Chapter 213

Chapter 213

This wasn't getting better at all—this was getting worse!

Zhong Ning opened her mouth in a panic.

She had thought she was helping Xie Shiqing, but in reality, she was only worsening her condition.

In the past, this person's shackles had been her mother. Now, they were Zhong Ning herself, under the guise of love!

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Chapter 74

Zhong Ning flipped over and bounced up from the bed in an instant, startling the pine mushroom in her arms. It shivered and looked around, thinking something had happened.

This wasn’t right. This was completely wrong.

She wanted Xie Shiqing to love herself, to reconcile with herself. That should mean accepting her true self—not turning into someone Zhong Ning hoped she would become.

She had been wrong. So terribly, terribly wrong!

Tears once again began pouring endlessly from her tear glands. Zhong Ning couldn’t stop herself from thinking of Xie Shiqing—thinking of how she had suppressed her true inner needs just to cater to her, how she had slowly stripped away the traits that made her who she was.

Oh god...

This painful transformation, like shedding skin and tearing bone—it was all caused by her.

And yet, she had dared to say that Xie Shiqing acted violently in the name of love, that she was doing as she pleased because she knew Zhong Ning liked her.

...What right did she have to accuse Xie Shiqing, when she herself was doing the exact same thing?

Zhong Ning couldn’t sit still any longer.

She couldn’t stay lying down. She picked up her phone and called Xie Shiqing.

The moment the dial tone rang, it immediately switched to a connected call. On the other end, a hesitant voice spoke: “Ning Ning...?”

Zhong Ning cut her off and asked directly, “Are you at home?”

“...No, I—I’m downstairs at your place.”

Xie Shiqing spoke haltingly, “Right under the osmanthus tree in front of your building.”

In an instant, all the sorrow and regret transformed into something that was both laughable and touching. Zhong Ning wiped away her tears, half helpless, half moved, and said, “That’s not a surprising answer at all... Don’t go. Wait for me.”

She didn’t even bother changing clothes—ran out in her slippers, still wearing pajamas. The pine mushroom followed behind her, still holding its own leash in its mouth.

But Zhong Ning couldn’t be bothered to put it on.

She went downstairs, and even the time it took to ride the elevator felt unbearably long.

Finally, with a ding, the elevator doors opened. She pushed open the unit door and stepped out. Under the streetlight at the entrance, she saw the figure standing beneath the tree.

She walked toward her, step by step.

Xie Shiqing’s nervous expression became clearer and clearer. “I... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here, but I couldn’t stop myself, I... mm!”

Her nervousness turned to shock. Her furrowed brows immediately relaxed. Xie Shiqing’s eyes went wide, but she couldn’t see the face in front of her clearly.

Because they were too close—so close that even their lips were pressed together.

Like one half of a jade pendant finding its missing piece, like a desert welcoming the rain. Her waist was wrapped in an overly tight embrace. Tears rolled from the corners of her eyes, slipped between their joined lips, and were swept away by the tip of a tongue.

So bitter, and so sweet.

Am I dead?

Was she going to die?

Was all of this just her delusion, a final flash before death, or another dream she had made up?

Zhong Ning covered Xie Shiqing’s lips with her own, hooked her tongue, and left a deep kiss that was both absolutely intense and incomparably gentle.

It made the other’s pale cheeks gradually flush, made her wide‑open eyes slowly close, made her tense body relax until it melted into a pool of softness that fell into Zhong Ning’s arms.

“Let’s get back together.”

Their lips separated. Zhong Ning lightly pressed her forehead against hers, her voice softer than the night breeze brushing the osmanthus blossoms. “Not just me agreeing to your plea. I’m also making this request of you.”

“Can you be with me again, Shiqing?”

“Yes!” Tears shimmered in Xie Shiqing’s eyes, filled with surprise and disbelief. “I can, I’m willing! Ning Ning, I’m willing!”

“But I have one condition.” Zhong Ning pulled back a little and looked solemnly into her eyes. “Find a psychologist, and let’s go together.”

“No problem!” Xie Shiqing agreed instantly, speaking so fast it was as if she feared Zhong Ning would regret it the next second.

Zhong Ning sighed helplessly, seriously doubting that this person was actually processing anything she said. No matter what she asked for—even the stars in the sky—Xie Shiqing would probably accept immediately.

“How long have you been here?”

She still had fluffy wool‑like curls on her head, with osmanthus petals scattered through her hair. Judging from that alone, she hadn’t been waiting for just a short time.

After a pause, Zhong Ning asked suspiciously, “Don’t tell me you started following me the moment I left the villa?”

Xie Shiqing’s gaze darted left and right, but in the end, under Zhong Ning’s direct stare, she nodded as if preparing to face death.

Zhong Ning raised her hand, held her forehead, rubbed her face, and sighed—all in one smooth motion.

“It’s fine. Follow if you want.”

Her ability to adjust her mindset was first‑class. Once she made a decision, she immediately shifted her thoughts, never regretting anything—only moving forward.

She pulled Xie Shiqing toward a nearby bench. After wiping the seat with her sleeve, Zhong Ning finally said, “You can sit.”

Xie Shiqing obediently sat down, practically becoming one of Zhong Ning’s accessories—doing whatever she told her.

“I need to apologize to you. I’m sorry.”

One sleeve was already dirty, so she used the other to wipe away the wet marks on Xie Shiqing’s face. She spoke softly: “I thought you were arrogant and attacked you with those words, but I never realized I was one as well. Being overly self‑centered is just another kind of arrogance.”

“I cared too much about my own feelings. I was too used to an environment where everything revolved around me—satisfying me, adapting to me, taking care of me. In that process, it was easy to overlook your needs, and instead, I forced my own thoughts onto you.”