Chapter 247
Chapter 247
Zhong Ning supported both of her legs; with a slight exertion of force, she lifted the person straight up and threw her onto the bed.
The droplets of water on Xie Shiqing’s body spread into damp marks across the bedsheet. Zhong Ning could not be bothered with any of that and pressed down directly.
The arched instep, the fingers sinking into the sheets—Xie Shiqing bit her lower lip, only for it to be pried apart in the next moment. Broken sounds flowed out along the invading fingers.
‘You are not allowed to bite yourself.’ Zhong Ning’s voice seemed to come from very far away. ‘You are mine. You are forbidden from doing anything I do not permit.’
It was slightly hoarse, like stones tumbling through a mountain stream, scraping against the seagrass beneath the water.
The finger wedged between her teeth withdrew, then seized her long hair. Xie Shiqing was forced to tilt her head back, exposing her fragile neck, letting out uneven sobs the instant teeth sank into her.
In the next moment, she was flipped over, her face pressed into the bedding, her completely unguarded nape laid bare.
A sharp pain suddenly shot through her gland.
What followed was an overwhelming rush of pleasure, as if she had fallen freely from the clouds. The roaring wind seemed to drain the air from her ears; the sensation of weightlessness made it impossible to tell head from foot—there was only an endless plunge.
……
Zhong Ning was clearly very satisfied with her. Before the seven-day observation period had even ended, she had been granted the right to return to work at the company.
The employees below did not know many details, but the recent unrest within the company was real. Rumors claimed that the one in power had changed, yet Xie Shiqing had returned openly, issuing orders as before.
Everyone was left utterly bewildered, unable to make sense of what had happened.
This was her first day back at work. She held a meeting, and her usual assistant was still under her command, just like in the past, as if nothing had changed.
After Zhong Ning became Chairwoman, the company’s situation stabilized with remarkable speed. The fabricated gossip ceased, and artists who had previously terminated their contracts began receiving multiple advertising offers and script invitations once again. An obscure arthouse film from years ago that had barely made a ripple suddenly gained traction, rapidly going viral across the internet. Its streaming views and on-demand rates swelled to an almost absurd degree, more exaggerated than rising dough.
Everything was moving in a positive direction.
Even the most temperamental directors publicly stated that they wished to collaborate with one of the company’s newly debuted young actresses for their next film.
It all felt utterly surreal.
Xie Shiqing had long heard of Zhong Ning’s reputation for extraordinary luck. Supposedly, her fortune was exceptional. Xie Shiqing had never believed in fate or luck; she had always dismissed such claims, convinced that Zhong Ning simply worked extensively behind the scenes and employed countless methods.
Now that she had personally experienced it, the evidence seemed undeniable, leaving even her momentarily dazed.
Inexplicably, her thoughts drifted back to those months when everything had gone wrong.
Drawing a deep breath, she forced herself to stop dwelling on such baseless notions and turned her focus back to work.
In truth, she rarely came to the company. Most matters were handled by her agent and assistant.
After Zhong Ning took over, nothing had been replaced, no one dismissed. The agent remained the same, and the assistant was still the assistant.
Yet Zhong Ning had required Xie Shiqing to return to work. Given Zhong Ning’s obsession with matters of the bed, Xie Shiqing had assumed she would be kept there for at least a month before being granted even a brief reprieve.
She could not quite understand Zhong Ning. This was a person difficult to predict.
Those who were too capricious often lacked any discernible logic, making it impossible to draw conclusions or find patterns.
Zhong Ning’s decisions depended solely on her thoughts and mood at the time.
To distill any kind of pattern would require a great deal of time spent together. For now, Xie Shiqing could only feel her way forward, step by step.
Zhong Ning had told her to come to work at the company, so she came.
When lunchtime arrived, some people chose takeout, while others went to the cafeteria.
The company cafeteria occupied an entire floor, staffed by ten professional chefs and twenty assistants. For meals prepared for artists, there were even dedicated nutritionists.
Zhong Ning came to the office alone, spreading her arms wide with the enthusiasm of a long-lost friend. ‘Shiqing! Long time no see. How is it? Are you getting used to things?’
Still uncertain of Zhong Ning’s behavioral patterns, Xie Shiqing returned the embrace lightly. ‘I am more or less used to it, thank you, Mas—’
‘So loud. Are you trying to let everyone know about our relationship?’
A finger pressed against her lips.
‘When we are outside, call me Miss Zhong.’
Xie Shiqing paused briefly, then corrected herself smoothly. ‘Miss Zhong.’
‘I brought you a gift. Guess what it is?’ Zhong Ning sounded excited, deliberately adding a note of mystery. ‘It is a very impressive gift!’
Playing along, Xie Shiqing pretended to think. ‘Is it… a necklace?’
‘Wrong, wrong.’
‘An impressive gift… a ticket?’
‘Oh dear, you are terrible at this.’
Zhong Ning opened the box. ‘You will never guess, so I might as well tell you.’
Leaning close to Xie Shiqing’s ear, she whispered, ‘It is an electric rose.’
‘I picked it out especially. It is very small—feel it.’
Xie Shiqing’s lowered hand was taken and something soft and oval was placed into her palm: a rose-shaped sphere.
Guiding the back of her hand, Zhong Ning urged her to close her fingers around it. It was about the size of her palm, shaped like a full, blooming rose. The petals were soft, the stem slender, even lined with pliant thorns. There was faintly, impossibly, the rich fragrance of roses.
‘It is red. Very cute.’ Zhong Ning’s voice remained bright and animated, as though she were presenting a piece of art. ‘The moment I saw it, I thought of you. It suits you perfectly. It has a remote control—just press the switch and it starts. It even sings.’
‘I recorded the songs myself,’ she added. ‘Listen.’
The object in her hand suddenly bloomed, petals unfolding layer by layer with startling realism, like a living rose.
‘That was the first song, a children’s tune,’ Zhong Ning murmured with a soft laugh near her ear. ‘What about the second?’
‘It is a love song.’ Zhong Ning sounded delighted. ‘It even sways, like the plants in Plants vs. Zombies. Is it not adorable?’
To Xie Shiqing, it felt less like a gift and more like a burning coal, like a grenade with the pin already pulled—yet she could not loosen her grip.
She shook her head. ‘I have been locked away, altered beyond recognition.’