Chapter 236
Chapter 236
Changing her hair color was like changing her mood. Delighted, she ran up to Xie Shiqing.
"Look! How is it?"
"It really suits you," Xie Shiqing opened her eyes and replied sincerely. "Do you want a massage? I still have a while to go here."
"I'm not going home tonight. There's a room here—I can just sleep over."
"Great, great."
Zhong Ning had been sitting for hours and was already feeling stiff.
While getting a massage, she took out her phone, snapped a selfie, and sent it to the small group chat.
Fu Nanshuang was the first to jump in.
【This color is so youthful, you look ten years younger. Should I get one too? Thinking.】
Zhong Ning typed with a smile on her face.
【Go for it. I dyed it at XX Club, they’re really good.】
Fu Nanshuang:
【...I’m guessing you forgot this is my mom’s salon?】
Zhong Ning:
【???】
Fu Nanshuang:
【Did you sign up for a membership too?】
Zhong Ning:
【!!!】
Fu Nanshuang:
【I knew you forgot! I’ll call the manager later and get your money refunded. Why are you even paying there?】
【Wait a second, weren’t you totally against these kinds of clubs before? Had a change of heart?】
Zhong Ning:
【Well, it’s because... Shiqing and I got back together. She comes here often, so I just came with her. Haha, forgot to tell you all.】
Lying face-down on the bed, her expression grew slightly guilty.
In truth, she hadn’t forgotten—she just didn’t know how to bring it up.
Back then, the breakup had left her disheartened, and everything had been so dramatic. Now that they were back together, Zhong Ning simply couldn’t find the words.
Fu Nanshuang:
【......】
【@everyone @everyone @everyone】
Zhong Ning: ......
Was this really necessary? Did she really have to make it such a big deal?!
After a while, the others in the group began to appear one by one.
Their replies were surprisingly consistent—mostly offering congratulations and well wishes.
Zhong Ning: ......
Her toes curled in embarrassment. Still, she had to say thank you.
After taking several deep breaths, she gave a rough summary of what had happened during this period.
She ended it with:
【She really loves me, and I love her too. She has some issues, and so do I. The breakup was both our fault. Lately we’ve started seeing a psychologist. I hope we can grow better together.】
Fu Nanshuang:
【If someone like you needs to see a psychologist, then shouldn’t I be going even more?】
Zhong Ning:
【But you’re not in a relationship. It’s not affecting your life, so there’s no need.
I’m doing this because I want to maintain this relationship, and I don’t want to hurt her. That’s why I’m trying to fix the less ideal parts of my personality.
Why should you change anything?】
【You’re doing fine. You’re happy on your own—no need for all this.】
Fu Nanshuang:
【...People in relationships are terrifying!】
Zheng Xuan:
【...This is all totally normal behavior, okay? When you like someone, of course you want them to be happy. Making them upset isn’t love.】
Fu Nanshuang:
【I never did that! I was just being myself, and all my exes were pretty happy. Not one of them ever said I was bad.】
Zheng Xuan:
【They were happy because you paid them. To them it was just a job—no one’s stupid enough to give their heart to you for real.】
Fu Nanshuang:
【...Ouch. Exposed. Well, either way, as long as everyone's happy, that’s what matters!】
Zhong Ning couldn’t stop laughing as she watched, her shoulders shaking so much that the masseuse nearly lost grip.
Once she was caught, the masseuse gave her a firm squeeze.
Zhong Ning: couldn’t laugh anymore.
Fu Nanshuang changed targets.
【So what’s Little Ning planning to do now? Are you two heading toward marriage? Does your engagement still count?】
Zhong Ning paused.
Marriage.
When she had first met Xie Shiqing, that had always been her hope—to marry her, to spend a lifetime together.
It was just that too much had happened since then. It felt like a long time had passed, but thinking about it, it really hadn’t been that long. It was just her emotions had been too intense, and her feelings had risen and fallen too quickly.
That was what gave her the illusion of having already lived half a life.
So, had her thoughts changed?
There was a softness in Zhong Ning’s expression, difficult to describe.
【I do want to get married. Lately I’ve been looking at designers—I want to get a pair of custom rings.】
Zheng Xuan:
【Want me to recommend a few? The rings I used for my proposal and wedding were all custom-made.】
Zhong Ning:
【Yes please, that would be great.】
She put down her phone and snuck a glance at Xie Shiqing, who lay with her eyes closed and a face mask on.
Inside, Zhong Ning was overflowing with a wild tide of joy and anticipation.
Even if neither of them had completely changed yet—so what?
She knew Xie Shiqing, and Xie Shiqing knew her. They were both the kind of people who kept their word, who would definitely see things through.
Besides, love was the strongest catalyst between them—the most powerful force in the world. They were bound to succeed. It was only a matter of time.
The proposal—she had to prepare it well...
But wait—how does one propose?
Zhong Ning felt a wave of confusion, the kind that came when the brain had no prior knowledge or preparation.
She exited the chat and began to search online.
Without Bluetooth headphones, she had to mute the videos and rely on subtitles.
Searching "proposal" brought up plenty of results.
《A Proposal Under the Rainbow—What’s Romantic Isn’t the Rainbow, It’s You》
《A Textbook-Perfect Classic Proposal》
《Proposal Plan Discovered by Girlfriend—Urgent!》
《Roundup of Romantic Proposal Scenes—Why Won’t Heaven Send Me a Girlfriend》
《XX Woman Proposes and Gets Scammed Instead》
《Concert Proposal Scene—Still Makes Me Cry No Matter How Many Times I Watch》
Aside from one odd one out, Zhong Ning watched them all—especially the one where the proposal plan got exposed.
She had a strong feeling she might end up in the same boat.
Not because she was bad at hiding things—but because Xie Shiqing was just too sharp. Very little could get past her.
It was going to be tricky.
But the videos were honestly hilarious, and Zhong Ning couldn’t help it—she burst out laughing.