Chapter 38 09.10/It’s the second update. You are my brother’s girlfriend…
After the conversation ended, Zhang Wei quickly received a call and was called away. Before leaving, she asked Chu Song to talk about some design things to the boys who were still sitting there.
He came here today to learn and take a look from the people in the studio.
Chu Song readily agreed. He was so young and looked about the same as her schoolmates.
Zhang Wei casually closed the door of the studio, but not tightly, leaving a gap. Chu Song picked up the coffee cup and walked towards the desk. As he got closer, he felt the other person looking at him.
She looked up too.
Come to think of it, she still didn't know how to address Fan Tingnian's younger brother. Recalling what Zhang Wei had just said, she wasn't sure if she could also address him as "Xiao Ling".
Her thoughtful expression was too obvious for the other person to notice. He asked, and although it was a question, his tone was bright and cheerful: "Didn't my brother tell you my name?"
Chu Song actually often still regards Fan Tingnian as his employer and the person in front of him as his employer's son.
She was stunned for a moment, then explained, "Yes...your brother might feel that this involves your family's privacy and it's inconvenient to tell me your name."
The boy's eyes were fixed on her the entire time, from the moment she walked over from the table where the coffee machine was placed to the moment she sat down. A hint of arrogance appeared in the corners of his eyes and brows. "Maybe that's not the reason."
His expression was so bright and every word he said sounded like a joke. She heard it clearly but didn't know how to respond. However, he quickly changed the subject.
He extended his hand towards her and made a handshake gesture: "My name is Nan Ling. My father is Italian, and I took my mother's surname."
Fan Tingnian's mother, Nan Zhimei, is also mixed-race. His father is a Chinese with the surname Nan, and his mother is Italian. So strictly speaking, Fan Tingnian only has a quarter of foreign blood.
Fan Tingnian's grandfather was a professor at an art school in Europe. After marrying Fan Tingnian's grandmother, he married into the family and has been living in Italy. Fan Tingnian's mother, as the heir to the family, also grew up in Italy.
The manors and properties that Chu Song saw now were all left by the prominent family that Fan Tingnian’s grandmother came from.
The table was too wide, and if he wanted to shake hands, he would have to lean over, so Chu Song didn't extend his hand. Instead, he put his hand on his collar, bowed slightly, and introduced himself: "My name is Chu Song, and I work in your brother's design team."
"I see."
Chu Song sat down and checked the time. Fan Tingnian probably knew that Zhang Wei and Shu Ang had things to do in the afternoon, so he sent her a message in advance, telling her that he would come to see her at three o'clock.
It's twenty minutes until three o'clock.
She put down her phone and heard the person on the other end shout, "Sister?"
She looked up in surprise and met his gaze. The boy had his lips curled up, and the sunlight was shining brightly from behind him.
He smiled and repeated, "You look older than me. Can I call you sister? I'm not good at calling people by their names. Calling them affectionately can bring us closer."
His Chinese is really very standard.
The boy's smile was dazzling. Chu Song thought he might have been influenced by Western culture, so he was as warm and friendly as Sophie and Zhang Wei. She couldn't refuse: "Well... sure, you can call me Sister Chu Song."
The boy nodded, but didn't say anything else.
After all, they were not familiar with each other, and it was a bit awkward for the two of them to sit quietly like this. Chu Song thought about it, connected the computer to the projector, played some design-related drawings, and asked Nan Ling what he wanted to know.
He was not like Fan Tingnian, who was obviously not an artist. He did not seem to be very interested in this area, but he asked a few questions and listened very carefully out of respect. During the lecture, he also praised Chu Song, saying that he spoke very well.
It had been a long time since Chu Song had explained things to others like this, and her mouth felt dry. She reached to the side, and the paper cup on the table was handed to her.
Nan Ling handed her the cup of water: "Sister Chu Song, are you looking for this?"
He was indeed as Zhang Wei said, amiable and easy to get along with, and he would be very supportive even when listening to something he was not interested in.
Chu Song had a good impression of him, so he took the water and said "thank you".
Then there was a knock on the door.
The door of the studio was originally half open, and the scene inside could be seen from the outside. As Fan Tingnian knocked on the door, the door opened inward, revealing more of the interior situation.
The action of handing the water was not yet completed, and Chu Song and the boy's hands were still holding the paper cup.
The next second after the door was pushed open, Chu Song turned his head to look over. The boy's hand paused for a second before slowly retracting. Chu Song's hand holding the paper cup was suspended in the air.
When she saw Fan Tingnian come in, she quickly stood up and called out "Mr. Fan" like all his staff.
Then Fan Tingnian and Nan Ling both looked at her.
However, Chu Song was bowing and greeting his boss, Fan Tingnian, like every other "Top Ten Employees", and did not notice the two people's gaze.
Fan Tingnian walked in with one hand pressing the door shut. He first glanced at Chu Song's hand holding the water, and then his gaze fell on Nan Ling.
"Why are you here?"
"Sister Shuang said I was on vacation and asked me to come over and learn something."
"Who brought you here?"
