Chapter 197
As soon as he finished speaking, the eyes of Zhong Ling opposite him suddenly turned cold, so cold that it could freeze a person to death. He only felt an unprecedented anger rising from his heart, making it difficult for him to control it. He barely suppressed this anger.
Zhong Ling clenched his fingers, his eyes showed disgust and anger under the light, and he sneered, "He Mian, I remember I warned you a long time ago that you'd better not mess with me."
"If you want to play with women, that's your own business. I don't care if you want to play with other women, but don't play with me. Yanyan is not someone you can play with casually!"
For the first time, Zhong Ling wanted to abandon all his calmness and rationality. He wanted to rush up and grab the other person and beat him up. But when he thought of Yanyan still upstairs, his good upbringing and calmness made him suppress the impulse and anger in his heart.
He Mian sneered, but slowly put away the careless smile on his face. His dark eyes were calm, but he still looked lazy and unreliable. He looked up at Zhong Ling opposite him, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Who said I was just playing around this time? Why can't I be serious for once?"
Seriously? Oh, who would believe this?
I'm afraid he himself won't believe it!
But this time he really wasn't just playing around, he had something to do.
"Heh." He heard a mocking laugh from the other side. Zhong Ling curled his lips. He didn't react much when he heard He Mian say such words, and even felt indifferent.
"So, you are here to snatch me away, right? What, don't you know Yanyan is my girlfriend now? What do you mean now? Do you have to go against me?"
There was silence for a moment.
He Mian did feel a little guilty and apologetic about this at first. After all, he and Zhong Ling had been friends and brothers since childhood, and could even be considered childhood friends. Their relationship was the closest among many friends.
Even last time, when he was planning to settle the score with Nan Yan in private, he gave up the idea because of a phone call from Zhong Ling.
But now, the smile on He Mian's face faded slightly, and his eyes deepened a little, "Do you really think I can't see it?"
"Zhong Ling, how can you and Nan Yan look like a couple? Yan Yan is not your girlfriend, right?"
As he spoke, a hint of a smile appeared on his face, but the smile never reached the depths of his eyes, and he still looked cold. "Let me guess, did you sign a confidentiality agreement or something with her during that time in the club? Why, Zhong Ling, wasn't your original purpose to deliberately act with her? Wasn't your purpose for your ex-girlfriend?"
"According to the time, Ruan Xiaoxiao should be back soon. If that's the case, why are you still holding on to Nan Yan? Aren't you embarrassing her more than me?
In fact, he had almost guessed it. He had already vaguely had this idea from the conversation he heard on the phone before. After arriving at Zhong Ling's house, he could clearly see that Nan Yan had no other thoughts about him.
It is not difficult to detect when someone likes you. At least in this relationship, he could tell that Zhong Ling was somewhat interested in him, otherwise he would not be so angry now.
In fact, he could have given in. He didn't like to snatch things from others, nor did he think that other people's things were better than his own. But now, there was indeed an inevitable connection between him and Wen Nanyan.
After saying this, Zhong Ling's expression became visibly gloomier. Zhong Ling rarely gets angry, but that doesn't mean he won't get angry.
He has had too many troubles lately.
Whether it was the words of He Mian that really touched the pain in his heart, or the calm and respectful attitude of Yan Yan towards him from beginning to end, which made him feel a sense of crisis, at this moment, he could not control his temper.
He smashed the glass in his hand to the ground with a clang. The flying fragments accidentally scratched the back of his hand, but he seemed unaware of it and the expression on his face became increasingly cold.
The pair of eyes stared straight at the person in front of him, with a slightly cold look in his eyes. Zhong Ling, who had completely taken off the gentle mask, was equally aggressive when facing He Mian across from him, "He Mian, get out of here. I don't mind having a falling out with you, but do you think that someone who has been inferior to me in every aspect since childhood can compete with me?"
Normally, Zhong Ling would not be so reckless in criticizing others, but he also has his bottom line. Once the bottom line is crossed, no one can be in a good temper anymore, and he is the same.
After Zhong Ling finished speaking, he looked away calmly and even chuckled. However, his smile was slightly mocking. After the smile, Zhong Ling's mood seemed to have stabilized a lot, and his tone became calmer and gentler.
