Chapter 7 - Some People Are Showing off

The snow that lasted the whole night, had covered the entire compound with whiteness.

Shangguan Ning was amazed at the splendid scene when she pulled open the curtain. She quickly washed up, changed into a green sportswear and went out for a run.

It creaked when her feet stepped upon the thick snow.

Shangguan Ning, who was normally calm and steady, turned into a child at that moment. She delightedly trudged upon the snow, showing no sign of exhaustion. She laughed happily as she saw the rows of footprints she had left in the snow.

Thin icicles were hanging down from the trees. She pulled one down and watched it melting inside her palm. Then she walked out of the compound in slow steps.

Shangguan Ning, who was in the landscape, had no idea that she herself had become the landscape for someone else.

On the top floor of a tall building in Landscape Compound, Jing Yichen, who was casually dressed and holding a cup of hot coffee in his hand, was quietly watching this green spot roaming around in the vast whiteness.

Apparently, she was out for a morning run wearing that outfit. But this kind of weather wasn’t suitable for any running exercise.

He didn’t understand why she fancied snow so much. Snow was a cold thing with no warmth at all.

But what he didn’t understand either, was why his mood had somehow lifted up.

Tiger had just returned with breakfast when he saw a slight rise in Master’s mouth’s corner. The angle was so tiny that it could hardly be seen. Yet for Tiger, who had been by Master’s side for so long, any subtle changes could directly be noticed.

He had no idea why Master’s mood was lifted up. But that should be a good thing anyway, because Master didn’t pick on the breakfast today.

Master had always been particular about food, even when the breakfast was prepared by his special cook. Since they moved here just yesterday, the cook had not managed to follow them. That’s why they ended up eating breakfast bought from outside.

Tiger had thought that buying breakfast would have been a futile act today, but unexpectedly, Master ate it all up!

Who was the God that came and saved us? He wished that the God was able to come every day so that he could have a much easier life.

Having finished breakfast, Jing Yichen went out with Tiger. Weekends were not a holiday for him.

That was why he failed to see a messy Shangguan Ning on her way back. Her well-braided pigtail had fallen apart. Apparently, she had fallen several times.

She massaged her bruised knees as she entered the elevator.

She lived on the sixth floor and usually would take the stairs as exercise. But she fell twice today, causing a lot of pain on her knees. So elevator was the best choice at this stage.

The elevator rang as it came to the sixth floor. As the door opened, the two most undesirable figures rushed into her sight, stinging her eyes.

“Sister!” came a gentle and surprised voice, as if the owner had been longing so much for her.

The other figure belonged to a man who had been inside her heart for a long time. But that figure was standing next to another woman, showing endless fondness and care.

Shangguan Ning’s body stiffened. It felt as if tons of load had been put upon her feet. The indescribable bitterness started to spread inside her and even the pain on her knees was nothing compared to that in her heart.

“What’s wrong, Ning? Did you fall?” Xie Zhuojun couldn’t help but ask as he saw the mess Shangguan Ning was in. He was frowning, showing little care that hardly could be noticed.

Shangguan Rouxue seemed to notice Shangguan Ning’s messy hairstyle and the mixture of clay and snow upon her clothes at that moment. She let out a low cry. “Sister, how come you are in such a mess! Are you feeling unwell?”

Shangguan Ning looked so transparently pale. It seemed as if she had been stricken by serious sickness.

She walked out of the elevator with a stiffened body. She felt cold in heart but she sneered inside. She was unwell all over whenever these two were around.

Her kind-hearted sister still asked the question, even though she understood everything clearly.

Shangguan Rouxue was dressed in a slender yellow outfit from the newest Burberry set. She had a Hermès handbag in hand that costed as much as her Audi A4 car. Her hair was in a well-trimmed wave style hanging down from the back of her head. She wore elegant yet exquisite makeup whilst the sweet scent of Gucci perfume floated out of her body.

Compared to her, this messy Shangguan Ning was simply like a tramp.

But it seemed that Shangguan Rouxue didn’t find her dirty. Instead, she looked concerned and worried. She then stretched out her hand, trying to feel her forehead.

Without thinking, Shangguan Ning raised her hand and slapped that tender hand. It was a respondent conditioning for her, as this beautiful hand had hurt her too many times.

It seemed that Shangguan Rouxue didn’t expect the slapping. She cried out in pain and covered her hand, with tears instantly filling up her eyes. She sounded tolerant and wronged as she said, “Sister, you must still be mad at me. If… if you are so sad, I will let you beat me. As long as you can be happy, I’m willing for that. Come, I won’t hide.”

At these words, she compressed her lips tightly, gathered her entire body up as if being ready for a punishment at any moment.

Xie Zhuojun took up Shangguan Rouxue’s hand. He looked rather heartbroken when he saw a red patch appearing on the tender back of her hand.

He couldn’t help but say angrily, “That’s enough, Shangguan Ning! You are the elder sister! Don’t you know how to behave like one? Xue, are you alright? Does it hurt?”

“I’m fine, Zhuojun. It doesn’t hurt at all. Sister was just… just careless.”

“Xue, you don’t need to back her up. I saw everything! She couldn’t have been this careless for slapping so loudly! It must be hurting a lot now!”

Shangguan Ning’s face had turned pale. She said nothing as she watched these two people, who had hurt her the deepest, putting on a loving show whilst blaming her for her evilness.

In the past she didn’t wait to explain herself every time such a thing happened. The explanation would only worsen the entire matter. What happened later was always that they two left together hand in hand, leaving her behind to shed tears alone.

At this moment, she felt as if being crushed by a hill, but she managed to control the tears.

She didn’t dwell upon the two of them. She acted as if she had never seen them and walked past them.

“Shangguan Ning!” Xie Zhuojun yelled at her as he saw her ignoring them. “Aren’t you going to apologize to Xue?!”

Apologize to Xue?

Shangguan Ning finally turned around and threw him a look.

Her eyes looked too hollow, face too pale. Xie Zhuojun’s heart skipped a beat, not daring to look directly at that crystal clear pair of eyes.

However, Shangguan Rouxue was holding tightly onto his arms at this moment, fragile like the most delicate flower dangling in the blizzard, making him feel extremely sympathetic.

As he got a bit stronger in his heart, he spoke again firmly, “Ning, Xue might have done something wrong back then, but she has paid you back during the past four years. She has been living in self-accusation and guilt since then. She has suffered as much as you did. Be satisfied with that. Besides, it was I who betrayed you. It had nothing to do with Xue. It was I who started to pursue her first. You mustn’t hurt Xue any longer. She is innocent. You are getting more and more disgusting as you continue to do so.”

A blast of cold sorrow attacked Shangguan Ning’s heart. She had once given him her everything and cared for him without caring about anything else. The only thing she received after all of that was nothing more than this phrase – “more disgusting”.