Chapter 57 - Stress
Chapter 57: Stress
Why was the world so small? The world was so small that one would always end up meeting the person one did not want to meet.
Although it was for different reasons, this was something that troubled both Ye Xin and Song Ning.
At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed in an exquisite suit with his hair meticulously styled stood in front of Song Ning. From his appearance to his expression and the air of elegance around him, they all hinted that he was from a distinguished family. The man was clearly surprised to see Ning Xia. “Ning Xia, why are you here?”
Song Ning replied calmly, “I’m here to meet a friend.”
The man looked around the restaurant that was owned by the Mu Group.
The restaurant was the most luxurious restaurant in M City, and its patrons were, naturally, the wealthy and the influential. The upper floors of the restaurant were part of the office in the Mu Group’s headquarters.
The man asked skeptically, “You’re meeting your friend… here?”
Song Ning only smiled faintly as she replied, “Are you implying that I don’t have friends who are qualified to dine here?”
When the man realized he had made a gaffe, he said, “I’m sorry, Ning Xia. That’s not what I mean. Why don’t you call your friend over, and we can have a meal together. We haven’t eaten together in years.”
Song Ning’s smile froze immediately. “No, I don’t have the appetite to eat with you.”
The man’s expression darkened immediately. “Ning Xia, how dare you speak to me like this? Mind your manners. It’s clear you’ve been negatively influenced over the years.”
Song Ning’s eyes reddened slightly as she looked at the man in front of her. “Manners? After my mother passed away, no one taught me anything about manners. No one influenced me; I’m just naturally rude. Don’t you know that?”
The man loosened his tie slightly as he softened his voice and said, “Ning Xia, the door of our house is always open to you. You can come back anytime you want. It was never my intention to abandon you; it was your mother who insisted on taking you away.”
“Don’t mention my mother!” Song Ning’s voice rose, attracting the attention of the people in the surroundings.
Feeling embarrassed, the man lowered his voice. “Do you really have to throw a tantrum on such an occasion? Didn’t you learn to behave after so many years of suffering? You gave up on the chance to have a nice and easy life back at home. Look at what you’ve become!”
Song Ning’s breathing grew heavy. She dug her nails into her palms when she clenched her hands. She said, “I don’t want a nice and easy life. I’m not Ning Xia; my name is Song Ning! Song Ning! If you see me in the future, please pretend that you don’t know me! I’m not worthy enough to know someone like you anyway!”
As soon as Song Ning finished speaking, she walked past the man without looking back. Buzzing noises rang in her ears, and she felt like it was difficult to breathe. She hurriedly strode across the restaurant and made her way to the internal elevator. After swiping her card, she squatted down in the elevator. Her breathing grew even heavier so she dug her finger into the acupuncture on her right hand to keep herself from losing it.
At this moment, the elevator opened with a ding!
Mu Chen who was standing at the entrance of the elevator looked at Song Ning in shock when he saw how pale she was. “Ning?”
Song Ning rose to his feet and rushed into Mu Chen’s arms, hugging him tightly.
Confused, Mu Chen instinctively tightened his hold around her as he hugged her and stroked her head with his other hand. He asked gently, “What’s the matter? What happened?”
Song Ning buried her face in his chest and shook her head.
Mu Chen only realized Song Ning was crying when he felt the wetness on his shirt. He asked in shock, “Song Ning, what happened? Tell me, what happened?”
Upon seeing the lack of response, he pulled Song Ning away from his body. He grew even more anxious when he saw the crestfallen expression on her face. “Song Ning, why don’t you tell me what happened? Don’t make me worry…”
Song Ning shook her head and asked softly, “Where is the bathroom?”
Mu Chen pointed in the direction of the bathroom, and before he could say anything else, she had already run into the bathroom and locked the door. He grew even more concerned when he heard the sound of retching from the bathroom. He hurriedly found a spare key and opened the bathroom door.
When he entered the bathroom, Song Ning had just pressed on the flush button. Her body swayed unsteadily as she turned the tap on and splashed water on her face.
Mu Chen hurriedly walked up to her and held her. She was drenched in sweat. “Song Ning, Song Ning, what’s the matter? What happened? Talk to me please.”
However, Song Ning closed her eyes and did not respond to Mu Chen.
Upon seeing this, Mu Chen was horrified and turned around in a hurry to call a doctor.
However, Song Ning grabbed his hand at this time. Her hand was icy cold. Her eyelids were drooping as she said, clearly exhausted, “Mu Chen, I’m very tired. Let me sleep for a while. Don’t ask me any questions. Please…”
“Alright, alright. Sleep…” Mu Chen carried her out and put her on the bed in the lounge.
Song Ning opened her eyes and smiled with great difficulty. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just a stress response. I’m just going to sleep.”