Chapter 184

"I know that I'm someone with a very dark heart. You came to help me and love me, thinking you could pull me out of the mire. That period was the happiest time of my life."

Tears welled up again in Xie Shiqing’s eyes. "And your decision to break up wasn't like what the outside world claimed—that you were furious after losing the Zhong family inheritance, or that you left in disgrace. You never cared about the Zhong family. What you cared about was that I didn't tell you about this. What mattered to you was that I hid it."

Zhong Ning had long become immune to flattering words, but Xie Shiqing's words pinpointed the real issue—something she truly hadn't expected.

She had thought this person neither understood nor could understand, so she simply hadn’t bothered to explain. She hadn’t expected that Xie Shiqing had known all along.

Zhong Ning looked at her. "Since you knew, then why did you still hide it? Did you think I would unconditionally forgive you?"

Xie Shiqing was silent for a moment. "Zhong Zinuan and Le Xi were the real culprits behind the car accident. Zhong Lin helped cover up the truth in order to gain the Xie Corporation. They're my enemies. I have to take revenge."

After a pause, she said softly, "Although it's the truth, saying this now is just to make you pity me, think I’m pitiful, and that I had my reasons."

Zhong Ning: "..."

The confrontation was going so well, and then suddenly took this turn—it really deflated her, and even made her feel a bit like laughing. So this was what she meant by being honest? This honest?

She pressed her lips into a line, her expression frozen without any change, like a mannequin, revealing no hint of emotion.

Xie Shiqing couldn’t read anything from her, only saw that Zhong Ning’s expression was cold and stiff, and her shoulders sank a little more.

"I didn’t hide it because I thought you’d forgive me."

She raised her hand to rub her cheek and took two deep breaths before continuing. "The methods I used to deal with the Zhong family and the Le family weren’t honorable. At first, I was confident—I thought I could keep it from you. But later, I started to get scared. Scared you’d think I’m someone who’d stop at nothing. Scared you’d think I was beyond saving, not worth saving."

"In the end, when the plan was almost finished and there was no way to keep hiding it from you, I started to deceive myself, thinking maybe you’d be willing to hear my explanation... my excuses."

"I really do know—truly know—that this matters to you. Honesty is your bottom line. This isn't the first time I’ve made a mistake. I no longer have the chance to be forgiven."

"But once you start hiding things, it’s like walking a tightrope without a balancing pole. There’s no turning back—you can only keep walking forward until you fall."

She sniffled and stood up to reach for the tissues on the table. Zhong Ning then raised her hand and pushed the tissue box toward her.

Xie Shiqing murmured a quiet thanks. "After you left, I really changed a lot. I wanted to try hard to become someone you’d like. Many times, when I didn’t know what to do, I would think about what you’d do if you were in the same situation."

"Ning Ning, I don’t dare ask you to give me another chance..." Her expression suddenly twisted a little as she let out a long breath. "But I really want you to give me another chance. The change is real, and my love is real too."

"You could have turned back," Zhong Ning said.

"...What?" Xie Shiqing was slightly stunned.

"Before I found out, or before someone else told me—no matter when—you could’ve told me about it yourself. I wouldn’t have blamed you."

"Zhong Ning’s gaze was calm. 'But you didn’t, because you still didn’t trust me enough, no matter what I said, what I did, or how many times I emphasized it.'

'Give me the transfer document. I’ll finish this meal.'

————————

Xie Shiqing (ultimate confession version): No one in this world can stop me from telling the truth and self-destructing.

Zhong Ning (pressing her forehead): I want some quiet time.

Xie Shiqing (pops up): Are you thinking of me?

(Hahahahahahaha—what kind of terrible joke is this)

A new brain hole suddenly appeared. Still a crematorium scenario, but she’s a jellyfish impostor. After the breakup, Big Jellyfish is overwhelmed with guilt and splits into countless fragments, all cursing each other. Then, she disguises herself and secretly lurks around Xiao Mian. The boss is a jellyfish in disguise, the street food stall owner is a jellyfish in disguise, the security guard is a jellyfish in disguise, the delivery guy is a jellyfish in disguise, even the stray cat picked up is a jellyfish in disguise.

A very wifey but super twisted true-fake person, eheh, slurp.

Title: 'My Online Lover Is My Ex-Girlfriend'. Nice. I'm so bad at naming things.

Chapter 66

For a moment, Xie Shiqing’s expression was completely blank.

She had imagined thousands of ways to salvage this relationship, imagined how Zhong Ning would be furious, angry, how she would despise her, hate her.

She had believed herself to be walking a path doomed to crash, like drinking poison to quench thirst—only caring about the present, deceiving herself, refusing to think about the consequences.

But what she never imagined was that there was still a turning point.

Zhong Ning said she could have turned back.

Even after what had happened—her pretending nothing was wrong and then decisively leaving—Xie Shiqing still trusted the character of the person before her. Zhong Ning wouldn’t deceive her about this just for revenge.

Everything she said was true.

She could have turned back—as long as she told her, as long as she confessed, Zhong Ning would have embraced her with love.

But she didn’t.

Xie Shiqing cried in panic, her lips trembling, unable to say a single word.

Was it because she didn’t trust Zhong Ning? Didn’t trust humans? Or did she simply project her own thoughts onto what could have happened, smothering the truth with her assumptions?

"I…"

"I just…"

Zhong Ning just looked at her calmly, saying nothing, offering no comfort.

A waiter knocked and came in, avoiding eye contact the entire time. After placing the dishes, he left, skipping any introductions.

Zhong Ning picked up her chopsticks. "Let’s eat."

Xie Shiqing was still crying, her tears like a silent dark river flowing underground—turbulent and overwhelming, yet without a sound.

Salty tears fell into the bowl one by one. She picked up her chopsticks and, between broken sobs, finished the meal.

No matter how delicious the food was, it tasted like nothing on her tongue. She was still alive, still breathing, but her spirit was already dead, her soul shattered into countless fragments. She was already dead, but this hard-won meal—she had to finish it, because she had struggled to earn this moment."