Chapter 7
Words of expectations were not a common thing throughout Zhong Ning childhood. Instead, ridicules for herself, and high praises for Xie Shiquing were things she most used to coming from the Zhong matriarch. They said she was inferior to an omega—dull-witted and incapable of achieving great things.
The original Zhong Ning wasn’t particularly clever, or rather, she wasn’t good at handling corporate affairs and lacked sensitivity toward numbers and finance. But just because a person didn’t have talent in one area didn’t mean they were entirely useless.
Yet the Zhong matriarch didn’t see it that way. From as early as she could remember, Zhong Ning had been subjected to disdainful words. Over time, she grew to hate Xie Shiqing.
When Xie Shiqing's family was involved in a car accident, and both her parents died on the spot, leaving her with eye injuries and impaired vision, Zhong Ning felt a great sense of relief. She often flaunted herself in front of Xie Shiqing, boasting and speaking arrogantly.
For such a Zhong Ning to agree to a matrilocal marriage—that was completely impossible.
Fu Nanshuang and Zhong Ning were close friends in mischief. Knowing each other’s nature all too well, when Fu Nanshuang saw Zhong Ning not replying for a long time, her first thought was that Zhong Ning had been kidnapped.
In fact, her suspicion wasn’t entirely wrong. Zhong Ning had indeed come to stir up trouble.
But Xie Shiqing had bound Zhong Ning and even injected her with an inducer, forcing her into a heat and completed a temporary marking.
Only, Fu Nanshuang didn’t know that the current Zhong Ning was no longer the same person.
She had been replaced by someone who felt guilty toward Xie Shiqing and inexplicably obedient.
Xie Shiqing could still feel the scorching warmth of a hand on her wrist. Remembering how the alpha had protected her so openly, her smile widened.
"Didn’t she come to see you? You’re friends—look how much she cares about you."
The omega’s voice was both delicate and sweet, as soft as a scoop of honey, seeping gently into Zhong Ning’s ears.
"She’s not wrong. I’m blind. How many people curse me openly and secretly? Miss Fu is just bolder, daring to insult me to my face."
"We... I don’t want to be friends with her anymore," Zhong Ning said with unspoken bitterness.
They were both cannon fodder. Though she didn’t know the full plot, it wasn’t hard to guess that Fu Nanshuang’s ending wouldn’t be any better.
Perhaps out of shared misfortune, she had once thought about helping Fu Nanshuang escape her fate too, as a way of compensating for the original Zhong Ning.
But Fu Nanshuang’s behavior truly left her disappointed. Even though it was under the guise of concern, it failed to move her.
How could someone like that exist—storming into someone else’s home and making a scene, insulting the host without restraint, even resorting to violence...
While Zhong Ning could understand the urgency Fu Nanshuang felt for her friend’s safety. Jumping to conclusions based purely on her assumptions, without a shred of evidence. Trespassing, spouting contempt and prejudice toward Xie Shiqing—it was frankly, quite insulting even to herself.
It was both immoral and rude. Hadn’t her elders taught her how to treat others?
It was truly incomprehensible.
"Just because you’re blind, insulting you becomes the right thing to do? What kind of rule is that—I’ve never heard of it."
Zhong Ning spoke indignantly, "Talking badly behind someone’s back is wrong to begin with. Doing it to their face and poking at their wounds is even worse!"
She felt too embarrassed to accuse the other party of lacking proper upbringing. Holding it in for a moment, she finally sighed and spoke with guilt.
"I want to apologize to you. I really didn’t know she would do something like that. Because of me, you were scolded for no reason. I’m truly sorry."
Zhong Ning was extremely apologetic. Her remorse was sincere and heartfelt.
"It’s fine. I don’t mind," Xie Shiqing replied, clearly aware that the other was sincere, and her mood improved considerably.
She viewed Fu Nanshuang—and the Fu family behind her—as just another piece of pie to swallow up. It wasn’t something worth getting angry over.
Who would waste energy on someone destined to lose?
With a gentle smile, Xie Shiqing said, "Your pheromones."
Zhong Ning froze. "What?"
"You can withdraw your pheromones now."
Pale fingertips slipped through her dark hair. Xie Shiqing turned her head, and though her eyes were hollow and unfocused, they pinpointed Zhong Ning's location with eerie accuracy. Her tone was sickeningly sweet.
Zhong Ning nearly broke into a cold sweat.
She was from Earth—how was she supposed to know how to do this!
"I..."
What should she do? How did one even retract pheromones? When had she even released them? She hadn’t noticed at all!
This was bad—really bad!
A soft chuckle escaped Xie Shiqing’s throat. She waved her hand. "Come here."
Zhong Ning shuffled over uneasily, trying to appear calm. "What is it?"
"Closer. Come stand right in front of me."
Zhong Ning stepped forward again.
Xie Shiqing was a bit shorter. Her almost translucent pale skin, clearly defined collarbones, and shoulders thin like sheets of paper—
She was alarmingly thin.
Her slender hand left her dark hair and moved to her chest, then slowly upward to her shoulder.
Her fingers brushed along, gliding over her collarbone, her palm sliding across the shoulder until it stopped at the nape of the neck.
Zhong Ning held her breath. It felt as if all her senses had retreated, leaving only the faintly sweet scent and the cool touch at the back of her neck.
"The gland is right here. Do you need me to teach you?"
Xie Shiqing’s appearance was undoubtedly fragile, like a dew-laden white flower trembling in the early spring mountain wind, as if the next gust would snap its stem and send it falling into the mud.
At a glance, all one saw were the soft petals swaying in the breeze. But once approached, once touched, the delicate flower would reveal its sharp thorns, a barrier to detach the buds.
Her aura was piercing—like a carving knife, like a pushpin—pinning Zhong Ning in place.
—With the pads of her fingers pressing against the gland at the nape of her neck.
Her voice, laced with a delicate smile, drifted from her tongue and carried to Zhong Ning’s ears by the air.
"Or do you want to do it again?"
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Zhong Ning: Why is she so mean? Bullying the vulnerable.
"Vulnerable" Xie Shiqing: Teasing a puppy—so fun.
In an instant, her ears rang, her heartbeat spiraled out of control, and Zhong Ning could almost hear the sound of blood rushing, surging toward her brain.