"Sister Zhang Wei," Nan Ling gestured in Chu Song's direction, still with that sunny smile, "and then I met this sister."
Nan Ling kept calling them brother and sister, seemingly very respectful, but actually he was not. From the moment Fan Tingnian came in until now, he had not even stood up and was still sitting in his seat in the same posture.
Fan Tingnian looked away from him: "No need to study anymore, go back to your room."
Nan Ling supported his chin with his right hand and looked at Fan Tingnian, as if he didn't want to leave.
Chu Song looked around. She had also heard Zhang Wei talk about some of the "rich secrets" of Fan Tingnian's family, and knew that the relationship between the two brothers was a little subtle.
She was a little afraid that the two of them would get into a fight, so she racked her brains and came up with an excuse.
"Well... Mr. Fan, I've already prepared the drawings you'll be checking this afternoon. If Mr. Nan Ling wants to stay here, let him continue studying. We can go to the next room to discuss our work."
She emphasized the middle notes in the words "discuss work".
But unfortunately her acting skills were just average, so the remaining two people looked at her together again.
But two seconds later, Fan Tingnian came over and picked up two folders on the desk. "Which studio are you going to to discuss your work?"
Chu Song didn't expect him to cooperate so well. After a slight surprise, he thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to the spare workshop on the third floor. There are people working on this floor right now. Shu Ang and the others are in a meeting."
Fan Tingnian nodded, without even asking what she wanted to report, and said directly: "Let's go."
Chu Song responded, lowered his head and pretended to pack up some things, and then pretended to instruct Nan Ling about the documents and materials in the workshop that he could use for study.
As she spoke, Nan Ling looked at her with a smile, and his face looked so harmless.
But Chu Song felt that there were often cold gazes behind him.
"Okay, no need to tell him, he can read it himself." The man behind her came over and pressed down the document in her right hand.
Chu Song finished his instructions like a perfect employee, picked up the file bag on the table, and unnoticeably moved half a meter away from Fan Tingnian. Then, with a serious tone, he said to him, "I've packed it up."
"Um."
Fan Tingnian was just in front of Chu Song. He turned around first, followed by Chu Song.
Just as she was about to move forward, Nan Ling suddenly leaned over the table and said to her in a low voice, "Sister, when you're not working with my brother, you can come and play with me."
Go play with him if you want, why say it in that tone?
Chu Song felt that his feeling was correct. There did seem to be a bad person behind this sunny face.
Before she could react, the table was tapped twice.
"Go back to your room." Fan Tingnian looked at Nan Ling with a dull expression.
Nan Ling stood up from his prone position: "I still have something to learn..."
Fan Tingnian: "If you don't want to go back to school now."
Nan Ling fell silent.
He really didn't like art, and he had been training for a long time for several games in a row in the first half of the year. He had just participated in a mid-year game last week and had a short respite. He didn't want to be sent back to school now.
The two brothers looked at each other for a few seconds, and Chu Song clearly felt that Nan Ling's momentum was suppressed by Fan Tingnian.
Having never witnessed the quarrels between the wealthy brothers, she now felt like a complete outsider, so embarrassed that she didn't know whether she should listen or where to put her hands and feet.
She took a step back, glanced up at a 45-degree angle, and tried to reduce her presence in the room.
Then she saw Nan Ling turn towards her from the corner of her eye, and said in that harmless tone: "Sister, you are so cute. Can I come to play with you next time?"
???
Chu Song was frightened by him.
Are people abroad so straightforward? And what’s so cute about it? Do people abroad use “so, cute” as punctuation?
She felt the temperature in the room drop suddenly.
Fan Tingnian's eyes turned completely cold: "I think you want to go back to school tomorrow."
Nan Ling let out a long "Oh", rested his chin on the table with his elbows, and continued to look at Chu Song.
Chu Song didn't want to meet his gaze at all. She felt that this boy was a complete bad guy.
"Sister, are you my brother's girlfriend?" He spoke again and asked softly.
His words were undoubtedly like a bolt from the blue. Although Chu Song knew that he was somewhat suspicious of his relationship with Fan Tingnian because of their meeting in the garden two nights ago, he never thought that he would ask it so directly.
She hesitated and didn't answer. She felt Fan Tingnian's gaze fixed on her side, staring at her.
"Really?" Nan Ling continued to support his chin. "If not, can I still pursue you? I like Chinese people very much..."
Fan Tingnian said coldly: "Go back to your room."
Nan Ling finally changed his stance: "I don't think this sister likes you very much either. She doesn't even admit that she is your girlfriend..."
"Go back and don't make me say it again."
The whole room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. After a long time, Nan Ling finally stood up. He brushed off the dust on his butt and walked towards the door.
A few seconds later, the door of the workshop was closed again, and only Chu Song and Fan Tingnian were left in the room.
Chu Song saw Fan Tingnian take off his glasses and put them on the table. She blinked her big eyes and didn't feel the temperature in the room rise at all.
-----------------------
The author has something to say: I’m late, or I’ll give you a red envelope in the comment section [starry eyes]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
