Chapter 143

"That's way too strange!"

Originally, she should’ve been very happy to have found the evidence, but now her emotions were a complex mix, difficult to put into words.

Assistant Hua was in her office and responded with a "Come in" when she heard the knock on the door.

Zhong Ning pushed the door open and entered. At a glance, she saw a document placed on top of the desk — the cover was exactly the same as the one Zhong Zinuan had shown her.

She walked over and handed over her own printed proposal. As soon as Assistant Hua opened it, she raised an eyebrow.

"Zhong Zinuan stole my proposal," she added. "I have evidence proving that I wrote this myself."

As she spoke, she opened her laptop and began playing the surveillance footage.

The footage was crystal clear — practically irrefutable.

Assistant Hua merely nodded. "You can leave work early today. There's nothing else that needs to be done."

"This proposal, I will discuss it with Chairman Zhong."

Zhong Ning was slightly stunned. "Nothing else? What about the collaboration with Delfiel..."

Assistant Hua shook her head. "The contract has already been signed. You've been working hard for a while now — juggling school and work — you must be exhausted."

"Exams are coming up, so focus on your studies. But the week after next, the president of Dexin will be visiting. You’ll need to attend then."

Zhong Ning agreed. "Alright, no problem."

She didn’t stand on ceremony, nor did she pretend to be diligent. After confirming she didn’t need to send the video over, she packed up her laptop and left.

Before leaving, she even remembered to order some afternoon tea for the front desk.

She opened the car door and sat in the driver’s seat. Her hand rose to her forehead — how should she put this?

The matter with the surveillance — how should she bring it up?

Xie Shiqing should’ve realized herself that the number of cameras was beyond excessive. She hadn’t said much before quickly hanging up the phone.

Driven by a strange impulse, Zhong Ning opened the app and saw that Xie Shiqing was still in bed. The blanket had slipped down, revealing only her eyes and forehead — she had already fallen asleep.

Zhong Ning stared at her for quite a while, baffled, before she realized — wasn’t her behavior a bit too strange right now?

She hurriedly stashed her phone away.

As she turned the key in the ignition, the colorful tassel on it swayed with the movement, and Zhong Ning’s gaze followed it back and forth.

She couldn’t bring herself to blame her. Even knowing her actions were inappropriate, Xie Shiqing had still chosen to expose herself, just to help Zhong Ning reclaim what was rightfully hers.

If she, without understanding the situation, went straight in with accusations, wouldn’t that be completely dismissing Xie Shiqing’s good intentions?

Xie Shiqing was slowly lowering her guard, trying to show her most genuine self. She was gambling on Zhong Ning’s reaction — whether her trust would be rewarded or not.

If Zhong Ning messed up now, Xie Shiqing would retreat like a clam that had just opened up, snapping shut in an instant.

Zhong Ning drove home. When she passed a flower shop, she bought a bouquet. Then she passed a stall selling grilled skewers and bought two sticks of squid. When she saw someone selling cotton candy and helium balloons, she got out of the car and bought one of each too.

By the time she got home, both her hands were nearly too full to carry everything.

So she rang the doorbell.

After a moment, Xie Shiqing came to open the door. "Ning Ning? Why are you home so early?"

“Assistant Hua said I could take a break,” Zhong Ning said. “On the way back, I saw a stall selling grilled squid and couldn’t resist—I bought two skewers. They’re still warm. Want a bite?”

Xie Shiqing looked a little hesitant, as if she had something to say. Her lips moved a few times, but in the end, she only gave a soft hum in response.

Zhong Ning handed over the bouquet first. “They're green-toned roses. So pretty. I saw them in the shop window. The people who grow flowers are really amazing—being able to cultivate so many beautiful colors and varieties.”

“Smell them—aren’t they fragrant?”

Xie Shiqing lowered her head and gently sniffed the bouquet in her arms. “Very fragrant…”

She still wanted to say something. The words seemed to have taken shape, rolling around at the edge of her lips, clamoring to be let out. But when it came time to actually speak, they all suddenly fell silent again, not making a sound.

Zhong Ning noticed, but pretended not to.

She took Xie Shiqing’s hand and led her to sit at the dining table, then went into the kitchen to slide the squid off the skewers and cut it into small pieces. She arranged them on a plate, washed some fruit from the fridge, and brought back a pair of chopsticks.

“Open up, I’ll feed you. Ah—”

After feeding Xie Shiqing a piece, Zhong Ning popped one into her own mouth. “Oh wow, it’s really delicious. Totally worth the long wait in line. They were so generous with the seasoning.”

Xie Shiqing lowered her eyes and chewed quickly, her cheeks puffing up like a squirrel’s. She let out two quiet hums in agreement.

Haha, so cute.

Zhong Ning picked up another piece and gave it to her. “I also bought cotton candy. The weather’s really nice today. Want to go for a walk by the river? It’s been ages since we went out just to stroll.”

“How about fish-head noodles for dinner tonight, yeah?”

The squid’s signature savory flavor filled the taste buds, the combination of chili and cumin making it irresistibly tempting—but in Xie Shiqing’s mouth, it tasted oddly bland.

Why hadn’t Zhong Ning said anything yet? After seeing that many surveillance cameras, didn’t she have any reaction?

Thanks to what had happened earlier, Xie Shiqing’s anxiety wasn’t as overwhelming as before, but she was still uneasy. The unknown was the most mentally exhausting thing of all.

After eating a few more pieces of squid, she was practically burning with impatience, fidgeting as if there were fire under her seat. After hesitating for a long time, she finally couldn’t hold it in. But when she opened her mouth, it came out as a roundabout question. “Ning Ning… did you use the surveillance footage?”

“I did. Assistant Hua took one look and believed me right away.” Zhong Ning picked up a super red, huge strawberry and held it up to Xie Shiqing’s mouth. “This strawberry is really sweet. Try it.”

Xie Shiqing had no choice but to open her mouth and chew. Just as she managed to swallow, another piece of squid was handed over. She hesitated briefly, then bit into it. After the squid came a bubble tea straw.

Xie Shiqing: …

Forget it.

If Zhong Ning wanted to talk, she would talk.

After snacking a bit, the two of them decided to head out together.

“Have we ever worn matching outfits before?” Zhong Ning suddenly asked.

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