Chapter 201201
Soon, what happened in the club that day spread quickly in a certain social circle of Lingcheng's upper class society.
At first everyone thought it was a rumor. After all, the Zhong family had a great reputation in Lingcheng, and Zhong Ling was well-known in this circle for being clean, gentle and refined, and was the object of admiration for many young girls.
But what happened that day was witnessed by too many people, and it was so blatant that one could not cover his mouth. Not only did Zhong Ling's friends see it, but also the opponents in the next room, who took this opportunity to start talking nonsense.
And now, Zhong Ling's reputation in the circle has indeed plummeted. After all, this is not a good thing, and what he did that day was indeed excessive.
The next morning, Zhong Ling was on the phone. His personal phone was bombarded with calls from his family and those who were trying to get information.
The situation is probably that the more elegant and graceful a person is, the more likely it is that his reputation will be spread and criticized. Many people called to curse him, but there were also those who expressed sympathy and understanding, saying that they believed in his character.
Zhong Ling did not have any major emotional fluctuations, and even felt that it was a little ridiculous. It was better to believe those rumors than to believe in his character. After all, no matter how good a person's character is, there will be times when he loses his temper and wants to get something or someone by any means necessary.
He might have been a little impulsive, but the consequences of his impulsiveness are not unsolvable. It just takes some time and effort.
Zhong Ling raised his hand to hang up a call from a friend and lowered his head to deal with the work documents at hand.
The pen scrawled across the latest contract document, and the rustling sound echoed in the quiet office. The assistant beside him put the document away, turned around and said:
"Boss, the current situation may not be very good. It may be that the news of your impulsive behavior in the club has spread. Several companies that were originally going to cooperate with us are planning to withdraw their orders and prepare to go to the other side."
The male assistant reminded him again, "Boss, I suggest you clarify the public relations as soon as possible, or collect the evidence of those who spread the rumors privately, and sue them in court as soon as possible. After all, the impact of this matter is too great, and it has a very negative impact on the company and your personal reputation and image."
"Also, your personal cell phone has been bombarded with calls from the Zhong family. Your mother has been urging you to go home and explain everything. I have rejected her for now. Boss, please try to keep calm."
Zhong Ling didn't even raise his head when he heard this, and responded casually, "Well, thank you for your reminder. I have already asked someone to handle this matter. Someone in the company is already collecting evidence. If there is nothing else, you can go and do it yourself."
Zhong Ling put down his pen only after his assistant left. He dropped the documents on his desk, leaned back, rested his head on the cushion, and began to think about what happened yesterday.
In fact, he didn't have any regrets in his heart. The only thing he cared about was that Nan Yan might not be so close to him in the future, but so what? If she had always turned a blind eye to his feelings, it would be better for her to see his true face, rather than for her to ignore him like this.
Maybe he had been suppressing his emotions for too long, and after completely releasing all his emotions and malice towards one person, he felt less suppressed. However, his behavior must have really scared her, right?
Thinking of those things, a ripple unconsciously flashed across Zhong Ling's pupils, which were as calm as an inky lake. His heart was slightly moved, but it soon disappeared.
He really wanted to do those things to her a long time ago, and now he doesn't need to suppress his emotions and thoughts, especially after realizing that he can't forget her, so why not try harder?
Thinking of this, Zhong Ling actually breathed a sigh of relief.
On the other hand, He Mian spent a whole day coaxing his girlfriend who was in a bad mood. He also thought that his girlfriend was frightened by Zhong Ling's behavior.
But in fact, she was not frightened. Instead, she approached him on purpose. She pretended to test him just to see where this bastard's bottom line was. However, after pretending for so long, she found that He Mian was at most a little angry and had no intention of settling the score with Zhong Ling at all. So, did this bastard really treat her as a tool?
All right, a tool is a tool. She has plenty of time to work with him slowly. She doesn't believe that she can't work him down?
Having said that, He Mian is currently a fairly responsible boyfriend. At least when she is in a bad mood, he still knows how to cheer her up and fulfills his boyfriend's responsibilities by taking her out to play. The two of them spent a whole day watching a horror movie. Nan Yan did not show any emotional fluctuations from beginning to end, but the person next to her kept holding her hand, saying that he was afraid that she would be scared. Ha, don't think she can't see it, it is obviously him who is scared!
