her place?

Xie Shiqing almost wanted to throw her head back and laugh, to mock Zhong Ning’s self-righteousness and naivety. Where did she get such confidence? What did she rely on? Did she think she could use the threat of leaving to coerce her?

What a joke!

Her eyes were dark and sunken, yet she did not directly tell Zhong Ning to leave, still putting on an air of perfect reason.

She could have just said all her thoughts outright, and Zhong Ning would definitely have turned around and left, never again daring to come question her so brazenly.

But she didn’t.

For some reason that Xie Shiqing was unwilling to examine too closely, she sank into an anxious silence.

“I want to hear your answer, Shiqing.” In Zhong Ning’s calm gaze, a trace of hurt slowly spread. “You really don’t want to say anything?”

Still silence.

Zhong Ning took a step back, slowly lowering her eyes. Her voice was so light, it was like a wisp of cloud. “Fine, I understand.”

“The research on the tranquilizer—Dr. Qi said it will probably succeed after one more visit. I will still go. As for the Zhong family’s matters, I’m afraid I can’t continue. It’s my fault for breaking my promise. Let’s consider it even.”

Zhong Ning’s face was deathly pale, as if all the color had drained away in that instant. She didn’t even know where she found the clarity of mind. Perhaps there really was some transcendent consciousness that could take over her body when she was on the verge of collapse, allowing her to speak every word she wanted to say with perfect clarity.

“Once all the procedures are handled, I will try to leave Fengcheng within a week…”

Xie Shiqing almost panicked as she interrupted her. “What did you say? You’re leaving—leaving just like that?”

The instinctive retort left her lips, and the realization struck her like a bolt of lightning—Zhong Ning had no ties or people she cared about in this place. Of course she could leave.

She was not someone from this world. She had no attachments here. She stayed by her side only because she liked her, only because of her expectations and requests, she did those things she didn’t actually like.

She and Zhong Ning were complete opposites. The kind of “cleverness” Zhong Ning lacked, she possessed in abundance.

So Xie Shiqing knew that this person did not have much desire. Her original family background probably never reached the current level, which was why she often showed confusion and constraint—because she had never come into contact with these things.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep