Chapter 167

This bodyguard had worked with many wealthy people and was well-versed in how to get along with them. When an employer wanted to give a gift, one shouldn’t refuse — just accept it, plain and simple.

To her, the gift seemed expensive, but to the other party, it was nothing more than a casual gesture — like how she wouldn’t mind buying someone a meal of fried chicken.

Then, Zhong Ning went and dyed her hair.

She dyed it completely blue, with green highlights, and the ends were slightly curled. The overall look was free and unrestrained, and paired with her now slightly aloof gaze, she seemed like a completely different person from before.

She even painted her nails black — a clear sign that she intended to stay single.

The hair session took a long time. By the time she finished fussing with herself, it was already midnight.

At this hour, the streets were no longer as safe as they were during the day.

So Zhong Ning returned to the hotel with Michelle, and had room service bring dinner.

Matsutake trotted over with a newly bought tennis ball in its mouth to welcome them. It had company all afternoon — someone to play with, someone to watch over it as it napped.

It was a Border Collie with a fairly bold temperament. Perhaps due to its upbringing, Matsutake was indeed clingy and prone to jealousy, but it was also brave. Even around strangers, it didn’t panic and was well-adjusted to crowded environments.

But it paid extra attention and care to Zhong Ning.

Zhong Ning knew why. Matsutake was a very clever puppy, with a keen sensitivity to emotions. Even if it couldn’t understand breakups or heartbreak, it could sense sadness and pain.

That night, they still slept together, with Michelle staying in the outer suite.

The next day, Zhong Ning woke naturally, then had breakfast at the hotel. She looked at Michelle and asked in a soft voice, “Is there a place around here that does extreme sports? Like skydiving, bungee jumping, that sort of thing?”

Michelle was an all-around capable bodyguard, and also the perfect tour guide.

She arranged a session with a professional skydiving team. As for bungee jumping, the best place for that wasn’t here, but in a neighboring city.

Just skydiving was fine.

This activity wasn’t suitable for bringing Matsutake along, so they temporarily placed it in a doggy daycare. Then Zhong Ning and Michelle boarded a helicopter.

The cabin door was wide open, and the helicopter climbed higher and higher. The wind grew stronger and stronger. Zhong Ning gazed up at the clear, freshly washed blue sky and suddenly said, “Maybe I died suddenly.”

The roar of the helicopter was too loud. She had spoken in Chinese, and Michelle didn’t catch it. She gave a questioning look and shouted, “What did you say?”

Zhong Ning gave a small smile, shook her head, and said, “It’s nothing. I’m really looking forward to this.”

She had never done anything like this before — not even the most conservative kind of thrill ride like a drop tower. It was all a bit too intense for her.

She had always been someone who paid a lot of attention to safety, and she didn’t want to make her family worry, so she had never tried anything overly daring.

The helicopter soon reached the designated altitude. After all the safety instructions had been given, Michelle — who was a certified skydiver herself — would be jumping with Zhong Ning. They didn’t need any of the staff to assist.

The two of them moved together to the cabin door, chest pressed to back, like a pair of conjoined twins.

All the safety instructions had already been given back on the ground.

Zhong Ning held onto the edge of the door and looked down. The ground appeared like clusters of compressed color blocks. When she looked up, the clouds seemed almost within reach.

So high.

When a person looked down from a great height, the brain often produced an urge to jump — a self-protective instinct at work. Because jumping meant death, reason would warn the body to back away.

It was hard to say whether skydiving was about indulging a subconscious desire for destruction, or overcoming the primal instinct to survive.

Zhong Ning leaned forward and fell flat into the air.

The wind roared past her ears with ferocity. The weightlessness from the fall made her limbs go limp. The entire world went silent. It felt like she was floating underwater, with nothing but the fall.

Endless, unceasing descent.

If she undid the harness now, would she fall straight down? Would she return to her original world that way?

The thought spun around in Zhong Ning’s mind, but her hands didn’t move.

That would be too irresponsible.

What about Matsutake? It was just a dog — without its owner, it would become a stray. And Michelle? Her flawless professional career would be marred by a massive scandal. She might never get another job again. What about the skydiving company? This would be an unforeseen disaster for them.

If she just dropped like that, even the cleanup of her body would be difficult. The scene would be gruesome, and it would be traumatic for the investigators.

When it came time to open the parachute, Zhong Ning still pulled it.

A powerful force yanked her backward, causing her to float upward slightly before she began her slow descent.

The endless green lawn stretched out below like a soft matcha cake, and she was probably just a piece of white chocolate slowly landing on top of it.

Her heart was racing — at its fastest, it went a little over a hundred beats per minute — but when she opened the parachute, she was smiling.

“That was thrilling,” she said. “Is bungee jumping kind of like this too?”

After all, both involved jumping from high up. Skydiving might even be higher.

“I can’t wait already.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Zhong Ning took a car back into the city and picked up Matsutake. She didn’t slow down in the evening either — she went clubbing at a bar.

It felt amazing. Overhead, flashing lights exploded; the DJ was mixing beats on stage. Everyone around was dancing freely in the crowd, releasing themselves. Michelle stayed right by her side, giving her the freedom to let loose without worry.

If her old friends saw her like this, they’d probably think she had gone insane.

She even ran up on stage and sang a song, earning a flood of whistles and cheers.

There were people who tried to approach her, but Michelle blocked them all. No one could get close to Zhong Ning.

The mixed cocktails tasted sweet, but were the easiest to get drunk on. Zhong Ning didn’t care — she downed several glasses in a row. By the time she stepped out of the bar, her steps were already unsteady.

Michelle held her by the arm and supported her as they walked toward the car.

But they hadn’t gone far before Zhong Ning suddenly yanked backward and said, “I don’t want to go back. I want to eat ice cream.”