After watching the movie, the two went to the amusement park near the venue. Her boyfriend was quite playful and had more fun than her. When they came out, they passed by a tattoo shop. Her boyfriend suddenly had an idea and said to her, "Let's go get a couple tattoo."
Nan Yan was reluctant to go at first, but she couldn't resist the man's insistence. He insisted that it was a love tattoo, and that young couples nowadays all did it, so she could just tattoo it on her arm. In the end, she had no choice but to follow him in.
The shop owner is a man with a buzz cut and tattoos on his arms. He looks quite polite, which is normal, as shop owners are always warm and polite when they meet customers.
The two of them carefully selected. Nan Yan looked left and right, and saw that the little girl who was getting a tattoo next to her was bleeding on her arm. She couldn't help but step back. In the end, there was no choice but for He Mian to get the tattoo alone, until He Mian finished his tattoo.
Nan Yan lifted up his sleeve and saw that her boyfriend had a complete tattoo of a pink Peppa Pig on his arm, with some small blood beads oozing out of the skin around it.
Nan Yan: “…”
Is this true?
She didn't expect her boyfriend's hobby to be so unique.
Nan Yan really couldn't help it this time. After a moment of silence, she burst out laughing on the spot.
He Mian, who was beside her, pulled her out of the tattoo shop. On the tree-lined path across the intersection, the two of them stopped in a small park nearby where there were few pedestrians, and sat on a bench to rest.
Nan Yan couldn't stop laughing as she looked at the Peppa Pig on He Mian's arm.
No wonder the shop owner's expression looked so strange when he was cutting the meat. He wanted to laugh but tried not to. He probably had never seen such an outrageous customer before.
She really didn't expect this man's hobby to be so unique. As expected, if he is a social person, he must have a Peppa Pig tattoo, otherwise his incomparable style and temperament cannot be revealed.
Nan Yan patted her arm and laughed mercilessly, unable to stop. He Mian was so angry that his teeth itched. Who was he doing this for? He was just trying to make her happy, but she was happy now, but she turned around and started to laugh at him so heartlessly. What a joke! Did she think he had no face?
He Mian was a little overwhelmed now. He should not have believed the nonsense on the Internet, saying that this stuff could make his girlfriend happy. He would wash it off after a few days, and it was a good love photo. It was obvious that he was the only one who had to endure this pain and this ruthless ridicule.
Seeing her laughing so happily, He Mian simply stretched out his hands to pinch her armpits and waist. Nan Yan was pinched so hard that she kept shrinking back, and he held her down so that she couldn't move. In the end, she laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back on him. Tears came out, and she could only shout at him in a panic: "You are bullying me. You are taking advantage of your height to take revenge. This is not fair! If you have the guts, let me give you a hand!"
He Mian beside him narrowed his eyes and smiled. He clamped Nan Yan's waist with one hand, adjusted his posture, and actually let her use one hand. However, one hand could subdue her completely. Finally, he pressed her down on the park bench and asked her:
"Unfair? Now is it fair? I've let you use one hand, but I can still knock you down. So, are you convinced now?"
Nan Yan was pinned down on a bench and couldn't get up. She discovered that this guy was not only stupid, but also a bit straight. What boyfriend and girlfriend would have to decide who wins and who loses after a fight?
Is he really stupid?
Nan Yan glared at him, but he still refused to let go, so she struggled even harder, her face turning slightly red. Finally, she had no choice but to reach out her hand stealthily, and just as she was about to grab his ear, she accidentally pulled out a silver scallop-shaped flap chain from his neck.
The chain had been covered to the same temperature as his body surface. It suddenly slid down from his neck and fell directly onto Nan Yan's cheek. As she moved, it slid from her chin to her neck, slowly penetrated into the collar of her clothes, and finally fell onto the skin of her chest. The hard metal hit her skin, carrying the other person's body temperature, making her feel a distinct warmth.
Nan Yan stopped struggling this time. Out of curiosity, she reached out and grabbed the chain. Then she looked up at him and asked, "What is this?"
