Chapter 189

Xie Shiqing seemed unable to pick up on the complexity and speechlessness in her words. Instead, she put on another smiling face and said sweetly, “Thank you, Ning Ning, for complimenting me. See, I really have changed a lot.”

Zhong Ning said, “Shut your mouth. Don’t speak anymore.”

She didn’t want to hear another word right now.

Xie Shiqing raised her hand and made a motion like zipping her lips shut. But not long after, Zhong Ning felt a tug at her sleeve.

Xie Shiqing looked over pitifully and said, “Ning Ning, I’m so itchy…”

“Endure it.”

Perhaps her tone was too harsh, because Xie Shiqing clearly froze for a moment. Her wide-open eyes were gradually hidden beneath her lowered lashes. She lowered her head slightly and slowly drew back her fingers.

The silence between them began to ferment.

The pressure around Zhong Ning also dropped.

It wasn’t that she was angry at Xie Shiqing for hiring a private investigator—after all, that was exactly the kind of thing she would do.

She was angry that even falling ill from an allergy, a purely accidental situation, hadn’t stopped Xie Shiqing from trying to use it to gain something for herself.

Had the detective only started tracking her yesterday? The whole thing had already ended long ago. She had just chosen to bring it up now, clearly because she noticed Zhong Ning’s attitude had softened a little, so she tried to take advantage of her current pitiful state to downplay the severity of her snooping.

Even honesty was something she had to make use of.

What made Zhong Ning even angrier was herself—she could clearly see through it, yet still couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

After all, Xie Shiqing really did have an allergic reaction, and she really was uncomfortable.

Just raising her voice a little made her start to wonder if she’d been too harsh.

Zhong Ning, oh Zhong Ning, can’t your moral standards be a little lower? Look at how flexible Xie Shiqing is.

She couldn’t even tell anymore whether this person’s sadness was real or just an act.

Feeling irritable and restless, Zhong Ning put on her headphones and randomly picked a song to listen to.

Suddenly, she started to regret returning too early.

She hadn’t truly gotten over this relationship. It was just that her surroundings had been so calm and peaceful, they gave her a false sense of having already moved on.

The announcement that the train was about to arrive at the station came on. The attendant gently reminded all passengers to check their belongings and get ready to disembark.

Xie Shiqing went from sitting to standing, bending over awkwardly to fold the clothes that had been laid out underneath.

Zhong Ning watched for two seconds and really couldn’t bear it. She reached over and pulled the clothes away, folded them neatly in a few swift motions, found a bag to pack them in, and put them back into the suitcase.

The train pulled into the station and slowly came to a stop. Zhong Ning dragged two suitcases, one in each hand, and said, “Let’s go.”

She walked in front while Xie Shiqing quietly followed behind.

After exiting the station, she hailed a cab and told the driver to head to the nearest hospital.

The driver cried out, “Good heavens, is this an allergic reaction? It’s that serious? Her whole face is swollen and red!”

Zhong Ning gave a soft “mm,” then said, “Please drive a little faster.”

The driver seemed like a chatty person and confidently assured them he’d step on the gas. He was clearly in the mood for conversation, but upon seeing that neither of the passengers looked like they wanted to talk, he shut his mouth and turned on the car’s music instead.

Zhong Ning turned to glance at the person beside her. What was once a delicate oval face had turned into a rounder, egg-shaped one. Her face, neck, and ears were all red, and even her eyelids were swollen—it was quite a shocking sight.

Her brows furrowed slightly. “Still itchy?”

Xie Shiqing curled up gloomily in the seat like a little mushroom and gave a small nod. “It still stings a bit.”

Zhong Ning’s tone was a little stiff. “We’ll be at the hospital soon.”

The driver indeed drove fast, overtaking several cars along the way. In just over ten minutes, they arrived at the hospital. Zhong Ning had already made an appointment online, and by the time they arrived, the patient ahead had just gone into the consultation room.

While Zhong Ning was lowering her head to book a hotel online, the call for Xie Shiqing’s name came up.

The two of them went in together. The doctor looked over Xie Shiqing’s skin and asked about her usual diet. After a quick check, he prescribed her medication and gave instructions: “Avoid eating spicy or irritating foods—seafood, things that may trigger inflammation, chili peppers, all that should be avoided for now. After rinsing the skin with clean water, don’t apply any skincare products. Take the capsules three times a day, two capsules each time after meals. Apply the ointment twice daily, once in the morning and once at night.”

Zhong Ning asked, “How long will these symptoms take to go away?”

The doctor gave Xie Shiqing a glance. “This isn’t considered severe. If she takes the medicine on time, two or three days should be enough. She should still be cautious though. If possible, do an allergy test. And try to eat more vitamins.”

“Then please also prescribe some vitamins. I’ll buy everything together in a bit.”

“Alright.”

The doctor wrote another prescription. Zhong Ning reached out and took both slips together. As the two of them walked out of the consultation room, she said flatly, “Wait here.”

With that, she headed straight to the pharmacy to get the medicine.

There was one tube of ointment and two boxes of oral capsules. Zhong Ning also bought some cotton swabs additionally.

After paying, she carried the bag back. Xie Shiqing was still sitting on a small stool, looking in her direction with hopeful eyes.

Zhong Ning pressed her lips together slightly. “Hungry?”

Xie Shiqing mumbled, “I’m hungry.”

“I’ve booked a hotel. Let’s go. Hang in there for a bit.”

That’s what she said, but as they passed the convenience store on the first floor, she still went in and bought a box of milk, helped insert the straw, and then handed it over.

Xie Shiqing held the milk box with both hands and lowered her head, hiding the corners of her lips that had quietly curled up again.

It took over half an hour by car to get from the hospital to the hotel. Zhong Ning didn’t speak during the ride, while Xie Shiqing, oddly enough, was full of energy, chatting enthusiastically with the driver.

She said her name was Jingjing and that she was on a business trip.

The driver responded with a surprised “Oh wow,” and said, “I thought you were still in high school. Didn’t expect you’re already working! You look so young.”

Xie Shiqing just laughed.

So now the allergic reaction wasn’t bothering her anymore?

Zhong Ning opened her phone and replied to a few messages from her friends, idly scrolled through a group chat for a while, and didn’t join in a single word of the conversation between the other two.