Chapter 74
She was almost speaking in a breathy whisper, leaning all her weight against Zhong Ning, looking completely drained.
Zhong Ning held her steadily in her arms. It had only been a few days since things had gone wrong, but she felt that Xie Shiqing had already lost weight again—just when her waist had begun to fill out slightly, it thinned down once more.
It made her heart ache.
After holding her like that for a while, Zhong Ning bent down slightly, slid one arm under her knees, and lifted her up in a bridal carry.
Zhong Ning was naturally strong, and Xie Shiqing was as light as a sheet of paper. Carrying her like this was no effort at all—it felt easy and natural.
The white hem of her dress hung down like pear blossoms, swaying gently with each step. Xie Shiqing shifted her head slightly, her cheek brushing against Zhong Ning’s collarbone. Her eyes remained closed, and her voice was laced with exhaustion. “I was in meetings all day, listening to those shareholders arguing back and forth. It gave me a headache.”
“A bunch of them kept saying I’m incompetent, that the incident happened because of me. They said I’m too young to be the one in charge of the Xie family.”
“It started with one person saying it, then more and more joined in. What was supposed to be a shareholder meeting to discuss countermeasures turned into a public criticism session aimed at me.”
Her voice was calm, as if she were simply recounting what had happened that day.
There was none of the tone of complaining or seeking pity.
But Zhong Ning’s heart ached the moment she heard it. “They didn’t lift a finger to help. What gives them the right to criticize you? So annoying.”
“And besides, some people are just inherently bad. What does that have to do with you? If someone insists on doing bad things, not even the police can stop them.”
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Xie Shiqing (muttering to herself): I want revenge. I don’t want to be bound by emotions. I don’t want to fall into the trap of love. Long live being single! (Holding back her own hand that’s itching to reach out and hold someone’s, she scolds it) You don’t need this!
Still Xie Shiqing (asking someone for a kiss): This is just part of my plan. I don’t actually like her. I have my own pace.
Chapter 35
“These people are just picking on you on purpose.”
The whole way there, Zhong Ning kept chattering angrily about those people, saying they were mean, that they were deliberately making things difficult. She even dished out a bunch of motivational sayings, things like, “The more jealous they are of you, the more it proves how outstanding you are.”
Xie Shiqing leaned into her arms, listening to her righteous indignation and feeling the warmth of the embrace. A faint smile curved at her lips.
She quickly hid the smile and deliberately used a melancholy tone. “Maybe they do have a point. All those shareholders are older than me, and more experienced too. If it had been them instead of me, maybe none of this would have happened.”
“Utter nonsense!” Zhong Ning cut her off without hesitation, unable to bear hearing her wallow in self-blame. “Don’t think like that. If they’re really that capable, why don’t they just go be the chairwoman themselves, or open a few companies of their own? If they’re so amazing, surely it’d be easy for them to build a nationally recognized top-tier company.”
“Why don’t they do that? Is it because they don’t want to?”
“She’s just jealous of you. You’re young, smart, way better than they are, so they deliberately say snide things—just like that.”
Zhong Ning placed her down on the small sofa in the suite, wrapped her arms around her, and kissed her on the forehead. Her tone was slow and solemn. “Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re truly outstanding. Only those who are exceptional get envied and attacked with endless rumors. Don’t let them have their way.”
Watching the soft, sweet cream bun in her arms turn into a crusty baguette, Xie Shiqing’s heart rippled with boundless sweetness—and a touch of smug pride.
She really, truly loves me.
She’s even willing to lash out at others for my sake.
“Ning Ning,” Xie Shiqing sighed, her fingertip lightly brushing along Zhong Ning’s chin. “You’re so good.”
“Let’s kiss,” she said.
Her lover’s tongue was like sweet honey candy, like a soft ribbon winding around her limbs. Zhong Ning instantly fell into a trap called dreamscape. Her long, straight legs hooked around Xie Shiqing’s waist and back, the arches of her feet pressed into her waistline. A tremor ran through her on the spot, like a jolt of electricity—no pain, only a tingling numbness that traveled to every nerve ending, dimming her eyes and gradually reddening her earlobes.
Those dense and delicate kisses felt like the most devout worship, as though pink mist spread through the air. The unique scent of absinthe turned into an addictive elixir. In that dazed, almost delirious illusion, she seemed to become a musician, a pianist, her fingers dancing to bring forth a cascade of syrupy notes, rising and falling.
If heaven truly existed, then this must be it—milk and honey flowed across her tongue, fragrance swirled in the air, and she lay on the softest cloud, listening to it giggle and whisper little pleas or invitations in her ear.
That tingling pleasure built up in her consciousness until it exploded with a loud crash. Zhong Ning collapsed, reeling, her nose brushing against Xie Shiqing’s belly as she pressed a gentle kiss to it.
“Mark me, Ning Ning, my love…” said her cloud. “Mark me.”
So Zhong Ning bit her.
Her cloud wept a gentle rain, wetting the dry ground—but that was okay. They would embark on another joyful exploration later, and after that, she would clean everything up.
So Zhong Ning lazily stroked the sweaty cloud, mischievously blew into her ear, and before she could get angry, pulled her into an embrace, rolling them over to the dry side of the bed.
The bed was big enough anyway. There was always space to lie down.
After finishing the aftercare, Zhong Ning returned to her room.
She had early classes the next morning. In truth, living on campus would’ve been most convenient—the commute alone took at least thirty minutes by car—but Zhong Ning couldn’t bear to leave Xie Shiqing. If she lived on campus and could only see her once a week, she’d really go crazy.
She’d rather go through a little hardship and wake up earlier—at worst, she could nap during the ride.
She fell asleep quickly and slept soundly. Even if it wasn’t the moment her head hit the pillow, it was close enough. To be able to spend even a little more time with the one she loved, such small inconveniences didn’t matter at all.
…
The news about Lunar Rescue spread like wildfire across the city. Many people didn’t pay attention to companies—they only cared about the celebrities themselves. They weren’t curious about which agency signed them, or whether they’d started their own studio.