"Now that I've spoken, I'd better tell you as soon as possible that you don't have to worry about Xiaoxiao's affairs. I can handle my own affairs!"
He raised his eyes and looked over coldly, looking directly into the other person's eyes, but the familiarity in his eyes was gone. "I'm telling you now, I will not let go of Yanyan easily."
After saying that, Zhong Ling seemed to have grown up. A hint of annoyance flashed across his eyes. He added, "I don't care what you think or what you are going to do. But if you dare to mess with me, I will never let you go!"
By the end of the conversation, the two of them were completely at loggerheads, and He Mian's expression became a little gloomy, from being nonchalant at first to now with his eyes narrowed.
Perhaps when he said that he was inferior to him in every way, He Mian felt a little unhappy, because this was the fact, and the fact never sounded so pleasant.
Compared to Zhong Ling, who has been a good young man since childhood, even if he "lowered his status" to hang out with people like them, he has always been a role model in the circle.
As for himself, he is indeed not very popular because of his changeable temper and lazy nature.
However, He Mian was silent for a moment, and suddenly laughed casually.
He raised his head, narrowed his black eyes, and reflected a cold and indifferent light under the light. "Yes, you are right. I am not as good as you in many aspects, but how much better are you than me? Are you so sure that she will like you in the end?"
Zhong Ling turned his head and sneered, even with a hint of gentleness, because this kind of irrelevant sarcasm had no effect on him at all. With a look of scrutiny and indifference at the corners of his eyes, he looked down at him and said, "Are you going to choose someone like you? Are you sure you can do it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, He Mian's expression finally changed.
He had been acting lazy and casual from the beginning of this confrontation. He didn't actually like Wen Nanyan that much. He just wanted to maintain a relationship with her for a while for some unspeakable reasons. So compared to Zhong Ling's concern and anger, he didn't have much emotional fluctuations.
But now, what Zhong Ling said obviously touched his bottom line, which was the only thing He Mian cared about.
Then the expression on her face gradually retreated, until finally there was no expression at all on her face, except for a layer of gloomy emotion gradually gathering in her dark eyes, staring at him intently.
"I underestimated you in the past."
He Mian's eyes darkened. "It seems that you are not as simple as you appear. However, Zhong Ling, you can give it a try and see who Yanyan will choose in the end."
He Mian stood up, and the two men looked at each other, neither willing to back down. The atmosphere in the living room instantly became tense and depressing, like a string that was instantly pulled taut, and some kind of conflict was about to break out.
But in the end, the two did not fight because there were other people upstairs. If Nan Yan knew that the two were fighting downstairs, she would probably be in trouble.
Moreover, this most primitive method of using violence to solve the problem is obviously not the best choice to solve the problem. What's more, this is not a method where you can get everything by winning. The final result still depends on the person who makes the choice.
After his face was completely torn, He Mian no longer wanted to stay any longer.
Before he left, he originally wanted to take Nan Yan with him, but under the current circumstances, it was obviously impossible. Moreover, to be honest, he was in no position to take anyone away, and he estimated that the other party would not be willing to do so.
After He Mian left, Zhong Ling felt that he could no longer control his temper, and could no longer suppress the coldness and anger that surged from deep in his heart.
He clenched his fingers, and although his face was calm and indifferent, there was a hint of red at the corners of his eyes, and his gaze was unclear. Finally, he couldn't help it, so he turned around and slammed his fist on the table in front of him.
With a loud bang, the table shook violently, and after the hit, a pain came between the fingers.
Bright red blood seeped out of the skin and slowly slid down the white fingers. There was no fluctuation in Zhong Ling's eyes. He only felt an unspeakable anger in his chest. The corners of his eyes turned slightly red because of this anger. But now, this pain made him calm down a lot.
His body was tense, and he finally restrained himself and sat down on the sofa.
In fact, what He Mian said was right, he was not much better than him.
He used to be the same as him, with the same shabby appearance, but he learned how to disguise himself, using his bright and beautiful appearance and the knowledge he had learned to disguise himself. In the eyes of outsiders, he appeared to be a refined and elegant nobleman.
But he was essentially the same as that group of people. Birds of a feather flock together. If he had not been a mess or degenerate, he would not have mixed with them.
