Chapter 82

Sharing a secret was equivalent to handing over one’s life. She wasn’t that insane.

In her panic, their legs got tangled together, and they lost their balance.

In the blink of an eye, Zhong Ning yanked Xie Shiqing’s arm, pulling her down onto herself, giving her an unreserved elbow strike. She herself also lost the chance to react and, completely unprepared, hit the floor hard.

The sound was so loud, it was as if a great drum had been struck, producing a dull thump.

A sharp pain shot up from the back of her head. Zhong Ning was directly stunned by the fall. She stared blankly at the ceiling, eyes wide open, not even managing to cry out in pain right away.

Xie Shiqing’s face turned pale in an instant.

She frantically groped about, both hands moving up along Zhong Ning’s body, searching for the back of her head. A single tear that had been trapped in her eye finally fell onto Zhong Ning’s face.

“Ning Ning? Ning Ning! Are you alright?”

“Hiss…” Zhong Ning sucked in a breath. “It hurts so much…”

Xie Shiqing quickly withdrew her hand and reached for the watch on her right wrist, pressing it a few times. “Call the doctor right away. Ning Ning hit her head.”

“I’m fine, just a little dizzy. If I lie down for a while, I’ll be okay,” Zhong Ning said with difficulty.

“How can you say you’re fine when you’ve been knocked out!” Xie Shiqing harshly scolded her for trying to get up, pressing her palm firmly on her shoulder.

She had never spoken in such a severe tone before. It was no exaggeration to say that Zhong Ning trembled on the spot, thoroughly startled. She didn’t dare to move again and obediently lay there, waiting for the family doctor to arrive.

“…Why did you cover my mouth?” Her vision was spinning, and her stomach hurt as well. To distract herself, Zhong Ning chose to pick up the words she hadn’t finished. “Just now, I wanted to say…”

“Don’t!” Xie Shiqing shouted, her voice piercingly loud. Then she forced a smile, as if to smooth things over. “I know. I know you love me very much, Ning Ning. I know.”

She held Zhong Ning’s hand, her mind working at full speed to weave together some fitting excuse, trying to skip over the topic and put an end to it.

She couldn’t care about twisting the truth or manipulating that clever tongue of hers to tamper with Zhong Ning’s memory, making her believe she had done something wrong.

Xie Shiqing was so frightened she couldn’t squeeze out another tear. She could only soften her slightly nasal voice and gently say, “My eyes can’t see, but my heart isn’t blind. I can feel all the kindness you show me.”

“Only, I was too afraid. I didn’t understand why you suddenly fell in love with me. I was even more afraid that you’d take it back. When that time comes, what should I do…”

“If having it means I will lose it, I’d rather never have owned it at all.”

She knelt down, cupping Zhong Ning’s hand, rubbing her cheek against her palm, and sighed softly. “I’m a cowardly person, a weak person who only thinks about self-preservation, forgetting that this would hurt you.”

“Will you forgive me? Ning Ning, will you still love me? Would you be willing to wait for me to change?”

The hem of Xie Shiqing’s red dress spread out on the floor like a glass of spilled red wine, like a petal that had fallen from its branch. The tip of her nose was faintly red, and her soft lips and thick eyelashes brushed across Zhong Ning’s palm.

Zhong Ning was dizzy, as if there were frosted glass before her eyes. “I’m willing…”

“This isn’t your fault.” she said, as tolerant as ever, like a piece of dough without temper. As long as there was a reason, she could forgive it.

But Xie Shiqing no longer believed that Zhong Ning’s character was truly like this. She knew this was someone with an absolute bottom line.

If something ever crossed that line, she would be so resolute that even the calmest person would feel ashamed in comparison.

“Your past experiences made you used to hiding everything in your heart. That’s alright.” Zhong Ning shifted her gaze, forgetting the discomfort in her body. “As long as we like each other, all these difficulties can be overcome.”

“I’m also a timid person, afraid of getting hurt. I’m not as fearless as I seem. Just now, I only wanted to tell you this. We are the same. Love makes people anxious about gains and losses. So, don’t be afraid. I’ll stay by your side, get rid of all my bad habits, and we’ll become better together.”

Everyone made mistakes. As long as one realized them and corrected them, there was no problem.

She truly felt happy that Xie Shiqing was willing to take this step. There was an emotional bond between them.

Zhong Ning was actually very afraid she wouldn’t agree, but even if such a scene really happened, she wouldn’t have taken back her words or regretted it.

As long as she could leave the original environment, sadness and sorrow could be healed by time. She wasn’t someone who would let herself wallow in pain.

No matter how reluctant, Zhong Ning would still propose a breakup and leave without looking back.

After listening to her, Xie Shiqing fell into a long silence. She opened her mouth, and the words tumbled out one by one. “Just now… you were only going to say this?”

Zhong Ning replied dizzily, “Yes…”

Even in this state, she hadn’t forgotten to play the role of spiritual mentor, mumbling, “Don’t be afraid to face your own heart and fears. Everyone has moments of weakness. As long as we work hard together…”

Xie Shiqing no longer wanted to hear any of it. All those inspirational sayings went in her left ear and out her right.

Only one thought repeated endlessly in her mind: I was overthinking it!

She held Zhong Ning’s hand in silence, muttering a few vague responses, not knowing what else to say.

So Zhong Ning had never intended to confess anything. It was all her own imagination, panicking and interrupting her again and again to stop her from speaking, making the whole thing look like a ridiculous farce, even leading to such a big misunderstanding.

She had completely overthought! She had been self-indulgent!

The other person hadn’t even had such thoughts to begin with.

She was now a little embarrassed and angry.

No, it was an overwhelming embarrassment and anger.

At this moment, the family doctor came rushing in, carrying a medical kit. He first greeted Xie Shiqing and then looked at Zhong Ning, crouching down to ask, “Miss Zhong, how are you feeling now? Are you dizzy? Any nausea?”

Zhong Ning answered honestly, “I’m dizzy, it hurts a lot, no nausea, but there’s some ringing in my ears, like someone is arguing inside my head.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep