Chapter 136

Zhong Ning would absolutely never let something like that happen.

Even if she had only meant it as a tease, as a joke, a joke still depended on whether the other person could accept it.

[Our darling Shiqing has a fridge full of delicious food, but there are only a few cans of pine mushrooms. It's drooling to death, and can’t even get one bite. Hurry and get up to eat—eat the delicious food and don’t give it any, let it cry from craving.]

Xie Shiqing then gave up on competing with the puppy, mumbling and grumbling as she backed down.

[Ah, you ran into Zhong Zinuan too? Haha, she must be furious.]

Zhong Ning didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

In truth, psychologically and by nature, she wasn’t someone who liked arguing or fighting head-on with others.

Even though she had resolved to take down Zhong Zinuan and make her lose her position as heir, Zhong Ning still couldn’t bring herself to start sneering and mocking the moment they met, like a chef in a Sichuan restaurant who always had chili peppers in hand and a fiery tone in every sentence.

Giving a light but pointed retort that left Zhong Zinuan fuming and grinding her teeth in silent frustration—this was the kind of counterattack Zhong Ning found most efficient and effective.

After reminding her a few more times to eat properly, she asked Xie Shiqing to think about what she wanted for dinner—whether she wanted to eat at home or go out together—giving her a small task to decide on. And with that, Zhong Ning’s lunch break came to an end.

By five o'clock, Xie Shiqing had finally chosen a place. She said she wanted to go to a Western restaurant that allowed pets. It had private booths, and even special little dining tables for pets.

Pets that could enter there all needed complete certification, and of course, Pine Mushroom lacked nothing.

When the contract was signed and Zhong Ning walked out of the building, she saw Xie Shiqing already waiting by the roadside. She had indeed dressed more warmly, wearing a navy-blue long-sleeved dress that reached her ankles, with a white knitted cardigan draped over her shoulders, and was holding Pine Mushroom’s leash in her hand.

"Woof!" Pine Mushroom barked twice, joyfully nudging Xie Shiqing’s hand, urging her to quickly let go and not delay it from greeting its owner.

Out of an honest feeling of jealousy—Xie Shiqing no longer tried to deny it and admitted to herself that she was jealous of this dog that had taken up so much space in Zhong Ning’s heart and divided her attention—she simply refused to let go. She gripped the leash tightly and even wound it two loops shorter.

Zhong Ning, however, didn’t notice the petty rivalry between these two different species.

She walked over and gave Xie Shiqing a big hug, kissed her on the cheek, then crouched down to scoop up the whimpering little dog and gave it a kiss on its forehead too.

It was all about keeping both bowls of water balanced—bestowing favor equally like rainfall.

The human was a sensitive and thoughtful person, and the dog was a sensitive and thoughtful dog.

Sometimes, Zhong Ning truly felt like she was raising a pair of twins—experiencing how absolute fairness was practiced at such a young age.

Fortunately, Pine Mushroom's intelligence had its limits and she couldn’t understand every word Zhong Ning said. Otherwise, just that midday speech alone would have left her scrambling to do damage control.

“Did I keep you waiting long?”

“I was sitting in the car. You said you’d come out after work.”

Xie Shiqing pouted slightly. “Ning Ning, kiss me again.”

Zhong Ning curved her eyes with a smile and leaned down to press two kisses on her lips, then said seriously, “The extra one is a bonus from today’s promotion—buy two, get one free.”

Xie Shiqing couldn't hide the joy on her face. Inside, she was even more pleased with herself—because she got three kisses, and the dog only got one.

A huge win.

Once in the car, the driver headed toward the restaurant.

Xie Shiqing sat on the left, Zhong Ning in the middle, and the little dog on the right—a very harmonious setup.

“Did the contract signing go smoothly this afternoon?” Xie Shiqing asked, reaching for the mini-fridge door.

Afraid she might hurt herself, Zhong Ning quickly reached over and opened it herself, taking out a bottle of drink and taking a sip.

“I thought it would go smoothly. It’s an old partner brand. But after we met, I realized I’d been too optimistic.”

In her past life, she had majored in English and held all the certifications. Listening to a conversation mixed with English and Chinese was no problem for her.

Which also made her all the more aware of how arrogant the new regional director really was.

Zhong Ning couldn’t help but complain a little: “She really had her nose in the air, acting like we were begging them to join. She raised all kinds of unreasonable demands. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think the Zhong family was a subsidiary of theirs.”

“Is it that Delfiel woman?” Xie Shiqing raised an eyebrow. “She always puts on an affected tone, trying to mimic some kind of aristocratic accent, but ends up sounding neither here nor there.”

“That’s her. Shiqing, you know her too?” Zhong Ning made a curious sound.

“She came looking for a regional brand ambassador too. Picky as ever, laid out a bunch of conditions—even said she didn’t allow endorsement of other products.”

Xie Shiqing’s tone was full of annoyance. “She’s a textbook racist. Thinks her own ethnicity is superior, and everyone else is beneath her.”

“She’s supposedly the founder’s niece. Zexi as a brand is already on the decline, and such an important position was handed to someone like Delfiel, who can’t read the room. She won’t last more than a few years.”

Xie Shiqing’s critique was delivered with a calm, detached expression. Compared to Delfiel’s haughty arrogance, her subtle mockery was far more scathing.

Not even bothering to put on a disdainful face—clearly, she didn’t think Delfiel was worth the effort.

But a person like that really didn’t deserve any respect.

Zhong Ning nodded in agreement. “Her judgment is awful.”

“So did you agree to her terms?”

“How could I?” Xie Shiqing said. “We run an entertainment company, manage celebrities—image and status are everything. If we let outsiders suppress us, isn’t that the same as saying Xie Corporation is weak, that our artists have no standing?”

“They need us to drive consumption and expand their market. We also need to increase our international influence. It’s supposed to be a win-win, not us begging them. I won’t let them get their way and drag down the entire Xie Corporation.”

“If we agree to this, other brands will follow suit. Then the Xie Corporation is done for.”

Zhong Ning agreed wholeheartedly. “One step back leads to step after step. You can’t compromise from the beginning.”

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