Chapter 114

If it dragged on for too long and Xie Shiqing changed, she would accept it.

"I still can't give you any answer right now," Zhong Ning said. "Just let me take a little more time. The wounds in my heart aren’t so easily healed."

"I’ve seen all your changes, but... I still need a bit more time."

Xie Shiqing lowered her eyes in disappointment. After a long while, she finally looked up again and tugged lightly at the corners of her lips. "It’s okay," she said with understanding. "It’s okay. No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait. My feelings for you won’t disappear just because of this small setback. As time passes, they’ll only grow deeper."

"True love doesn’t fear hardship. Ning Ning, I’ll wait for you."

"Thank you, Shiqing," Zhong Ning said.

The response undoubtedly made her heart ease a little, and that thin veil of guardedness grew a bit fainter.

Although the beginning and the middle had been chaotic and strange, maybe the ending would be flawless. Zhong Ning thought optimistically. After all, the magic of love was infinite and boundless.

Moreover, she really hadn’t noticed anything wrong with Xie Shiqing. It was only out of love and a sense of responsibility toward herself that she needed to stall a while longer—to completely reaffirm everything.

Pine Mushroom had been nudging the balloon with her nose for a long time, but didn’t hear any praise or cheering, so she trotted back with the balloon in her mouth, whimpering in discontent.

Zhong Ning was completely helpless with her. All her bottom lines vanished in front of the puppy. As soon as Songrong came over to act spoiled, she immediately abandoned Xie Shiqing, bent down to rub the fluffy dog’s head, stood up from the chair, and went off to throw the frisbee and play with her.

She even used a cutesy voice to say, "Aww, is our baby done playing with the balloon? Come on, mommy will play frisbee with you, okay?"

Xie Shiqing had one hand behind her back, gripping the back of the chair so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Jealousy!

The venom of jealousy flowed through her heart, corroding every blood vessel, eroding her organs until they were shattered and broken.

Even though she had been the one to bring the dog here, intending to use Zhong Ning’s affection for Songrong to naturally draw the two of them closer and create a warm, harmonious atmosphere, every time—every single time—she saw Zhong Ning soften her voice to care for the puppy, worrying about it, doting on it, even casting her aside in the process...

Xie Shiqing just couldn’t suppress the surging waves of jealousy.

Possessiveness and the desire for control were her dominant personality traits. In the past, she could still use her sweet voice to turn those words into coquettish pleasantries, sweet enough to make someone’s head spin and agree without realizing it.

But now, she didn’t even dare to command Zhong Ning to do—or not to do—anything. She no longer had that kind of standing.

All she could do was secretly drink vinegar behind the scenes, jealousy bubbling up all over her, and still hide it so the alpha wouldn’t find out.

It’s just a dog. What’s so good about it! Xie Shiqing furiously dug her fingers into the cushion of the wheelchair. Rotten dog!

Still whimpering? Shameless mutt. Acting all cute—shameless!

It was just a dog, how dare it compete with her!

Zhong Ning's surprised voice came from the yard. "Wow! Songrong, baby, you're amazing! You can jump that high to catch it—oh my god! So awesome, so awesome!"

So what if it caught a frisbee? Big deal. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think it could fly a plane… Xie Shiqing ground her teeth in silence. If it were her, she could’ve done it too.

Oh, no, wait. She couldn’t. She was blind. She couldn’t even see the frisbee, let alone jump up and catch it.

That only made her angrier!

Zhong Ning’s bright laughter and the dog’s joyful barks were carried over by the wind with diligent precision, as if afraid Xie Shiqing would miss a single sound.

She clenched her back molars so hard it felt like they were going to shatter.

And when Zhong Ning came over for a drink of water, she even had to put on a smiling face, ask if Zhong Ning wanted to rest for a bit, or maybe have something cold to eat, and throw in a few compliments for the stupid dog too.

By the time they were heading home, Zhong Ning was reluctant to part with Songrong. She rubbed her ears, scruffed her head, and even hugged her for quite a while. As they stepped out of the elevator, she casually said goodbye to Xie Shiqing as well.

Xie Shiqing forced out an expression of reluctant farewell. "Ning Ning, get some rest early."

The moment the elevator doors shut, that pleasant expression disappeared on the spot.

Strangely enough, Songrong didn’t pay her much attention either. She carried her own leash in her mouth without needing a prompt. As soon as the elevator doors opened, she trotted out. When the door to the apartment opened, she walked in, wagged her tail as she drank her water, then headed to her own room to lie down—without even glancing at Xie Shiqing.

If the saying that a dog only ever recognizes one true owner in its lifetime was true, then that person was undoubtedly Zhong Ning. At best, Xie Shiqing was just a roommate.

Not even a friend.

And as for Xie Shiqing herself, the most she dared to do was pull a sour face at Songrong. She absolutely didn’t dare to cut her meals or treat her poorly—in fact, she even had to raise her treatment level, afraid that Songrong might go tattling Zhong Ning. If Zhong Ning ever had a random impulse to stop by and check in on her little dog, Xie Shiqing would be doomed.

Stewing in silence, she gulped down a handful of bitter pills and was devastated to realize that she seemed to have become the lowest-ranking member of the household—outranked even by the dog.

The worst part was, she had brought this situation entirely upon herself… and had to be grateful for it, too.

…

Even on the weekend, Zhong Ning didn’t sleep in. She got up a little after six, got herself ready, and headed off to the Zhong Corporation building.

Except for the two days delayed by Xie Shiqing, Zhong Ning reported to work at Zhong Corporation on time every single day.

And she hadn’t put her live streaming work on hold either—one was her passion, the other her responsibility.

Though she had sworn and genuinely intended to shoulder this burden, it didn’t mean she had to abandon her own interests.

In this world, the one who understood her best was undoubtedly Xie Shiqing, because she knew very clearly that Zhong Ning was someone who could be temporarily swayed, but would never fundamentally change.

Today, Zhong Ning was heading to the company for a team-building event.

Anyone who had worked in marketing or sales knew that people in this line of work basically didn’t get real vacations—or rather, their days off were completely out of sync with the majority.

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