If he hadn't relied on the Zhong family and the capital, a man like him would never be as good as Nan Yan, and would never be worthy of a self-loving and self-respecting girl like her.
這點自知之明他還是有的，正因為如此，心裏才向往那些真正溫柔堅定的人。
他喜歡嫣嫣喜歡那樣溫柔堅定又有原則的女孩子，可現在，賀冕那個混賬又要橫插一腳！他不知道對方到底有什麽目的？
但很明顯，賀冕的行為，讓他心裏産生了一種本能的危機感。
他明明在心底不止一遍的告訴自己，賀冕樣樣不如自己，他當衆欺負過嫣嫣，他身上甚至還有缺陷，可不知為什麽，他還是從賀冕跟南嫣的互動中察覺到了一絲不對勁。
嫣嫣在面對他的時候永遠都是客套又恭敬的，她那麽平靜，在他面前似乎從來沒有顯露過自己真正的情緒，他沒有看見過她生氣的樣子，沒看見過她不高興嫌棄人時的眼神，可今天卻明顯不一樣，她面對賀冕的時候，态度明顯是不一樣的。
她有意捉弄他，會趁他不注意的時候偷偷拿眼睛瞪他，臉上露出嫌棄，但眼底仍會不自覺地閃過幾分笑意，那樣鮮活生動的姿态，是在他面前從未出現過的。
鐘嶺喜歡看她露出那樣的神情，可那些情緒若是對着別人的，他心底一點也感受不到歡喜，反倒是一種前所未有的難受跟嫉妒。
這種情緒來得猛烈又洶湧，好似一根銳利的刺猛地紮進了喉嚨裏，讓他無所适從。
他心頭那股原本要平複的情緒又開始起伏起來，攪得他胸口一陣發悶酸澀，甚至根本說不出反駁的話來。
他嘴上說的那麽強勢，可心底仍止不住的難受無力，這樣的嫣嫣又怎麽可能會喜歡他？
她只把他當一個朋友，一個最普通不過的朋友，他甚至可以預想，倘若不是因為實在走投無路了，她那晚根本不會來接觸自己的。
他簡直像是個局外人，他靠得再近，在她眼裏，他喜歡的也是自己的前女友，他甚至還要克制着，根本沒辦法跟她表明自己的心意。
可偏偏，這一切都是他自己選擇的。
是他自己當初要跟她簽的協議，白紙黑字，硬要拉着人家陪他演戲，他當初甚至怕她攀扯上自己而故意跟她保持距離，可到頭來最先控制不住的居然也是自己。
他很不甘，心中的難受幾乎快要溢出來，他難受的不是因為賀冕要跟他争、跟他搶，而是因為，他隐隐有種自己就算努力再久，可能嫣嫣也不會改變改變對他的看法。
一想到這個，鐘嶺忽然之間，感覺渾身好像失去了所有的力氣，他無力地靠在了沙發上，胸口甚至有了一絲澀痛。
毫無緣由的，在這一刻，鐘嶺感受到了某種失望跟不甘，與此同時，還有另一種情緒不斷在胸口翻滾溢出。
他明白那到底是什麽，可他越是這樣，越是嫉妒她對待別人時的熟稔跟親近。
這讓他怎麽可能不介意！
鐘嶺不自覺地捏緊手指，手背上的傷口又重新裂開，他隐隐能感覺到有血絲順着手指滑下來，可這股痛意反倒讓他清醒了不少，讓他胸口的那股難受平複了不少。
……
等到南嫣終于收拾完書房裏的文件，下樓時，發現客廳裏就只剩下鐘嶺一個人了。
書房裏的隔音效果太好，又在二樓，所以她根本沒聽清樓下的兩人在說什麽，不過，她吃飯時跟賀冕之間明顯的親近，這人就算是瞎子，他也該看得出來了吧。
果不其然，兩人吃完飯後就把她支開了，她原本還以為這兩人會打一架呢？但看這情形，這兩人好像沒打起來啊，真可惜！
南嫣從樓上下來，看到鐘嶺一個人坐在沙發上抽煙，表情怔愣了一會兒，他可能已經抽了好一會兒了，桌上還留着兩根燃燒後的煙頭。
屋子裏隐隐約約彌漫着一股淡淡的煙味，不過很很快又被香薰的味道蓋住了。
南嫣臉上露出了一絲奇怪的表情，似乎不太清楚樓下發生了什麽事情，她轉個身打開了窗戶，屋內空氣流動，很快連那點香氣也變淡了。
她轉身走到了鐘嶺身旁，剛要坐下問他怎麽了，結果剛靠近就看到地面上摔碎的那個玻璃杯子，一些碎片散落在地板上。
讓她腳步瞬間停住，語氣怪異地問了句，“這是怎麽了，鐘先生，發生了什麽事情嗎？這杯子好端端的怎麽打碎了？”
她說着就要蹲下身去處理碎片，卻被身旁的人一把伸手按住了手臂，“等等，你別碰了，碎片很多，待會我自己處理就行了。沒發生什麽事情，是我剛自己不小心手滑了一下，不小心摔碎了杯子。”
他還稍微解釋了一句。
南嫣剛松了一口氣，結果一低頭看到他手背上的血跡斑斑的模樣，表情頓時愣住了，她看到他手背上有很多細小的傷口，還有一些玻璃碎片的劃傷。
南嫣這才反應過來，反手下意識地抓住了對方的手腕，臉上表情瞬間變得緊張起來，“鐘嶺，你的手受傷了自己都沒感覺嗎？流了不少血了，為什麽都不處理一下？”
她也沒來得及顧及對方的意願跟解釋，直接拽着沙發上坐着的人就急急忙忙地沖進了洗手間，一邊小心翼翼給他清洗了傷口，一邊又從櫃子裏翻出包紮傷口的工具，嘴裏還不斷念叨着讓他仔細小心的事情。
“……其實也沒那麽痛，就是不小心被碎片劃了兩下，手指磕在桌角上了，已經沒什麽感覺了。”鐘嶺看着她忙前忙後的樣子，他覺得南嫣對他也不是全然不在意的。
南嫣聽了他的話，這下是真的沒忍住瞪他一眼了，手指故意按了一下那傷口處，鐘嶺下意識地擰了眉，也沒忍住輕嘶了一聲。
聽到這聲音，南嫣又擡頭看他。
不似往日那副安靜溫順的模樣，倒像是在氣他不夠珍惜身體，“不是說沒什麽感覺了嗎？現在又叫喚什麽？”
鐘嶺大概是鮮少看她露出這副模樣，一時間有些微愣，随後忍不住抿唇輕笑了聲，看上去有些無奈，他手指無意識地握住她的手指，低頭也不反駁，“……嗯，抱歉，是我的錯，其實還是有些痛的，你輕點好不好？”
南嫣自然是放輕了動作，又抓着他的手掌回到了客廳，這次是找了個幹淨的位置，兩人坐好，她這才拿出棉布跟消毒水，小心地給對方清理起來。
