Chapter 47
"She herself doesn't go out, but calling people over to party is another matter."
"When the monitors went over to check, the whole room was a mess. They had used all kinds of drugs, tsk tsk tsk, it was simply unbearable to look at. I heard there were even some non-consensual acts involved. That whole crowd got arrested, and barely a few of them were clothed."
Zheng Xuan also sighed. "The crackdown has been very strict lately. This incident caused such a huge and vile uproar. The Head of the Zhang family has been pulling strings everywhere, and though they managed to suppress the news with no media reports, the word is spreading within the circles. But Zhang Min definitely won't be able to get out of this clean."
"She's fuming now, trying to find out who reported her, but there's no trace to be found. I just saw her downstairs. That expression on her face... honestly... it's tough for her to even force a smile while coming here."
She looked rather wistful. "As expected of Xie Shiqing."
Zhong Ning was startled again. "She reported it?"
Fu Nanshuang leaned back against her chair. "Who else could it be? Who else could have discovered such a deadly secret? I certainly wouldn't have the ability to do it."
"So amazing," Zhong Ning murmured, her eyes sparkling. "Truly amazing. It’s only been a few days, and Zhang Min has already been dealt with."
"Does Liu Rushi know about this?"
Fu Nanshuang said, "It was done precisely to show her. Of course she knows."
Because of this incident, the Zhang family’s industries were currently under investigation. Some minor shareholders, unaware of the situation, had begun selling off their shares, and the Xie Corporation had acquired quite a few.
She and Zheng Xuan exchanged a glance, and in each other’s eyes, they saw both caution and admiration.
Such a method—swift and without bloodshed. The Head of the Zhang family still had no idea who was behind it, while the Xie Corporation seized the opportunity to gather the scattered shares and openly took a shareholder's seat.
If one day the Zhang Corporation held a shareholders’ meeting and Xie Shiqing showed up, it would be no surprise at all.
Zhong Ning could only marvel. She had no idea about the share acquisitions, nor did she intend to investigate.
As an ordinary person who had never experienced the battles of the business world, she only saw the most surface-level fact—Xie Shiqing had sent Zhang Min to jail.
She genuinely thought it was impressive. Beyond that, she also felt deeply moved. She believed that although Xie Shiqing might not show it outwardly, she was a kind-hearted person.
The matter with Liu Rushi had nothing to do with her, but Xie Shiqing still stepped in to help. Moreover, she handled it in such a short time, showing how much she cared. Zhong Ning was at a loss for words and felt nothing but gratitude—a deep, overwhelming gratitude.
She was so kind.
She really liked her too.
It definitely was not just her own wishful thinking, not a one-sided affection.
Zhong Ning pressed her lips together, unable to contain the excitement and joy in her heart. She no longer wanted to chat; she wanted to see Xie Shiqing the very next moment and pour out her feelings of love and happiness.
She glanced at her phone. Xie Shiqing had not replied.
"I want to go find Shiqing. Did you see her downstairs?" she asked.
"You can't even stay apart for a moment. You've really fallen hard," Fu Nanshuang looked at her with disdain and said. "I think I just saw her heading toward the restroom."
Zhong Ning smiled rather shyly. She originally wanted to scratch her head, but her fingertips had not yet touched her hair when she remembered it had taken over an hour to style it. Embarrassed, she then wanted to touch her chin, but recalled the two dots sitting on the stool.
Her hand hovered in the air as if performing a set of Tai Chi, before she calmly lowered it as though nothing had happened.
"Once you fall in love, you might be worse than me," she muttered softly, then slipped away quickly.
Fu Nanshuang: …
Fu Nanshuang: She clearly had the most dating experience out of everyone, alright!
Holding her phone, Zhong Ning walked with a spring in her step like a little bird in the snow, nearly bouncing with each step.
The public restroom was at the end of the hallway. Though her steps were light, she refrained from actually skipping, as she was an adult after all.
Especially in front of an older romantic interest, she wanted to show a more composed side of herself.
The carpet muffled her footsteps. When she reached the restroom and looked around, she did not see anyone. Just as she was about to take out her phone to ask, she heard a faint conversation—unclear, but somewhat familiar.
Was Shiqing talking to someone?
Following the sound, Zhong Ning walked over slowly to the nearby stairwell. Behind the closed silver-white metal door, the voices grew clearer as she approached.
"What exactly do you want to say?"
It was Xie Shiqing’s voice. Zhong Ning felt puzzled. Why would they choose such a remote place to talk?
Just as she was about to push the door open, she heard another voice say,
"I’ve liked you for so many years, and I’m only asking this one small thing. Just sleep with me for one night—can’t you?"
Her hand resting against the door trembled, and she inadvertently pushed it open a crack.
Outside the door, Zhong Zinuan was wearing a long cyan dress and was clinging tightly to Xie Shiqing.
————————
The sight before her eyes and the words she had just heard were far too bizarre. Zhong Ning’s expression went blank in an instant, as if her brain had turned into a single-core processor. Two events occurred simultaneously, yet she couldn’t react to either. She could only stand there dumbly, as though her mind had glitched.
She had heard—"liked for many years", "just sleep with me for one night."
She had seen—her older sister hugging her fiancé.
Zhong Ning stood stunned for a moment, then again, and finally slowly uttered,
"Jie, did you twist your ankle again?"
Hearing her voice, Xie Shiqing’s expression shifted slightly. She had already been trying to push Zhong Zinuan away, but now she suddenly exerted all her strength and shoved her off.