Chapter 83

“Cannot rule out the possibility of a mild concussion.” The family doctor said, “Further examination is needed.”

Xie Shiqing responded with an acknowledgment. She stepped aside, just in time to compose her emotions and control her expression.

Otherwise, she truly feared she might lose control of her facial muscles or blurt out something inappropriate.

She had thought she understood Zhong Ning, believed she was a simple, kind, and dull person. This perception could not be called wrong, but it was certainly not complete.

Everything that happened today had indeed taught her a proper lesson.

Coming to the window, Xie Shiqing heard the doctor instruct the servants to help Zhong Ning up and lay her down on the couch.

She had clearly cried for a long time, sobbing as if there were no tomorrow, more torrential than a breached dam.

But at this moment, there were no tear stains on her face. She spoke with clear articulation, and only the faint redness around her eyes revealed a trace different from her usual appearance.

Yet Zhong Ning had fallen hard. Anyone witnessing this would merely assume it was a sign of worry. No one would imagine that the head of the Xie family was someone who could shed tears.

One must not be fooled by how Xie Shiqing occasionally squeezed out a few tears in front of Zhong Ning, acting pitiful, putting on a performance of “I am so miserable.” She was completely unlike this in front of others.

Although she always disliked how Zhong Ning was a hopeless do-gooder, saying she had no boundaries, no principles, no temper, in truth, Xie Shiqing, deep down, still placed Zhong Ning in a position different from anyone else. That was why she deliberately used these little tricks on her.

She always told herself this was merely convenient and efficient anyway. Zhong Ning was so foolish that if she dropped a couple of tears, she would believe whatever she said.

Portraying herself as a helpless, pitiful creature to gain Zhong Ning’s concern and affection.

Xie Shiqing truly never tired of it.

However… what happened today had indeed caught her completely off guard.

In fact, Zhong Ning’s questioning was not wrong in the slightest. Among the words she had replied with, some were true and some false. The truest sentence was that one—”I can’t trust you, and I can’t trust anyone.”

But if she had to revise it, it was not that she could not trust, but that she was unwilling to trust, did not want to trust.

She also never thought she needed friends.

Confiding one’s heart was something only the emotionally weak would do—encountering a bit of setback and expecting the comfort and approval of others. She did not need that.

She was strong enough and did not require anyone’s recognition. It was others who ought to seek her approval instead.

Zhong Ning fell asleep again. The doctor said this was normal. She would be prone to drowsiness in the coming days and needed ample rest. The butler responded at the side, asking Xie Shiqing if she wanted to grant her a few days’ leave.

Xie Shiqing gave a soft acknowledgment.

She thought Zhong Ning was very foolish and not observant enough. The Zhong family’s malice was practically laid out on their faces, served plainly on the table, yet she never noticed.

The leak of the Lunar Rescue film source—this entire incident—she had personally orchestrated. She hadn’t told Zhong Ning, and Xie Shiqing felt no guilt in her heart. Wasn’t Zhong Ning merely a tool for her to use? What was there to feel sorry about?

Moreover, she had genuinely believed that Zhong Ning would never find out. Once the matter was resolved, she would only foolishly rejoice.

This was perfectly normal, wasn’t it? She hadn’t even noticed the Zhong family’s affairs. By the same logic, her own judgment was completely reasonable.

Zhong Ning was simply this foolish!

But unexpectedly, she had miscalculated.

Zhong Ning had suddenly become sharp and sensitive, and had struck right at the heart of the matter, accurately voicing her true thoughts in one sentence.

Perhaps this was what people called hidden wisdom beneath a simple appearance?

Or perhaps her dullness toward the Zhong family was simply because she didn’t care.

Raising her hand to rub the space between her brows, Xie Shiqing felt a hint of trouble. Even though this incident could be considered over, it was clear Zhong Ning would not truly let it go.

It was obvious that she had to resolve the crisis of trust between them.

Xie Shiqing began to feel this was thorny.

The thought of directly refusing and tearing away all pretense had just surfaced when she quickly extinguished it herself.

She knew that Zhong Ning would, as she had promised, keep her word and help advance the development of the tranquilizer. From then on, Pheromone Imbalance Disorder would no longer be an incurable condition that haunted Xie Shiqing.

But no.

Zhong Ning could not leave.

No.

It was because… Xie Shiqing sat down beside the small couch, unconsciously kneading Zhong Ning’s finger joints, the pads of her fingers tracing circles around her wrist, sinking into deep contemplation.

She still needed Zhong Ning’s help to deal with the Zhong family. That was right—yes, precisely this.

Zhong Ning still had great use; she could not be allowed to leave.

She had not yet exhausted all the value she could extract from this person—how could she possibly let her go?

Having found herself a perfect justification, Xie Shiqing could not help but smile with satisfaction, as if she had completely forgotten how, when she first returned to this life, she had never intended to get entangled with “Zhong Ning,” and had planned to deal with the Zhong family by herself.

She pondered that, probably starting today, she would have to change her attitude toward Zhong Ning. She could no longer simply brush her off so casually.

She had thought Zhong Ning was a spineless romantic fool. As it turned out, she had been wrong and had underestimated her.

When you treated others as idiots, in the end, you only made a clown of yourself.

As for confessing everything…

Feeling annoyed, Xie Shiqing clicked her tongue. She wanted to grab Zhong Ning’s cheeks and pinch them hard to vent her frustration, but when she saw how weak she looked now, she still refrained.

When Zhong Ning woke up, there was no one at her side, but a portable call bell had been considerately placed nearby. As long as she pressed it, a servant would come at once.

The study window was open, the curtain lifted by the breeze, billowing in the room like a flowing ribbon of color. Outside, the morning light was faintly bright, heralding the signs of good weather.

Rich rose fragrance drifted in through the window. Zhong Ning lay there in a daze for a while before her memories returned to her mind and reconnected with her awareness.

She let out a low groan, the backs of her hands pressed against her face, her thumbs rubbing over her eyes as she roughly kneaded her own cheeks.

Help… she still felt so dizzy.

And though she hadn’t been nauseous before, now she actually felt like vomiting. Zhong Ning bit the tip of her tongue and realized she was craving something sour.

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