随着兩人的動作，空氣中逐漸安靜了下來，兩人一開始都沒有說話，南嫣畢竟不是傻子，手滑還能把杯子砸那麽遠嗎？連指節上都是傷口？她又不是真傻，當然能察覺得出來剛才客廳的兩人肯定是吵架了，而且賀冕還無緣無故的離開了，連聲招呼都沒打。
不過他給的借口合适，很明顯是不想告訴她剛才發生的具體事情。
于是南嫣便也不追問了。
但她不問，鐘嶺心中反倒又有些不舒服了，他覺得南嫣可能是不在意他的事情，所以連多問一句的話事情也不願意。
這樣的分寸感在一開始兩人還不熟悉的時候，确實是會讓人感覺到舒适自然。
但現在，他很明顯不滿足這點了，他希望她能多關注一些他的事情，而不是只把他當個上司，一如從前的恭敬卻毫不在意。
“你好像對賀冕很有好感？”
他直接問出了這個關鍵性的問題，鐘嶺其實能感覺得出來她對賀冕的那份青睐。
可他想不明白，明明從前在聚會上還欺負過她的人不是嗎？為什麽偏偏對他青睐有加，除非兩人私下裏有過接觸，否則他真的想不明白這其中的原因。
想到這點他心裏的那點不适又慢慢加深，他問了一聲：
“早上跟你在一起的人也是他對嗎？”
這話問完以後，他能很明顯的看到南嫣臉上的表情閃過了一絲不自然，大概是怕他誤會自己失職什麽的，南嫣握着他的手指也下意識地收緊了些，“不是你想的那樣。”
鐘嶺看了一眼兩人交握的手指，他能感覺到對方沒太用力，輕易就能松開，他沒有生氣，只是心底到底是有些難受，
“嗯？哪樣？”
“我沒忘記我們倆簽的合同，鐘嶺，你別誤會，昨天我是在醫院遇到了賀先生的，他送我回家了，結果路上下了大雨，之後他又發燒了開不了車，所以我才帶他回家的。”
“我怕你誤會，就沒說仔細。”
南嫣有些不自在地低了頭，解釋起來倒也很平靜，她沒有撒謊，就是有些不好意思，畢竟那都是事實。
而鐘嶺看着她神色不自然的樣子，也知道她沒有說謊。
可不知為什麽，他就是能隐約感覺的出來她對賀冕有些不一樣，明明他們先遇到的，也是他先在意的不是嗎？
鐘嶺身子往前仰了仰，靠在沙發上輕舒了一口氣，他看到南嫣從盒子裏找出一塊創可貼，小心貼在他手背上。
He felt that he shouldn't ask too much about other people's private lives, but looking at the person in front of him, he couldn't help but ask, "I don't care about these, I just think it's a little strange. Did you know He Mian in the past?"
He asked this question casually.
But Nan Yan was stunned for a moment, then looked up at him, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"How do you know that?"
She didn't have any other emotions. Her face was mostly calm and gentle, with only a hint of smile and a hint of doubt occasionally flashing in her eyes.
Zhong Ling didn't expect that the two of them actually knew each other in the past.
Nan Yan looked up at Zhong Ling, who was pursing his lips and not saying anything. Her eyelashes moved slightly and her breathing slowed down a lot. "But maybe we don't really know each other... It was two years ago when I first arrived at the club. Because I refused to come out, I was forced to drink by a guest in his forties. It was Mr. He who passed by and helped me a little. Maybe he doesn't even remember it himself."
Nan Yan's voice was a little soft when she said these words, and what she said was indeed the truth, it was a very accidental thing.
"It's a strange feeling. I thought I would never meet him again in my life, but I didn't expect to meet him again two years later."
After treating the wound, she carefully picked up the pieces of paper left on the sofa and said softly, "Mr. He helped me a lot that time, so I may have subconsciously said a few more words to him, but I didn't say anything else."
