Chapter 103

A single bed, two thin blankets.

This was the place she had longed to sleep in, yet now that she there, she didn’t feel much of anything.

When it came down to it, it was just a bed. She hadn’t wanted to sleep on this bed—she had wanted to sleep in Xie Shiqing’s arms.

But now that the feelings had changed, her thoughts had naturally changed as well.

Zhong Ning slept very soundly that night. She didn’t dream, and when she opened her eyes again, it was already morning.

Upon waking, she had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. When she turned her head, she found Xie Shiqing lying facing her, eyes open, their faces so close their noses brushed.

Zhong Ning’s heart skipped a beat in fright!

Even knowing that Xie Shiqing couldn’t see, being stared at like that was still enough to scare someone to death!

She almost laughed from the shock. "Shiqing, when did you wake up?"

"I don’t know either," Xie Shiqing replied. "Just now? What time is it?"

Zhong Ning instinctively reached for her phone and glanced at the time. "Six twenty."

They had gone to bed pretty early—probably before nine. As she mentally calculated how many hours they had slept, Zhong Ning suddenly sensed something was off. "Shiqing, are you feeling any discomfort right now?"

The conversation was flowing so smoothly—had she recovered?

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"A little sleepy." Xie Shiqing yawned and began shifting toward Zhong Ning, trying to bury her face into her arms.

Then her forehead was gently blocked.

"…Have you recovered?" Zhong Ning asked suspiciously.

Sleepiness quietly faded from the woman’s pale face—she knew she couldn’t play dumb anymore.

"Ning Ning, what I did before was wrong. Will you give me a chance to make up for it and explain?"

Zhong Ning sat up, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yesterday, you…"

“It’s just an old ailment,” Xie Shiqing said lightly. “It was a sudden episode, but I’m fine today. Did I scare you? I didn’t mean to.”

How could someone who hadn’t witnessed it with their own eyes ever connect the composed woman before her now with the one who had sobbed uncontrollably yesterday? If not for her still-swollen eyelids, everything from the day before would have seemed like nothing but a dream.

“But my feelings haven’t changed.” She pressed her lips together and said slowly, word by word, “Ning Ning, I truly like you. I don’t want to be apart from you.”

“Your so-called liking only comes from your mouth. I haven’t felt it in your actions.” Zhong Ning’s tone sounded calm, but that only made it feel colder. “You say you like me, but how do you explain everything you did before?”

Xie Shiqing bit her lip.

In truth, she had woken up much earlier—she wasn’t just now awake. She had likely been conscious for more than an hour, but she hadn’t moved at all. She had only turned her head and very carefully, very carefully shifted closer to Zhong Ning, nestling in to breathe the scent of her hair and the warmth of her skin.

Her sudden breakdown hadn’t been an act. Sometimes, emotions would overwhelm the threshold without warning. Even if she tried to analyze it, she wouldn’t be able to explain why.

She was quite practiced at detaching from emotion, but the moment she thought of Zhong Ning wanting to break up, her rationality snapped in an instant. She was completely taken over by emotion, unable to soothe or sort herself out.

When she woke up and the memories from yesterday came flooding back, her resolve to spend her life with Zhong Ning only grew stronger.

A priceless gem had landed in her hands—was she supposed to throw it away? Only a blind fool would do something like that. Though she was blind, she wasn’t foolish enough to go that far.

Now that she was clear-headed again, Xie Shiqing had regained her eloquence. She didn’t try to squeeze out more tears to strengthen her case—she had cried enough yesterday. What Zhong Ning needed now was a rational conversation, a clear explanation, and a sincere apology.

Everything that happened yesterday might have looked like a farce, but there was no denying that the results far surpassed any pitiful injury. It had bought her some time and had successfully softened Zhong Ning’s heart.

This was exactly the outcome she had hoped for.

The bitter strategy had worked well. Though Zhong Ning’s heart was tougher than expected, its surface was still tender.

Now that they had a chance to talk, she had to seize this rare thread and climb her way back into the light, to bring Zhong Ning back to her side once more.

There would be no third chance—this was her last.

In a voice filled with remorse and a touch of self-mockery, Xie Shiqing began, “I’m a fool. People have praised me for many things—my sharpness, sensitivity, and ability to read people. Xie Corporation is in the entertainment business, and in this industry, social acumen is everything. Naturally, I developed the skill to discern human nature.”

“I once took pride in that, smugly thinking that my path in life would be smooth from here on out. But then, as you know, the accident happened. A car crash took the mother who raised me—the only person in this world who loved me unconditionally. And I was left with a permanent lesson.”

She gave a bitter smile and lifted her hand to touch her eyes. Zhong Ning remained silent.

“Perhaps that was Heaven’s way of warning me to be more humble and obedient. But I misunderstood its message. With my eyes no longer working, life became filled with obstacles and dangers. It forced me not to place my trust in others, to let someone else guide me. But driven by overwhelming emotions, I became even more extreme, more suspicious.”

“I couldn’t give my trust,” Xie Shiqing said hoarsely. “It’s pathological—a psychological barrier.”

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