Chapter 42
There were scratches on the surveillance footage before and after, but only this so-called "evidence" in the middle was spotless, because it had been inserted later as a fabricated recording meant to frame someone.
"Dr. Zhu has been dismissed from the Second People's Hospital for accepting bribes and privately altering examination results," Xie Shiqing said unhurriedly.
It was this Dr. Zhu who had done her paternity test!
Zhong Ning stared in astonishment, her mouth agape, looking at Xie Shiqing as if she were witnessing a miracle. At that moment, in her heart, the omega was no less than a divine being.
"You... how did you manage all this?" Her words tumbled out incoherently, sheer joy and euphoria bursting from her. She felt like running ten laps, swinging in the trees like a monkey, howling in the street.
"Oh my god... I really... oh my god..."
"You've been acting absent-minded lately. I may be blind, but I'm not brain-dead. So I had someone look into it," Xie Shiqing said lightly. "Fortunately, it was quite easy."
And also quite surprising—even shocking—to her.
Zhong Ning genuinely intended to take responsibility, to give up the engagement, to forfeit the Xie Corporation's shares, and become a conscientious, responsible person.
She truly, truly wasn’t Zhong Ning.
It was as if a puzzle had finally been completed with the last piece in place. All doubts were answered the moment Zhong Ning said those words.
The person standing before her was absolutely not Zhong Ning. No doubt about it.
The real Zhong Ning would have begged her not to give up the engagement and treated Liu Rushi and her daughter with nothing but cold indifference, never any respect. She had no capacity for the better sides of human nature—only a warped psyche that made her a twisted person.
Toward Miaomiao, she would only feel hatred and guilt, but never love.
Xie Shiqing couldn’t quite grasp her own feelings. Knowing this conclusion, then thinking back on every word and action of this person, everything now felt different, leaving her dazed, almost forgetting how to speak.
"Scared you, didn’t I?" After a pause, Xie Shiqing said awkwardly, trying to offer some comfort.
The reply she got was a hug—firm, close, leaving no space between them, as if wanting to merge into one.
The violent heartbeat thudded through the fabric, shaking against her chest. The embrace trembled slightly, paired with short gasps and muffled sobs. "...I really thought I was going to lose you."
—And the joy of surviving a disaster.
"Thank you, Shiqing, thank you." Zhong Ning said, burying her face into the crook of her neck, unwilling to let go for a long time.
Xie Shiqing suddenly felt a deep sense of regret.
She really wanted to know—what kind of expression Zhong Ning was wearing right now.
Her arm hanging at her side twitched slightly. Xie Shiqing patted her on the back, a bit awkwardly.
After a while, Zhong Ning composed herself, wiping the corners of her eyes sheepishly. Her eyes were still faintly red. She cleared her throat and asked, "Since Liu Rushi isn't the one who... then who did all this? She looked like she didn’t even know."
"We've already found out. It was Zhang Min," Xie Shiqing replied.
"Zhang Min?" Zhong Ning repeated in confusion.
Xie Shiqing, in the know, thoughtfully explained, "Zhang Min used to be your classmate. You hit her once, and she held a grudge ever since. The matter with Liu Rushi was orchestrated by her. When approached, she deliberately gave your name."
"So that’s how it is!" Zhong Ning suddenly understood. "Then all this stuff was framed on me by her? She’s horrible!"
"And Miaomiao’s life was at stake—if Liu Rushi hadn’t found me, wouldn’t she have..."
"How could she do this! Isn’t this a crime?"
She had only just cleared her own name, yet so soon she was already rushing to seek justice for someone else.
If it had been before today, Xie Shiqing would’ve thought Zhong Ning was deliberately putting on an act. But now...
This person truly seemed to have kindness engraved on her forehead.
"What’s your plan?"
"Of course Zhang Min has to admit what she did and be punished by the law!" Zhong Ning declared without blinking. "She’s practically guilty of indirect murder."
She suddenly stood up, excitedly circling the sofa. "I need to call Nanshuang and the others, tell them the good news!"
Fumbling to find her phone, her peripheral vision caught sight of Xie Shiqing still sitting, and her eyes sparkled. Unable to contain her emotions, she leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Shiqing, thank you for caring about me, thank you for believing in me!"
*Smack.*
Sanity returned.
Zhong Ning’s face turned red—slowly, but thoroughly.
"I—No, I didn’t do it on purpose, it was an accident, I was just too happy..."
Xie Shiqing raised an eyebrow. "Accidentally on purpose?"
"I’m going to make the call!" Clutching her phone, Zhong Ning fled, her cheeks and ears flushed bright red.
There was someone else still present!
Assistant Fang kept her eyes on her nose, her nose on her heart, lowering her gaze and pretending to see nothing. Having served as her boss’s assistant for over ten years, she knew her temper well—playing dead right now was undoubtedly the wisest choice.
Xie Shiqing’s red lips curled into a smile, but the curve gradually faded.
The incident with Liu Rushi was indeed Zhang Min’s doing, but the means of framing and false accusations came from someone else’s hand.
Everyone present at the time knew that Zhong Zinuan was the true mastermind—everyone except Zhong Ning, the one most directly affected.
Xie Shiqing had wanted to tell her, but when the words reached her lips, she somehow stopped.
Zhong Ning didn’t seem to know the past of the Zhong family. She truly believed it was a harmonious and loving household. If she brought it up now, wouldn’t it just upset her?
But Zhong Zinuan likely wouldn’t stop. She would definitely seek another opportunity, and Zhong Li would—as always—ignore it, treating it as rivalry between two heirs.
Xie Shiqing hesitated. The matter has been resolved for now. The engagement would proceed smoothly, so perhaps it was best to leave it for the time being.
Now wasn’t the right time to reveal the truth. She would find another opportunity later.
"Let’s go. To the hospital," she said softly.