Twist of Fate (GL) - Chapter 1
Beijing-Hai City – Fang Group Headquarters – CEO Office
Qin Ning sat in a leather swivel chair, her slender fingers interlaced on the desk before her. Behind the lenses of her glasses, her gaze was sharp, cold.
She said nothing as she stared at the pale, gaunt woman standing across from her.
Xie Jing had always been strong and optimistic. In Qin Ning’s memory, she had never shown such helplessness—not even when they broke up. Back then, she had delivered those two words with chilling calm:
“Let’s break up.”
Snapping back to the present, Qin Ning spoke, her voice unreadable.
“What are you here for?”
Xie Jing’s eyes were slightly red as she tried to steady her voice.
“Qin Ning, can you help the Xie Corporation?”
Qin Ning’s voice rang out in the spacious office—cool and laced with sarcasm.
“Now you come begging?”
“When you left with Shen Xinghe, did you ever think this day would come?”
At the mention of Shen Xinghe, Xie Jing opened her mouth as if to speak but said nothing.
Qin Ning scoffed.
“So why don’t you go to Shen Xinghe this time? Why come to me?”
Xie Jing hesitated.
“She…”
Qin Ning cut her off sharply.
“Let me guess. You couldn’t bring yourself to ask her for money, so you came to me, hoping I’d help out of some lingering affection for my ex?”
Xie Jing choked.
“N-No, it’s not like that…”
Qin Ning narrowed her eyes.
“Oh? Then what is it? Don’t tell me you suddenly realized how good I was to you and want to get back together.”
Xie Jing immediately denied it.
“I never thought that.”
Qin Ning leaned back slightly.
“What, too sure I’d say no, so you didn’t even dare hope?”
Xie Jing remained silent. There was nothing left to say—Qin Ning had said it all.
After a pause, Qin Ning’s tone turned icily flat.
“Who falls into the same pit twice? Even if you wanted to get back together, I wouldn’t agree.”
She gave a self-deprecating smile.
“Miss Xie, I’m no longer that fool who’d run circles around you just because you said a few soft words.”
“Why should I help you?”
Indeed—why should she?
The money Xie Jing needed wasn’t a small amount. More importantly, she had once betrayed Qin Ning. That Qin Ning hadn’t thrown her out immediately was already a show of restraint. Why should she offer help?
Xie Jing’s throat tightened painfully. She swallowed hard but couldn’t form a single word.
She looked at Qin Ning for a long time, finally gathering the strength to take a step back.
She turned, reached for the door.
Just as her fingers touched the cold doorknob, the sharp sound of high heels echoed behind her—click, click, click.
“So quick to give up?” Qin Ning grabbed her wrist from behind, her body pressing close.
“Didn’t you come here for money? I can help you get through this… if you agree to—”
“Qin Ning,” Xie Jing tried to pull her hand back but failed. Qin Ning held it tightly.
Qin Ning’s face darkened.
“Your company’s on the verge of bankruptcy, and you still want to cling to your pathetic pride?”
Xie Jing bit her lip, saying nothing.
“Have you forgotten what you said when you dumped me and left the country with Shen Xinghe?”
Qin Ning stared coldly at her pale profile, her trembling lips betraying her composure.
“You said all that… and now you come crawling back?”
“What do you take me for? Some backup you can summon at will?”
The memories of that worst day—the betrayal, the heartbreak—came crashing back, and Xie Jing’s tightly suppressed emotions finally shattered.
But still, she kept her head down, refusing to let Qin Ning see her break.
“Stop… please, Qin Ning… just stop talking.”
Qin Ning’s voice dropped into a dark murmur.
“Fine. If you don’t want to hear me talk, let’s do something else.”
She yanked Xie Jing’s wrist, forcing her to turn around. Qin Ning’s hand pressed down on her shoulder, pinning her against the cold, hard office door. Pain shot through the back of her head. Tears welled up instantly, teetering on the edge.
Qin Ning gripped her chin and kissed her fiercely.
How long had it been since she last kissed Xie Jing?
Two years—almost 700 days and nights. Not a single day had gone by where she hadn’t thought of her.
Even if she had betrayed her, left with another woman, broken up without looking back—Qin Ning still fell back into the abyss the moment she tasted those unforgettable lips again.
As their breath tangled, Qin Ning heard Xie Jing sob quietly.
Her fingers curled around Xie Jing’s delicate neck—so thin, so fragile, as if it would snap with the slightest pressure.
She kissed harder, her grip tightening with every heartbeat, until Xie Jing shuddered violently in her arms and the tears finally broke free.
The bitterness hit Qin Ning’s tongue.
Xie Jing was crying. Her tears fell, one after another, burning Qin Ning’s palm, until she finally let go.
Xie Jing wiped her face, turned, and fled in disarray.
But just as she opened the office door and stepped out, an arm yanked her back with brute force.
“Didn’t you come begging me for help?” Qin Ning growled.
“Well, I’ve changed my mind. You’ll get every cent you asked for—within a month.”
With a bang, the door slammed shut.
Qin Ning dragged her into the private lounge. In the next moment, she shoved Xie Jing onto the soft bed and pinned her down. As always, Qin Ning was unyielding—no matter how hard Xie Jing struggled, she couldn’t break free.
They had made love countless times before, but never like this—never with tears streaming down both their faces.
Through the blur of tears, Xie Jing looked up at Qin Ning. At the height of passion, she instinctively reached out to hold her. But Qin Ning pressed her down hard, forcing her into the mattress.
In two years, Xie Jing had become thinner than ever. Her bones jutted out painfully beneath her skin—Qin Ning could feel it under her palms.
It pierced her like needles to the heart.
“Qin Ning… it hurts…”
Xie Jing’s breath came in ragged gasps. She dug her nails into her palm to bear the pain, bl00d seeping through her fingers.
Qin Ning’s movements halted. Her touch softened instinctively.
“Qin Ning…”
Xie Jing reached up and brushed her fingertips against Qin Ning’s cheek, where tears still lingered. Her icy skin shivered on contact.
“How did we end up like this?” Qin Ning whispered.
Xie Jing winced. Her voice was barely audible.
“I’m sorry… It’s all my fault.”
________________________________________
“I like you!”
“Qin Ning, I love you.”
“Let’s be together forever.”
Xie Jing’s voice from their school days echoed in Qin Ning’s ears.
They had once kissed beneath blue skies, promised each other forever while lying in fields of green.
Slide after slide of memories flashed through her mind like a film reel—five years of laughter, of joy.
She could still hear it all, as if it had just happened.
Qin Ning turned slightly, trying to make out what Xie Jing was saying. But no matter how hard she listened, the words blurred away—until the very last frame.
At last, she heard it clearly:
“Break up.”