Chapter 228
Chapter 228
"Watch yourself, we're in a crowded mall!"
Xie Shiqing tugged at her wrist, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes brimming with mischievous amusement. Her tone, however, was righteously earnest. "I'm helping you divert your attention. Look, aren't you not so gloomy now?"
Zhong Ning said, "…Thanks a lot!"
"No more of that nonsense," she murmured, her lips barely moving, speaking in a whisper, "We'll talk about it when we get home."
Xie Shiqing's eyes curved in a grin. "Alright, whatever Ning-jiejie says. I’ve always been obedient. Especially when you tell me to get on all fo—"
"You’re still talking!"
"Okay okay, I’ll stop." She made a zipping gesture across her lips. "Zipped shut. I’m a little mute now."
Zhong Ning shot her a doubtful and aggrieved look.
"Oh, I forgot to say—I learned this online. Does Ning Ning like it?" Xie Shiqing pulled the zipper back up again. "Wanna take a look? There are lots of tricks."
"I… cough, let me see?"
The two of them sat down on a bench. Xie Shiqing opened up all the blog posts she had bookmarked. The more Zhong Ning read, the redder her face grew, though her eyes sparkled, and she kept sneaking glances at Xie Shiqing.
When she finished, she looked as if she'd just been enlightened, like she had learned something profound. "Send this to me again."
Compared to what was written in the blog posts, Xie Shiqing had already been quite restrained with her words.
Most of the content involved bedroom language and some advanced techniques, which left Zhong Ning blushing and her heart pounding, as if a whole new world had been revealed to her.
She had originally thought that asking Xie Shiqing to act things out for her was already bold enough, but now she realized that was hardly even kindergarten level in comparison.
So, so exciting.
"Ning Ning likes it too, right?"
Xie Shiqing whispered in her ear, "Want to pick one to try tonight?"
"Blindfold, collar, apron, tail…"
Zhong Ning looked like a fish eyeing the meat hanging from a hook, visibly tempted.
"Ah, but it might not work," Xie Shiqing suddenly changed her tone.
"Why not?" Zhong Ning immediately asked.
"We don't have most of the stuff at home, we'd have to buy it," Xie Shiqing said with a soft laugh, the end of her sentence lifting playfully. "Or we could check out a local physical store. There are shops that sell light knky toys. Want to go browse a bit, Ning Ning?"
She deliberately emphasized those four words, "Just buy everything and head home—faster than online delivery."
"No, no no no." Zhong Ning’s sense of shame, which had briefly been thrown to the wind by temptation, returned in full force. "Let’s just… look online when we get home. Cough, we’ll look at home."
"Stop trying to seduce me," she mumbled in protest. "My face is burning."
"Then how about a drink? Mango smoothie?" Xie Shiqing had already mastered how to coax her. "There’s a food court upstairs. We can grab some fried chicken too."
"Yes!"
"Then let’s go." Xie Shiqing stood up, took her hand, and walked ahead, leading the way.
Sometimes, Zhong Ning’s particular kind of “innocence” made her seem a bit childish, like she wasn’t all that mature. Xie Shiqing really liked that straightforwardness about her—it made teasing her all the more fun.
But she also understood that when it came to their emotional relationship, Zhong Ning was the one who held the dominant position.
The psychologist...
She would try to accept honesty, to heal herself—she didn’t want to be separated from Zhong Ning again, and she couldn't be separated anymore.
At the agreed-upon time, accompanied by Zhong Ning, Xie Shiqing once again arrived at Dr. Feng’s consultation room.
Zhong Ning waited in the car downstairs while she went up alone.
Xie Shiqing had a certain expectation about what a psychologist would be like, imagining that the doctor would diagnose her with some specific issues and tell her how to resolve them.
But that didn’t happen. Dr. Feng simply asked her what was troubling her, then began to listen.
Throughout the process, Dr. Feng rarely spoke and didn’t interrupt her, even when she paused for a long time mid-sentence.
Her attitude gradually allowed Xie Shiqing to relax.
She talked about how they met, about her feelings for Zhong Ning, about the first time they separated. She talked about Zhong Ning’s footsteps, light like a bird hopping through tree branches, about her voice, which carried the crisp, refreshing clarity of ice cubes clinking against a glass on a summer day. She spoke about her laughter, and the wind that blew on the day they first held hands.
By the time she noticed the clock again, more than an hour had passed.
Xie Shiqing came back to herself with a start, unsure how she had ended up pouring out so much. But strangely enough, she didn’t feel any regret.
On the contrary, it felt quite relieving.
Dr. Feng said, "Would you like to try cultivating a hobby? Find something to do in your spare time, outside of work."
Xie Shiqing unexpectedly thought of the dusty piano. "I had hobbies when I was little, but how should I put it… when a hobby turns into a utilitarian badge to show off, it stops being fun and starts to feel tiresome."
"You can try picking it back up, or find a new one," Dr. Feng said. "A hobby can be anything. It depends on your choice."
"Alright. I’ll give it a try," Xie Shiqing replied. "I’ll try to find something to do."
"It doesn’t have to be something very specific—even spacing out can be a hobby." Dr. Feng smiled at her. "Let’s stop here for today. We’ll talk again next time."
Zhong Ning was sitting in the car, but after a while she grew restless. She got out and started pacing back and forth along the road, not even sure what exactly was causing her nervousness and concern.
Her mind was completely filled with thoughts about how Xie Shiqing’s conversation with Dr. Feng was going. She was curious what Xie Shiqing had said, how Dr. Feng had responded, and what the atmosphere between them was like.
Even though she knew that psychological therapy wasn’t something that could be resolved in a short time, she couldn’t help overthinking.
A little after four o’clock, Xie Shiqing came out of the building. Zhong Ning quickly walked over. The question she wanted to ask had already reached the tip of her tongue, and she quickly bit it back.
She mustn’t ask.
Asking would mean trying to take control. Then, Xie Shiqing would instinctively start focusing on her thoughts, and in doing so, ignore her own feelings.