Chapter 237
Chapter 237
Xie Shiqing said, “What’s so funny that Ning Ning’s laughing like that?”
Zhong Ning fumbled to pull up a funny video. “Just a compilation of people slipping in winter. I thought you fell asleep, so I muted it.”
“Do you want to watch it? I can send it to you.”
Xie Shiqing said, “Sure, but I’m not in a convenient position to use my phone. Ning Ning, can you cast it to the small TV? Please?”
Zhong Ning nodded. “Okay.”
A staff member helped with the screen casting, while Zhong Ning quickly and stealthily deleted her search history and watch history, wiping out all traces before the screen casting was completed.
She even temporarily logged out of WeChat, afraid that someone might suddenly message her about the matter and cause the plan to collapse before it even began.
The funny video was cast on the screen. Accompanied by cheerful background music, Xie Shiqing watched it without laughing, while Zhong Ning couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear.
“How about I pick a movie to watch?” Zhong Ning said. “Nothing else to do while lying down anyway.”
And just her luck, she picked the one that aired last night.
Xie Shiqing said, “I watched this yesterday. This is the one that played last night.”
Zhong Ning’s focused expression on the opening credits froze.
“…Should I pick another one?”
The corners of Xie Shiqing’s lips slowly lifted. “No need. I wasn’t really paying attention. Someone interrupted me.”
“Perfect chance to watch it again today.”
Zhong Ning’s ears flushed red in embarrassment. She pretended not to understand what was implied.
The movie was great, but she couldn’t focus on the plot at all, because Xie Shiqing kept talking beside her, saying, I saw this part, I didn’t get to see the next part, because someone distracted me and wouldn’t let me watch.
So annoying!
Was she taking advantage of the fact that Zhong Ning felt sorry for her, treating that like some kind of immunity card, and deliberately teasing her like this?
Zhong Ning ground her teeth silently.
Xie Shiqing kept provoking her. “Why isn’t Ning Ning saying anything? You don’t like this movie?”
“I think it’s great. Ah, back then I only heard the audio. Didn’t expect the visuals to be so intense. What a fierce fight scene.”
Zhong Ning: “……”
Too much!
She wished she could bet her ears to make it stop.
She glared at Xie Shiqing. The person didn’t even look back, still watching the movie.
She kept glaring, harder this time. Finally, the talkative one turned her head, eyes bright and shimmering like a galaxy had been spilled inside them, full of laughter.
“What’s wrong? Ning Ning’s looking at me—do you need something?”
Zhong Ning took a breath and resignedly said, “Let’s just watch the movie. Do you want juice? Moisten your throat a bit. Talking too much can make it sore. Let it rest, okay?”
Xie Shiqing pretended to think. “But I don’t think it needs rest.”
Zhong Ning stared at her with dead fish eyes.
Xie Shiqing said, “Haha, mm… I happen to be a little thirsty. Let’s get two juices then—one mango, and the other peach.”
Sure enough, she stopped talking.
Zhong Ning sipped from her straw, feeling like she’d been completely played by this person.
The scariest part was—she was totally willing.
The two of them spent the night in the club’s private suite. Waking up naturally brought a sense of peace and comfort. After a full night’s rest, their minds felt fresh and clear.
But not returning home all night meant the first thing to do upon getting back was to coax Pine Mushroom. The puppy was quite displeased that the two of them stayed out all night and didn’t even take her along.
“Wanna go camping?” Zhong Ning’s eyes lit up. “Have you ever been, Shiqing?”
Xie Shiqing shook her head.
The school had organized camping trips before, but she never participated. Her reasons were always solid—going to banquets, traveling abroad, following up on business negotiations.
With such legitimate excuses, the teachers naturally had no reason to object.
Whenever she gained something, she inevitably had to give something up.
“Then let’s go camping,” Zhong Ning said. “Let’s invite Nanshuang and the others too, is that okay?”
Xie Shiqing agreed.
“Camping is more fun with more people,” she said. “They’re my friends, but all of them have really good personalities. They’re genuine too.”
“I’ll try to get along with them,” Xie Shiqing said, kissing the corner of her lips. “I understand what you mean, Ning Ning. I’ll try to get to know people.”
The campsite was chosen by Zhong Ning herself—Fengcheng’s largest ecological botanical park.
Towering shrubs, dense flowerbeds, lush lawns, and hanging vines together made up the scenery of the ecological garden.
There was a designated camping area on the grass, and it was quite crowded.
The group drove out early. At first, there was a bit of awkwardness on the road, but after a few chats, the atmosphere quickly warmed up.
Xie Shiqing took the initiative to join the conversations and was very engaged.
The others also showed good manners—they didn’t pry or bring up inappropriate topics. After a few rounds of interaction, they were already much closer than when they first got in the car.
Xie Shiqing gradually let go of her inner reservations.
She used to scoff at the idea of making friends—this, too, was something instilled by her mother. What’s the use of friends? She could do everything best by herself. Everyone else was inferior, so why would a strong person befriend the weak? They brought no benefit.
And since she was already the best, she didn’t need people who would only drag her down.
But Zhong Ning made her realize that a person shouldn’t be judged only by their abilities—character mattered too. Sometimes, the latter was even more important.
Fu Nanshuang and the others together didn’t amount to her in terms of achievements. Even if their companies’ valuations doubled, they still couldn’t compare to Xie Corporation.
But did that mean they were worthless?
That kind of thinking was completely wrong.
Their warmth and sincerity in dealing with people were more important than any capability.
The group sang songs together, laughing and messing around. Everyone brought out a small musical instrument—after all, they were all well-educated and knew a bit of everything.
The most playful one, Fu Nanshuang, turned out to be the best at playing the guzheng. Zheng Xuan brought a pipa. Xie Shiqing came over with a violin and, under Zhong Ning’s wide-eyed gaze, said she’d only dabbled in it a little. The other two had a guitar and a handpan.
In the end, only Zhong Ning was the one who didn’t know how to play an instrument.