Chapter 27
The angrier she became, the sweeter Xie Shiqing's smile grew. Her red lips bloomed like a flower as she softly said, "Yes, I was just joking."
"I can't see, I'm blind. There's no such thing as liking or not liking. Just pick one for me."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Ning put down the invitation card.
She was indeed someone who reacted slowly—or rather, because she was constantly surrounded by kindness and goodwill, Zhong Ning had gradually lost the ability to discern malice.
But her natural kindness made her particularly sensitive to self-deprecating tones, and that often meant someone needed help.
Xie Shiqing was someone with very high self-esteem and high sensitivity. She cared deeply about her blindness, and even the slightest hint of pity was perceived as an insult. Under normal circumstances, she would never casually utter the word "blind."
Even if she had to mention it, she would use gentler alternatives like "visually impaired," "loss of sight," or "can't see," rather than the somewhat derogatory term "blind."
"What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?" Zhong Ning softened her tone and looked at her intently. "Do you want to talk to me about it? I'm willing to be your sounding board."
"In a bad mood?" Xie Shiqing gave a snort, almost like a laugh. "How could that be? Why would I be in a bad mood?"
"Are you really not?" Zhong Ning asked with concern.
"No. You're overthinking it," said Xie Shiqing.
"Alright then, but if you ever feel down and need someone to talk to, you can come find me," Zhong Ning said. "I'd be more than happy to listen to your troubles."
After speaking, she lowered her head again to look at the invitation cards. Considering that Xie Shiqing couldn’t see, she described the general style and differences of each one out loud, and finally asked if she liked any of them.
Xie Shiqing was truly amused with anger.
She said it wasn’t a problem, and Zhong Ning really believed it wasn’t? Could she be getting back at her on purpose? With a one-hundred-percent pheromone match between them, it was as if an invisible red string had tied around their wrists. The desire for each other ran deep.
She had been marked for the first time, and her heat hadn’t yet passed. Did Zhong Ning think that it was over? The rising body temperature, the unconscious leaning closer—all were signs of being in heat.
They hadn’t slept together the previous night. Zhong Ning was definitely retaliating, pretending not to understand her words.
A servant came over and said lunch was ready. Xie Shiqing gave a cold laugh. "Not eating."
She lifted her leg and went upstairs.
Zhong Ning, always a beat behind, found this a bit strange. Most importantly—how could someone skip a meal!
Xie Shiqing took the elevator upstairs. Zhong Ning took the stairs and was slower. By the time she got up, the door was already closed.
Knock knock knock.
Zhong Ning said, "Are you not going to eat? We have three delicacies soup for lunch today. It’s really good."
There was no response from inside.
She wasn’t sure if it was because the omega didn’t want to talk, or if the soundproofing was too good and she simply hadn’t heard her.
But since she didn’t come to open the door, it was probably because she didn’t want to eat.
Zhong Ning went downstairs by herself and slowly ate her lunch.
Xie Shiqing did suffer from a lack of appetite; the doctor had mentioned it, and Zhong Ning could see it too. Getting her to eat even a little was like picking flowers on the highest mountain top.
Little did she know, for the past two days, it had already been a remarkable thing that Xie Shiqing ate every meal. Before that, she only eats once a day at most and relied on nutritional injections to sustain herself.
So was she upset, or was it a loss of appetite?
Zhong Ning couldn’t figure it out. She thought they had been getting along quite well. After thinking it over, she couldn’t recall saying anything wrong.
After hesitating for a while, she opened Fu Nanshuang’s chat window.
Lately, among all her friends, she had been in contact with Fu Nanshuang the most.
Fu Nanshuang had a bold and impulsive personality, but she wasn’t a bad person at heart. In fact, her values aligned quite well with Zhong Ning’s.
They couldn’t be called bosom friends, but in Zhong Ning’s eyes, she was definitely closer than the others. Fu Nanshuang’s dislike toward Xie Shiqing was partly due to the original owner. Now that Zhong Ning said she liked Xie Shiqing, Fu Nanshuang also changed her attitude.
Fu Nanshuang had been in relationships before and had far more experience than her. When it came to emotional problems she couldn’t handle herself, of course she had to consult the full-time on-duty advisor.
Zhong Ning explained everything that had just happened and asked:
【Do you think she’s angry?】
Fu Nanshuang replied in seconds:
【……】
【You really are slow huh】
Zhong Ning was confused:
【Huh?】
Fu Nanshuang:
【She was obviously jealous! Seriously, you don’t understand an omega’s thoughts at all. She asked about perfume on the cat—that meant you had someone else’s scent on you.】
【Omegas are especially sensitive and prone to overthinking during their heat. Go take a shower and apologize immediately.】
Zhong Ning:
【！！！】
Zhong Ning:
【So that’s what it was! Thank you, Nanshuang! I’m so glad I have you! I’ll go shower right now!】
A sports car raced down the track like a cheetah, the deep growl of its engine sending a rush of adrenaline.
The woman in the passenger seat kept her head down, typing away on her phone. Her wine-red curls cascaded over her shoulders like a blooming rose.
She ignored the blaring rock music and didn’t even notice when the car slowed down and stopped by the roadside.
"Who are you chatting with so intently?" asked the short-haired, cool-looking woman in the driver’s seat.
"Who else could it be?" Fu Nanshuang replied helplessly.
Zheng Xuan let out a snort. "I’m exhausted from driving. Not gonna speed anymore." After a pause, she added, "Zhong Ning’s really getting married? Doesn’t seem like her."
"She said she likes Xie Shiqing." Fu Nanshuang lowered her eyes, looking at the thank-you message on her phone screen.
【Don’t thank me. As long as you’re happy.】
She cast a sidelong glance at the driver. "All you used to say was that you’d rather die than get married. And now…"
Zheng Xuan responded with pride rather than shame. "My wife is adorable! Lucky I confessed early, or else I’d be doomed. That Wu family girl—if it hadn’t been for that time…"
Hearing the one hundred and eightieth retelling of this damsel-in-distress love story, Fu Nanshuang rolled her eyes.