Chapter 216

Chapter 216

"The company was what you wanted. I didn’t want it in the first place. The reason I wanted to become the heir before was only to stop Zhong Zinuan from getting her way."

"You don’t seem to be doing so well now."

Zhong Lin’s expression darkened, fury boiling within her, almost enough to set her ablaze.

Ever since she was kicked out of the management, nothing had gone smoothly. She had handed over Zhong Zinuan and Le Xi as scapegoats—both sentenced heavily and thrown in prison—while she herself managed to get away clean. Yet, Xie Shiqing still relentlessly pursued her, refusing to let her go.

The smaller companies she held sole shares in began having problems one after another, forcing her to sell her shares in the Zhong Corporation to fill the gaps with massive amounts of capital, only for everything to end in bankruptcy anyway.

She tried to start anew and make a comeback, but was constantly intercepted and blocked by Xie Shiqing, who stole all her clients and made it impossible for her to accomplish anything—only losing more money.

After decades of smooth sailing, when had Zhong Lin ever suffered such humiliation? For someone like her, who had climbed to the top step by step, failure was the hardest thing to accept. Even harder to accept was that she no longer had the drive and determination she once possessed, and could no longer replicate her path to success.

It was a complete denial of her own abilities.

Zhong Lin had nearly been driven to madness.

The longer she endured this kind of disgrace, the more deranged she became inside.

Hearing Zhong Ning’s mocking tone only made her fury surge more violently. Her eyes nearly bulged from rage. "The state I’m in now is all thanks to you, you ungrateful brat! I raised you, gave you food and clothing, trusted you, gave you the position of heir, and this is how you repay my trust?"

Zhong Ning raised an eyebrow. "Your trust? I earned that position with my own abilities. What does that have to do with you?"

"Besides, don’t you think you’re being way too self-righteous?"

She stepped forward and met her gaze directly without backing down. "Did you forget about your own affairs? You cheated, brought the mistress into the house, indirectly caused the death of your lawful wife, and now you still act like the victim. Do you really deserve that role?"

"You’re just scum." Zhong Ning let out a cold laugh. "Scum like you don’t get to talk about the rule of law. You don’t have that right. You coveted the Xie Corporation first, then lost the Zhong Corporation as a result of retaliation. You reap what you sow. Ending up like this—you deserve it!"

"Fine, fine, fine! I really misjudged you. You're not just hopeless, not some righteous person, you’re just a fool blinded by some woman!"

Zhong Lin was so furious her face turned red, clearly struck where it hurt. She panted heavily, nostrils flaring, eyes blazing with rage.

Zhong Ning glanced at her—pampered and soft-bodied. Then looked at herself—well-trained and muscular from frequent workouts.

She confidently folded her arms and stood her ground. "What, can’t handle a dose of truth?"

Zhong Lin glared at her viciously, then suddenly sneered.

"You’ve still got the nerve to smile, you—"

Bang!

A sharp pain shot through the back of Zhong Ning’s neck, and she crashed hard to the floor.

Zhong Lin looked down coldly at her and ordered the person behind her, "Take her away, quickly!"

...

Xie Shiqing returned home, her mood as light and joyful as a bird soaring through the sky. She waved off the servants’ help, carried the lunchbox to the kitchen herself, and placed it in the microwave to heat it up.

There was a smile constantly lingering at the corners of her lips—anyone could see how good her mood was.

A few minutes later, the microwave dinged.

She took out the heated lamb hotpot, placed it on the dining table, picked up her chopsticks, and happily picked up a piece of meat.

So delicious.

From now on, lamb would be her favorite food.

She picked up her phone and sent a photo to Zhong Ning: 【Ning Ning, I’m eating properly, see?】

The phone in Zhong Ning’s coat pocket lit up and dimmed again, unnoticed by anyone.

Chapter 75

Food that had been sitting out too long, even reheated, would never taste as good as it did fresh from the pot.

But to Xie Shiqing, it tasted delicious—absolutely divine.

She had messaged Zhong Ning but received no reply, though she didn’t feel anxious.

Zhong Ning’s agreement was like a shot of adrenaline—calming and invigorating at the same time. But if they were really going to get back together, the dog problem had to be resolved.

She couldn’t keep giving in and let herself be ranked behind a dog—what would that even be? And constantly competing with a dog was ridiculous. Besides, if she didn’t handle her relationship with Pine Mushroom well, Zhong Ning would be caught in the middle, torn between the two, and that would just hurt their relationship.

After thinking it over, Xie Shiqing made a call to Qi Wan.

It took a while before the call was answered. "Xie Shiqing, President Xie, do you even realize what time it is?!"

Xie Shiqing said, "Twelve seventeen. What about it?"

Qi Wan’s voice came through the receiver, full of barely restrained fury. "It’s the middle of the night and you’re not sleeping, but I still need to! I have work in the morning."

Xie Shiqing paused for a moment. "Then I’ll ask quickly, you answer quickly, and you’ll still have time to sleep more."

Qi Wan: "……"

She took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "What exactly do you want?"

Xie Shiqing: "How do you win over a dog?"

Qi Wan: "Huh?"

Xie Shiqing, phone in hand, walked upstairs. "Are you too sleepy or what? How do you make up with a dog? It’s mad at me right now, and I need to think of a way to fix our relationship."