Chereads / suffocating love / Chapter 26 - Not pretending anymore.

Chapter 26 - Not pretending anymore.

"Sweet dreams."

When the morning light filtered through the curtains into the room, Ning An was dazzled and slowly opened her sleepy eyes. What met her gaze was Ning Xuan's exquisite and captivating features. Ning An couldn't help but marvel at how striking his face was at all times.

Such a face, why would it hide such paranoid and crazy thoughts... Originally a gift from God, but cruelly marked by demons.

As Ning An was thinking, his fan-like eyelashes blinked slowly and opened, meeting her complex gaze.

The boy who had just woken up shed his usual cold and noble demeanor, appearing somewhat bewildered. He looked at Ning An and, as if it were a habit, leaned down to kiss her eyes lightly, murmuring, "Good morning."

Ning An was taken aback. Ning Xuan always spared no effort to torment her at night, yet afterwards, he would be tender and affectionate, always comforting her so gently. Every morning, he would kiss her eyes lightly.

Ning Xuan's habitual gesture made Ning An feel like she had returned to the past.

Her eyes flashed, and suddenly she remembered her dream from last night, as if she dreamt of Ning Xuan saying something about starting anew with her... Was it a dream or real?

Suddenly, a ringing phone interrupted Ning An's thoughts and completely woke Ning Xuan up.

He casually reached for his phone and, looking at the caller ID, raised an eyebrow and handed it to Ning An. "It's Nangong Yaya's call."

Ning An, upon hearing this name, immediately got up and took the phone.

"Hello... Yaya."

Nangong Yaya on the other end of the line was taken aback, apparently not expecting Ning An to answer. She said, "An'an, are you with Ning Xuan? Why didn't you answer my call?"

Facing the rapid-fire questions and the angry tone, Ning An comforted her, "My phone was on silent. What happened?"

"My brother is missing!" Nangong Yaya's voice trembled, clearly at a loss.

Ning An's mind buzzed, 'Missing...'

She suddenly remembered the disappearance of Gu Yan Yan, remembered the death of Nangong in her previous life, and a kind of fear spread from the bottom of her heart.

She didn't know how to end the call, so she got up without a word, put on her clothes, and didn't even care that Ning Xuan was present. At this moment, she didn't think about anything else; her mind was only filled with concern for Nangong.

All of this reaction was seen by Ning Xuan. Despite being prepared, he was still stung by her indifference.

She cares so much...

As long as Nangong is around, there will never be a place for him in her heart. This clear understanding burned deep inside him like fire.

He seemed to think of something, suppressed the frenzy in his heart, and got up to get dressed.

Looking at Ning An's distracted appearance, he couldn't help but say, "Sister, don't worry. He's the young master of the Nangong family after all, he won't get into trouble easily."

He tried to reach out to support Ning An's body, but was pushed away fiercely, and looked into her eyes with suspicion, even hatred.

Last night's tenderness seemed to vanish like foam...

"Yaya said Nangong is missing. Is it related to you?" Ning Xuan suddenly felt a strong anger rising in his heart, so angry that he felt like laughing.

"Sister, you're suspecting me."

He slowly approached Ning An, though his face was smiling, a malicious glint appeared in his eyes, an undisguised malice.

"If I wanted to act, the entire Nangong family wouldn't be able to escape. Making everyone know that Nangong is dead would be my doing."

Ning An was a bit breathless under this strong pressure. She continued to look at Ning Xuan with mocking eyes.

"Enough pretending? Just saying that made you reveal your true colors, Ning Xuan! Playing me with memories of the past, is that what you want?"

Ning Xuan's expression changed unpredictably, but in the end, he just smiled faintly.

"Playing you? Sister, you want to inherit the Ning family and kick me out... Who's nobler? Everything you do to me is false, and I—knowing that you want to use me, still handed the Ning family over to you." He tore off that layer of mask completely and returned to the most familiar state for Ning An.

Cold, selfish, and cruel...

With his thoughts exposed bluntly, Ning An's face looked ugly, but she couldn't deny what Ning Xuan said.

She wiped away the tears and her skin reddened with force.

"It's better if Nangong's disappearance has nothing to do with you, otherwise, I won't let you off even if the net breaks and the fish dies." With these words, Ning An turned and left.

Ning Xuan didn't follow. Storms surged in his eyes... He originally wanted to take his time and slowly wear Ning An down, but unfortunately, his sister was unwilling to play with him. He was never a patient person, so since this is the case...

...

Ning An hailed a taxi on the roadside. After getting in the car, she was about to call Qin Li to ask for help in finding someone, but she received a message from an unknown number, with the address of a hotel.

Frowning, this hotel was the most famous one under their family's name. This person knew her number, gave the complete address, and even the room number. It seemed like it was prepared for her.

Could it be related to Nangong...

She changed her mind and asked the driver to change course to the hotel. She felt extremely uneasy.

When she reached the hotel, her inexplicable unease became even more apparent. She silently recited the room number and found herself at the front desk.

The receptionist didn't know Ning An's identity, but seeing her extraordinary and beautiful face, she couldn't help but straighten up her previously slouching posture, showing some respect.

"Take me to room 4031."

The receptionist smiled awkwardly, "Um... Are you here to find someone? Let me contact the guest first."

Ning An was already annoyed, and the feeling of unease made her irritable. Her words carried some anger.

"I am Ning An. If you don't know who I am, call your department manager!"

The receptionist was taken aback and, looking at Ning An's slightly annoyed face, feared that things would escalate and she might lose her job. She quickly took the room card and led Ning An into the elevator.

When they arrived at the door, Ning An took the room card and waved her hand... The receptionist quickly retreated, nervous yet vaguely feeling some exciting gossip.

Ning An opened the door... Clothes were scattered everywhere from the entrance to the inner room.

Inside, there was a man's voice and a woman's sobbing. Ning An's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stepped into the room.

The people inside seemed not to expect anyone to come in and looked flustered, all looking towards the door.

The bed was in a mess, and Ouyang Manny sat on it, wrapping herself

 in a blanket, crying like a pear blossom in the rain. What surprised Ning An even more was that the man sitting there was... Nangong.

Ning An suddenly felt that her brain was not enough, what was going on...

Nangong Yaya called her crying and said Nangong was missing. She got into a fight with Ning Xuan out of anxiety and came out to look for him, only to find it somewhat ridiculous.