Chapter 193

Chapter 193


Zhong Ning’s hand fumbled along the bed sheet, seemingly looking for where the edges joined, her gaze following Xie Shiqing as she slowly inched out like a snail. Her lips were pressed into a straight line.

Only when the person had fully left the bedroom and disappeared from sight did she grab a corner of the sheet and yank it down.

There was a spare set of bedding in the cabinet.

Zhong Ning called for room service and had the soiled set sent out. She didn’t let anyone assist her and changed the sheets herself, then turned on the bedroom’s ventilation system.

Fresh air poured in, carrying away the last traces of pheromones lingering in the room.

She hadn't yet entered her heat period, and she hadn't been exposed to Xie Shiqing's pheromones for long, so her desire hadn’t been stirred. Besides, she didn’t have any such thoughts in her heart—no matter how heated the body, it would still be extinguished.

The newly changed sheets were white and soft, but Xie Shiqing’s face still lingered before Zhong Ning’s eyes—her weak, pale, and powerless smile.

She had misunderstood Xie Shiqing. Now that her anger had faded, her feelings were as complicated as if she had eaten a whole bag of weird-flavored jelly beans.

Xie Shiqing was still in the shower, the sound of water splashing coming from the bathroom. Zhong Ning closed her suitcase, took out a fresh set of pajamas, and coiled up the data cable before putting it away.

The pajamas were of a style she had never seen before.

In the past, Xie Shiqing had favored retro and traditional Chinese styles—even her sleepwear looked like a loose-fitting cheongsam robe.

But the one she had just worn, and the one now in Zhong Ning’s hands, were more European in style—princess dresses, with a very cute design.

Paired with her softly curled hair, it seemed like she could run into the forest at any moment and become a little lamb, carefree and frolicking through the mountains and woods.

Was this style deliberately chosen to match Jingjing’s persona?

After all, Jingjing was a very cute person who wore cute clothes.

Such painstaking effort.

Zhong Ning let out a long sigh.

Suddenly, the sound of water from the bathroom was interrupted by a loud thud. Zhong Ning jumped up in alarm. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Xie Shiqing called out loudly.

“…Do you need me to come in?” Zhong Ning paused before asking.

“No need, I’m really fine,” Xie Shiqing replied.

Zhong Ning’s hand rested on the doorknob, but she eventually let go and returned to the sofa to sit down.

After a while, Xie Shiqing came out wearing a bathrobe, holding a towel in her hand. She winked at Zhong Ning and said, “Ning-jiejie, could you help me tie my hair?”

Zhong Ning took the towel from her. “What happened to your arm?”

It looked like she couldn’t lift it.

“I slipped just now and accidentally hit the sink,” Xie Shiqing replied casually.

Zhong Ning didn’t say anything else.

She swiftly gathered up the hair, then took out a cotton swab and applied ointment to Xie Shiqing again. The redness had started to fade, but with all the crying and sweating earlier, her skin had flared up again.

Zhong Ning pinched the swab, carefully dipped it into the ointment, and evenly applied it to her face.

When she reached the back, Xie Shiqing let the bathrobe slip off her shoulders, revealing her upper body—and naturally also exposing a bruise on her arm, about the size of a bottle cap.

That didn’t look like nothing.

Zhong Ning’s gaze kept flickering toward it, her brows lowered deeply.

“Thank you, Ning-jiejie,” Xie Shiqing continued playfully. “This ointment’s all cool and soothing—it feels much better.”

Zhong Ning: “……”

“You’re welcome.”

After the ointment was applied, Xie Shiqing turned and spotted the pajamas. “So Ning-jiejie even got me pajamas—thank you, jiejie.”

Zhong Ning said, “It’s what I should do, no need to thank me.”

Xie Shiqing hugged the pajamas and returned to the bedroom.

Why didn’t she cry? Why didn’t she complain?

Zhong Ning stood staring at the closed door for a long time, filled with guilt and helplessness, until a yawn escaped her lips and startled her back to awareness.

Whether Xie Shiqing’s current demeanor was genuine or not remained uncertain. Even if she truly had changed—so what?

Could spoken words be taken back? Could a shattered mirror be pieced together again?

They had already broken up. They were no longer together.

No matter how this person acted now, what did it have to do with her?

Guilt was one thing, love was another—the two couldn't be mixed together.

She mustn’t let herself be led around by the nose by this person.

Zhong Ning rubbed her face messily a few times, scrubbing her nose red like the nose of a Christmas reindeer.

“Sleep, sleep, stop overthinking.”

She had woken up according to her biological clock. A faint golden beam of sunlight streamed along the edge of the window, but the room remained dim.

Zhong Ning turned on the light, shuffled to the bathroom in her slippers to wash up, and after changing clothes, began searching for plane tickets. There were still open seats available over the next few days, but there was no way to confirm exactly when Xie Shiqing would recover enough to travel.

If it came to it, she could have the butler bring over Xie Shiqing’s private jet—then there’d be no need to worry about booking tickets, and they could fly whenever they wanted.

Xie Shiqing walked out of the bedroom yawning and entered the bathroom. A moment later, she called out in surprise, “Ning Ning, look at my face—hasn’t it gotten so much better?!”

Her head was still covered in messy little curls like a lamb’s. She jogged over in quick, eager steps, leaning close to Zhong Ning’s face. “Look, look!”

On her soft, pearl-white skin, only a faint pink flush remained. It didn’t look like an allergic reaction anymore—more like the healthy blush of someone feeling shy.

A droplet of water fell from her eyelashes, drawing Zhong Ning’s gaze to her long lashes and the two tiny moles beneath her eyes.

Xie Shiqing truly was, genuinely, beautiful.

Even someone who hated her most would have no grounds to attack her appearance or make any disparaging remarks.

The closer she stood, the more intense the impact of that beauty became.

Zhong Ning slightly tilted her head back. “You’re too close—I can’t see clearly.”

Xie Shiqing held back a smile and took a small step back. “How about now? Can Ning-jiejie see clearly?”

Zhong Ning gave her a quick glance, then swiftly looked away. “Much better.”

“What do you want for breakfast?”

Xie Shiqing bit her lip with a soft smile and said gently, “I have to watch what I eat right now, so I’ll let Ning-jiejie choose. I want something sweet, like congee. Anything else is fine.”