Chapter 153

Although everyone was gathered together for the reunion dinner, only Madam Zhong was making conversation. She seemed rather tired, since no one responded to her at all.

Madam Zhong: "This year’s Spring Festival Gala is quite interesting, haha this skit."

Silence.

Madam Zhong: "Oh right, Zinuan, the pink diamond I bought for you recently, why don’t you wear it more often? It’s in fashion these days."

Zhong Zinuan: "I don’t really want to wear it."

Awkwardly, she picked up some food and placed it in the Head of the Zhong family’s bowl, "The shrimp today is pretty good, why don’t you try some?"

Zhong Lin put her chopsticks down with a snap, got up, and left to make a phone call.

Zhong Ning had always disliked her, but even she felt the atmosphere was truly awkward. Madam Zhong’s face showed embarrassment, but she quickly adjusted her expression, forcing a smile, and earnestly tried to smooth things over: "She’s just been really busy lately, with company matters and all. Come on, Shiqing, eat more. Treat this place like your own home, don’t be so restrained."

Xie Shiqing smiled slightly and said: "I understand. Zhong Auntie, you’ve really worked hard lately, it almost feels like someone is deliberately targeting you."

"It’s nearly New Year, things are naturally hectic. Hopefully after the holiday everything will go well, and it won’t be this exhausting anymore."

—After all, building a skyscraper was an arduous task, but toppling it was frighteningly easy.

Once she took over Zhong Corporation, wouldn’t that mean she wouldn’t need to work this hard anymore?

When it came to Zhong Corporation’s crisis, Zhong Ning was helpless. She was a top-level beginner, but no matter how high her potential, her level was right there—it simply wasn’t enough to enter a true battlefield of masters. She could only help maintain order a little and cheer from the sidelines.

Yet in both situations, she wasn’t in a position to intervene.

After finishing that complicated meal, Zhong Ning and Xie Shiqing returned to the villa. Pine Mushroom happily came running out to greet them.

It had already grown into the appearance of a full-sized dog, its fur smooth and soft, and when it ran it was like a rolling layer of lead-colored cloud.

The two of them stood together, but Pine Mushroom only acted spoiled with Zhong Ning, wagging its tail like a windmill, whining in a high-pitched tone as if a kettle was boiling.

Zhong Ning laughed and ruffled its head several times. She was about to head inside, but Pine Mushroom tugged at her pant leg, refusing to let her go, insisting on playing in the snow.

"Shiqing, you go inside first, I’ll play with it for a while and come back."

Xie Shiqing tilted her head, tapped her own cheek with a finger.

Zhong Ning smiled helplessly, leaned in and kissed her face, on her nose and lips both, then urged: "Go on back, it’s cold outside, don’t catch a cold."

It had snowed lightly today, heavier than the first snowfall.

In Fengcheng, small snowfalls came every few days. They didn’t have the heaviness of the north, but they still covered the buildings with a thin white veil.

And Pine Mushroom’s favorite game was to have someone make a snowball and throw it, so it could leap up and bite it.

It had to be said, the recent high-pressure environment had really worn Zhong Ning out. Her body was tired, her spirit even more so.

Every day she was rushing around, while online public opinion grew ever more extreme. One trending topic after another surged up, impossible to suppress. Seeing those posts, that overwhelming flood of negativity, on top of the company’s nervous strain—it was almost enough to crush Zhong Ning.

Only when she came home, seeing Xie Shiqing, could she regain a little energy. Yet even then, she still had to comfort her, soothe her unhappiness brought on by constant busyness.

The time spent with Pine Mushroom became something pure, a moment where she could finally catch her breath.

The world truly couldn’t be without dogs.

This snow was sticky. With just a clap of her hands, she could roll it into a ball. Zhong Ning wrapped her scarf tightly and played with Pine Mushroom for half the day, until she was drenched in sweat.

No matter how good her stamina was, she still couldn’t compare to a dog.

Pine Mushroom was still bouncing around, while Zhong Ning plopped down onto the ground, panting heavily, "I can’t anymore, really can’t."

As another snowfall fell silently, Pine Mushroom stopped nudging her hand and went off to bite at snowflakes instead.

Zhong Ning tilted her head back to look at the sky. Snow poured down from above, covering the world in white. She even felt a strange sense of disorientation in space.

If only people’s hearts could be as clean as the snow.

She didn’t know when days like this would end. She was so, so tired.

She had to study knowledge she wasn’t interested in, and had to work hard to excel in it. She had to handle problems she had never understood before, facing all sorts of the darker sides of humanity. It was so difficult, she just wanted everything to end quickly.

At first, she had thought it through well—squeezing Zhong Zinuan out of the heir’s position. She really had succeeded.

But then what?

Didn’t that mean the huge burden of Zhong Corporation was now pressing down on her head? If she dropped it and walked away now, Zhong Zinuan could return at any moment.

All she had done was make her lose competitiveness temporarily, not permanently.

It was like stepping into a swamp—thinking she could get out easily, only to sink deeper and deeper.

Yet her sense of responsibility made it impossible for her to quit halfway.

Zhong Ning was human too, not some immortal, nor a perpetual motion machine. She had been looking after everyone’s feelings—who would come look after her?

After lying in the snow for a while, she patted her face and muttered: "Alright, don’t wallow in self-pity here. Complaining won’t solve anything."

"Hang in there, you can do it."

The icy snowflakes falling onto her face made her shiver, but they were also the best coolant.

She flipped over and sat up, scooping up a handful of snow from the ground.

Ten minutes later, Zhong Ning dashed quickly into the house, laughing aloud, "Shiqing, guess what I brought back?"

Xie Shiqing blinked in confusion, "The tennis ball Pine Mushroom lost?"

"Hahaha, no!" Zhong Ning burst out laughing. Her face was flushed bright red from the winter cold, but now it looked just like the blush of happiness. She jogged over quickly, taking Xie Shiqing’s hand, "Here, touch it."

"Your hand is freezing."

The moment Zhong Ning grabbed her hand, Xie Shiqing flinched at the cold, but was then guided toward something even colder. "What’s this?"

It was round, smaller on top and larger on the bottom. She suddenly chuckled, "A snowman?"

"Correct!"

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