After she finished speaking, she looked up at Zhong Ling who was sitting in front of her, with a hint of smile in her eyes, as if she was reminiscing.
Zhong Ling couldn't tell what she was feeling at the moment, but it was obvious that Nan Yan really had a good impression of He Mian, probably because of this incident.
But that happened two years ago...
Zhong Ling rubbed his aching brows and carefully recalled what happened two years ago. At that time, he should have been studying abroad, while He Mian and the others stayed in the country.
He had no connection with Yanyan, and he didn't even know that there was such a girl in the world.
It was at this time that He Mian met Nan Yan, who had just started working.
He suddenly felt an indescribable feeling of distress and discomfort in his heart.
It turns out they met so early.
There is such a long time gap between them.
He could almost imagine the scene: a young girl who had just escaped from her hometown, experienced some wandering, and had just reached adulthood. She might not understand anything yet.
She was harassed by a customer at work and was forced to drink. She was not skilled enough to refuse. She might not be able to drink much and was probably about to cry. If she didn't drink, she would be complained by the customer and lose her job. But if she drank, she might encounter more embarrassing things tonight.
And in that helpless and frightened situation, it was He Mian who appeared in time to help her.
No matter how cliché the plot development was, it was the biggest help to the girl at that time, and it left a deep impression on her, so deep that she has not forgotten it even two years later and has always kept it in her heart.
Maybe He Mian really just helped her casually at the time, or maybe she had a grudge against her man, so he didn't even think about helping her, but it is undeniable that he helped her.
Thinking of this scene, Zhong Ling felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart for no reason, and along with this powerlessness came a hint of jealousy and bitterness.
He even felt a little regretful, regretful that it was not him who appeared by her side at that time. At that time, He Mian did something casually, which he himself could not even remember now, but now it had become the point that he longed for in his heart but could never reach.
