Chapter 144

"…No, I haven’t," Xie Shiqing said.

Her wardrobe mostly consisted of long dresses and cheongsams, each with very distinctive styles. Zhong Ning’s outfits, on the other hand, leaned more towards a handsome, casual look with simpler designs.

"I’ll check the wardrobe and see if I can put something together," Zhong Ning suddenly became interested and eagerly dove into the walk-in closet.

There were significantly fewer clothes here than at the villa—only a portion had been brought over. After some picking and choosing, she selected a moon-white cheongsam for Xie Shiqing and matched it with a pale cyan outer jacket. As for herself, she decided on a white shirt paired with a pale cyan tie, slipping one of Xie Shiqing’s hair ties onto her wrist.

Once they’d changed, they looked for a mirror. Zhong Ning let out a "Wow," and said, "Shy university student and mature queen."

"This style combo is trending right now."

Xie Shiqing nervously pinched her pearl earrings.

Clearly, when out in public, she often did things that declared her claim—like holding hands or kissing.

But wearing matching couple outfits felt different.

It was a subtle and mysterious way of expressing, *"We are lovers,"*—something unspoken yet clear. Everyone who saw them would instantly group them together without question.

Zhong Ning ran her fingers through her hair, tilting her head left and right, clearly very pleased.

Her youthful features and fresh energy made the look feel perfectly natural. With those clear, bright eyes, she even looked a bit younger than she actually was.

"Haha, do you think if we go to the mall, someone might think I’m your sugar baby or something?"

Especially since Xie Shiqing was also wearing sunglasses, exuding a cool and aloof aura.

"But honestly, that’s not too far off." She smiled again. "After all, Shiqing has transferred a ton of money to me."

Afraid Xie Shiqing might misunderstand and think she was asking for more, Zhong Ning quickly added, "You really don’t need to send me any more. Seriously."

When she brought up the past, Xie Shiqing stiffened.

Whenever the past came up, she couldn’t help but recall the foolish things she had done—especially the fact that she was still hiding so much from Zhong Ning. Worried that Zhong Ning might start reminiscing about those times, she quickly said, "I won’t do anything you don’t like."

"Are we heading out now? Should we bring Pine Mushroom with us?"

At the mention of the dog, Zhong Ning’s thoughts shifted. "Yeah, let’s bring her. No reason to keep her cooped up at home. Besides, if she wakes up and finds we went out without her, she’ll definitely get mad again."

She pinched Xie Shiqing’s cheek with a smile and teased, "Sometimes I can’t tell which one of you has the worse temper."

Xie Shiqing replied without thinking, "Of course I’ve got a worse temper than her!"

The moment she said it, she realized something was off and almost bit her tongue. "No, I mean, my temper is better. She’s the one with the bad temper."

Zhong Ning burst into laughter, and to keep Xie Shiqing from getting embarrassed or angry, she quickly reined it in. "Yes, yes, our Shiqing has the best temper. Way better than Pine Mushroom."

It had been a while since they last took a walk together. The riverside view was beautiful, and the promenade was full of people. Yet amidst the hustle and bustle, there was a sense of quiet—a kind of ambient white noise, the sound of water mingling with human voices.

Fingers interlaced, the two of them walked hand in hand. A breeze passed gently by. Then Xie Shiqing suddenly asked, "When you saw all those surveillance cameras I set up at home, didn’t you have anything to say about it?"

After asking, she herself was surprised—not quite sure how the words had slipped out. Yet her emotions remained calm, not the least bit flustered.

Zhong Ning had never brought the matter up before. She had been waiting for Xie Shiqing to speak first, hoping she would have the courage to face the issue and the confidence to question it directly.

Instead of giving a direct answer, she countered with a question of her own: "Why do you think I would want to say something about it?"

Xie Shiqing still felt calm, even a little amused. "Most normal households have one or two cameras at most. I installed sixteen."

"That’s way beyond the normal range. I know that. Why are you asking when you already know the answer?"

Zhong Ning softened her voice. For a moment, it was hard to tell whether her voice was gentler, or if it was the breeze over the rippling river that was softer.

"I don’t really care about the number. What I’m more curious about is—why did you feel the need to install so many surveillance cameras?"

"What was the reason behind it? Can you tell me?"

They say eyes are the windows to the soul. A person’s words may lie, but their gaze never does. But Xie Shiqing was blind—her eyes had no focus, and now they were hidden completely behind sunglasses. There was truly nothing that could be seen.

Her lips were tightly pressed together. She didn’t respond.

Zhong Ning didn’t push. She simply waited patiently, as if she hadn’t asked anything at all, giving Xie Shiqing all the time she needed to think it through.

To decide seriously—whether she wanted to speak, and if she did, what outcome she would be willing to accept.

At a small roadside stall, Zhong Ning bought a little pinwheel hair clip that could be fastened to one’s head. It would spin with the wind, whirring softly.

She too was rehearsing silently in her heart—what kind of answer Xie Shiqing might give, and how she herself should respond for it to be just right.

Whether to speak or stay silent, and if she did speak, what exactly to say—each word had to be weighed.

They walked another fifty meters or so, before Xie Shiqing’s voice finally slipped out between her lips. It was so quiet that the moment the slight warmth of her breath touched the air, the autumn wind blew it away, leaving only a faint trace of chill.

"After… we parted last time, I couldn’t stand being away from you."

Her voice was like frost forming slowly on a windowpane at night—knowing it would melt come daylight, yet still choosing to appear, bravely and wholeheartedly.

"I can’t be with you every second. I can’t ask you to stay on the phone with me the whole time you’re out."

—Let alone plant a listening device like before. If discovered, not even a hundred explanations could clear her name.

"So I could only indulge my possessiveness at home, let my fear and anxiety run wild. I wanted to hear your voice all the time."

If Xie Shiqing had always appeared normal, then getting her to speak such honest words would have been extremely difficult. There was a wall in her heart that she couldn’t get past. It took immense resolve to lift that dark veil and reveal what lay beneath.

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