Chapter 221

Chapter 221

If she had noticed someone following her, or if she had taken care of Zhong Lin earlier, today’s incident would never have happened.

"It was the bad person with evil intentions. It was Zhong Lin’s fault. What does it have to do with you?" Zhong Ning pulled her into an embrace. Feeling the dampness on her shoulder again, she said with half exasperation, "Why do you have so many tears? We still have to go to the hospital later. If the doctor sees this large wet patch on my clothes, how am I supposed to explain it?"

"I was worried about you, Ning Ning. I was really scared. What if…"

"It won’t happen." Zhong Ning said, "I’m not going anywhere."

She sighed and said, "Go ahead and cry, cry if you want to."

Xie Shiqing really wanted to hold her around the waist, but was afraid of touching the injury, so she settled for gripping the side of her clothes instead, carefully keeping her arms slightly lifted, and murmured, "I sent you a message last night. You didn’t reply, and I wasn’t even worried then."

"I knew Ning Ning wouldn’t lie to me. It was only when you didn’t answer my call this morning that I started to panic."

Zhong Ning ruffled her hair. "What did you send me last night?"

"I said I had obediently eaten dinner," Xie Shiqing paused, then added, "And I even used the microwave myself to heat it."

"That’s great. Shiqing, you did really well."

Zhong Ning raised her hand to gently touch the side of her face, using her fingertips to sweep away her hair. Then she lowered her head and kissed her on the forehead. "Once we’re done at the hospital, let’s go have barbecue, or do you have something else you want to eat? Today’s our first day back together, we should celebrate it properly."

Xie Shiqing pouted, wanting to be happy but unable to really feel it.

"I’ll definitely make Zhong Lin pay, at least have her locked up for ten years."

To be fair, Zhong Ning didn’t really feel much about Zhong Lin anymore. Maybe it was because she had already been brought to justice and would face the punishment she deserved, so that anger had quickly faded.

But hearing Xie Shiqing speak through gritted teeth, she completely understood. The hatred between the two of them far outweighed any grievance she had with Zhong Lin.

"I believe you’ll do it. She’ll get what she deserves."

The three of them arrived at the hospital. After Zhong Ning had something to eat and was untied from the bindings she had been in for so long, she had mostly regained her mobility.

After examining her, the doctor concluded that there was no serious issue. The bodyguard had struck with great precision, choosing his targets quite cleverly.

He prescribed medicinal wine and ointment for promoting blood circulation and reducing bruising. He showed them how to apply it—smear it on and rub it in—and even demonstrated himself. "See that? Remember, you have to rub it like this for the medicine to work properly. Once it feels warm, that’s about right."

The moment his hand touched her, Zhong Ning’s face contorted instantly. "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it HURTS!!!"

"Endure it," the old doctor said bluntly. "If it hurts, it means it’s working faster."

Xie Shiqing watched attentively from the side, nodding occasionally. "I got it, thank you, doctor."

The ointment was light green, and no matter what was said, Xie Shiqing insisted that Zhong Ning had to apply it before they went to eat, even on her face.

Zhong Ning couldn’t win against her, so she could only watch as she bought two hair clips, then seriously clipped back all the short hair at her temples, revealing the swollen half of her face.

"Apply the ointment, so it heals faster."

Xie Shiqing twisted open the lid, squeezed the ointment onto a cotton swab, and gently dabbed it onto Zhong Ning’s skin. After every two strokes, she would lean in and blow softly.

It was probably the gentlest breeze in the world, but more effective than a whole box of painkillers. Zhong Ning kept one eye half-closed and used the other to trace the outline of Xie Shiqing’s face, watching the focused expression in her brows and eyes.

"Have I ever told you that your eyes are beautiful?"

Xie Shiqing paused, slightly stunned. "No."

Well, that made sense. Back when she was blind, Zhong Ning had always avoided such topics.

"Then it’s not too late to say it now. Your eyes are beautiful, and that mole is lovely too."

"Do you ever feel like kissing me?" Xie Shiqing suddenly asked.

Her bluntness made Zhong Ning a little embarrassed. She cleared her throat and replied in a super soft voice, "...Yes."

"Then wait until you’re healed before kissing." Xie Shiqing also lowered her voice like Zhong Ning did, as if sharing some kind of secret. "Don’t worry. I’m saving it all for you—only Ning Ning gets to kiss."

Zhong Ning’s face slowly turned red.

"Where... where did you learn to say things like that?"

"Don’t you like it?" Xie Shiqing put away the ointment and looked into her eyes.

"...I do," Zhong Ning couldn’t bring herself to say otherwise, "But I feel a little embarrassed."

"No one’s listening." Xie Shiqing leaned in close to her ear and whispered in a breathy voice, "I only say these things to Ning Ning."

"Alright, alright!" Zhong Ning’s ears turned red. "Stop talking already."

"My whole face is green," she scolded weakly, "We’re going to eat soon—be a little mindful."

Although the ointment was light green, once it was rubbed in, it didn’t leave any color. The blush on Zhong Ning’s face was very obvious, but Xie Shiqing knew when to stop teasing. She packed the ointment into the bag properly and agreed, "Alright, I won’t say more."

Of course she had to learn these things. In the half-year they’d been apart, the changes she had made were far from just this.

"Jingjing" had been the lively, energetic type. If Zhong Ning didn’t like that, she would just change into something else. Xie Shiqing had made full preparations—she had to make Zhong Ning fall in love with her again. She just hadn’t needed to use all her plans yet, and the goal was already achieved.

There weren’t any dietary restrictions for this kind of bruising, and besides, Zhong Ning was genuinely starving. A box of milk and a bag of bread were quickly devoured. She really needed something more substantial to fill her stomach.

Michelle dropped the two of them off at the restaurant, then left on the excuse of taking care of Pine Mushroom.

Pine Mushroom needed to be walked three times a day—morning, noon, and evening. If the weather was suitable, she could even play for an entire day. Border Collies were herding dogs and required a lot of exercise, needing to burn off a ton of energy daily.

Hearing that, Xie Shiqing suddenly remembered a message Assistant Fang had sent. She had listed a dozen methods that morning on how to coax an angry puppy.

She pulled out her phone and showed it to Zhong Ning. "Ning Ning, look at this."