At this moment, Zhong Ling was really unwilling to accept this, so unwilling that his chest felt heavy and the jealousy in his heart was almost solidified. There was another emotion churning in his heart.
He obviously helped her, but it seemed that the only thing she remembered completely was He Mian.
Zhong Ling vaguely recalled that when he signed the agreement with Nan Yan, he had asked her many questions in the restaurant. He asked her if she had ever liked someone. He still remembered that there was a stunned expression on her face for a moment, and then she answered that she didn't know.
This answer struck him as odd. He was puzzled as to how someone could not even tell whether they liked or disliked a person.
But now he vaguely understood that if he guessed correctly, the person she liked in her heart might really be He Mian, but they had never met, so she herself could not tell what kind of emotion that feeling was.
Thinking of this, Zhong Ling felt a little hopeless.
Zhong Ling closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about these things anymore. The more he thought about it, the more headache he felt. However, he felt that his emotions were somewhat out of control. He couldn't help it for a moment, and he grabbed Nan Yan's fingers tightly with his backhand.
Nan Yan felt the strength in his hand and saw his obviously abnormal attitude. She thought he had a headache again, or maybe his cold had gotten worse. She couldn't help but ask, "Zhong Ling, what's wrong with you? Do you have a fever? Do you want to go back to your room and sleep for a while? I'll clean up the things in the living room."
Zhong Ling suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "Do you like He Mian?"
"Ah?" Nan Yan was stunned for a moment, and looked up subconsciously, only to meet Zhong Ling's dark and calm eyes.
This time, Zhong Ling did not look away, staring straight into her eyes. Instead, Nan Yan felt a little uncomfortable being stared at, and lowered her head first, "No, no."
"Mr. Zhong, you're overthinking it. A guy like that should have a lot of girls who like him. I'm just a little grateful for his help at the time, and I don't have any other thoughts."
Zhong Ling looked at her as she pretended to be calm while speaking these words. However, her earlobe hidden under her soft hair inexplicably turned a little red.
As he watched, he only felt the sadness in his chest grow heavier.
Zhong Ling really didn't expect that he had already had this premonition in his heart, but after verifying it himself, the heaviness and sadness in his chest became even harder for him to ignore.
His fingers became stiffer and stiffer, tightly gripping her wrist and refusing to let go. His throat became drier and drier, and the words he wanted to say were blocked in his throat by her subconscious reaction, and he couldn't say a single word.
Because no matter how much he said, no matter how much he deceived himself, and no matter how strong his attitude towards He Mian was, at this moment, he still could not change this fact.
Perhaps you have noticed it a long time ago but have never been willing to admit it, but now it is very obvious.
Zhong Ling couldn't hold back the impulse in his heart, he pulled the person sitting opposite him into his arms. Nan Yan couldn't steady herself for a moment and fell directly into his arms.
Because of this impact, Zhong Ling leaned back with his back against the sofa cushion. The two of them were in a position with the woman on top and the man on the bottom. She was in his arms. Her body was very light and she had a faint fragrance on her body. Her hair slid into his neck as she moved and gently brushed against his chest.
Nan Yan's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Zhong Ling in surprise, as if she didn't understand what his sudden action meant. "Zhong Ling, what's wrong?"
Zhong Ling saw the doubt in her eyes. She still trusted him so much and had no idea of what he was thinking at the moment. Zhong Ling placed his fingers on her waist and suddenly said gently, "Yan Yan, liking someone is not a shameful thing."
His complexion had returned to normal, and there was even a hint of a smile on his face. He looked at Nan Yan tenderly, "It doesn't matter if you like He Mian. I can help you."
Nan Yan was stunned for a moment and was about to refuse.
Then I heard the person on the other side explain:
"I know you've never been in a relationship, but you may not know that He Mian and I like girls who are bold and passionate. If you want to get close to him, you can't be too shy."
Nan Yan bit her lip, obviously feeling a little uncomfortable.
The smile on Zhong Ling's face became gentler, and his eyes were calm and natural. He placed his hands on her waist without making any excessive movements, but just looked at her patiently.
"If you're willing, I can help you as a reward for your help to me during this period. Yanyan, if you're willing, you can try to treat me as him, ok?"