She touched the warm chain. It looked like it was made of platinum. It hadn't changed color after being worn for so long. It was of moderate thickness. The scallop pendant in front had a flip cover. "It seems like you've been wearing it for a long time and never took it off."
He Mian's body froze for a moment, but soon returned to normal.
He casually took the chain from Nan Yan's hand, and pinched the small pendant and touched it twice. He saw his girlfriend next to him staring at his hand with curiosity.
賀冕沒忍住輕笑了聲，回了句：“你是好奇寶寶嗎？怎麽什麽事都這麽好奇啊？一根鏈子而已，有什麽好瞧的，你要是喜歡這樣的，以後我給你買根一模一樣的行了吧？”
他說完又撐着下巴，想了一下，然後稍微解釋了句：“這是我車禍之後，住院的那段時間，隔壁病房的一個朋友送的。說什麽能保平安的，我就收下了，然後就這麽一直戴着挺多年了，也沒什麽別的特殊意義。”
南嫣不說話，依舊偏頭瞧着他。
沒什麽意義的東西能戴這麽多年嗎？
南嫣隐約嗅到了某種“奸情”的味道。
賀冕看她一副不太高興的樣子，忍不住伸手揉了揉她的臉，又捏了捏粉透的兩腮，似乎真的沒将這事放在心上。
但是真是假也就只有他自己知道了。
語氣随意解釋道，“你也知道的，我那時候，剛從九死一生的車禍綁架案中逃過一劫，所以那段時間的情緒很不穩定，而家裏人又忙着工作不能陪在身邊，只請了幾個護工陪着照顧，所以我經常發脾氣折騰人。”
“隔壁病友看不過眼了，就跑來說了幾句，然後兩人就這麽認識了嘛。”
那朋友年紀比他小一些，卻說了不少鼓勵安慰他的話，所以才讓他印象稍微有點深刻，其實也不止是深刻，應該是相處的還挺融洽，畢竟年少時的好感跟成年之後的不太一樣，那時候的自己還沒現在這麽的有算計心，也算是一腔熱忱的純情少年吧。
當時對方不小心滾下樓梯摔了腿，他在車禍中也摔了腿，兩個人就一起推着輪椅經常各個病房的到處亂逛，時不時地還被醫生逮到一通訓斥，但第二天又會故态複萌，惹得一群護工跟護士天天跟在屁股後頭找，這麽想想，住院的那段時間也挺有意思的。
南嫣聽了這話知道有些不對勁了，基本上可以腦補出一副心有白月光的分手戲碼了，而自己作為他的現任女朋友，也該适時地表示心底合理的懷疑了。
“就這麽簡單的嗎？”
賀冕倒是也沒瞞着，解釋得很清楚，倒是把自己說得清清白白的，聽上去格外單純的一美好少年。
“不然呢？”
賀冕低着頭笑笑，沒有再看她的臉，“難不成你以為還能有什麽不能說的事情嗎？”
“這又不是什麽大秘密，那段時間車禍的事情好多人都知道的，等哪天聚會的時候，你可以去問問我那些朋友，這種事情，我還有必要騙你嗎？”
他語氣聽上去格外自然，沒什麽異樣情緒，解釋倒也算得上合理，就是這态度仍有幾分怪異的不對勁。
南嫣聽了這番解釋，還是不肯相信，又忍不住心中郁悶，便伸手過去想将他手中的扇貝挂墜打開，想看看裏面到底放了什麽？
不過這動作卻被賀冕不着痕跡地避開了，他随口應付了一句：“就一個小玩意而已，沒什麽好看的。”
話是這麽說的，但這避開的動作還是讓南嫣手指頓了下，她臉上立馬露出明顯不太高興的表情，問了一句：“沒什麽好看的，那你為什麽不能讓我看看？”
“還有我以前怎麽從來沒聽你說過這件事情呢？要是我一直沒發現，你是不是也就會一直不說。”
她聲音悶悶的，就像大多數女朋友無意間發現男朋友還留着前任送的東西時，控制不住脾氣，開始吃醋了。
賀冕也不是傻子，不可能聽不出來她語氣裏的在意，心中有些好笑，“那不是肯定的嘛，我又不笨，這種事情有什麽好說的？再說了，那又不是前女友，這都過去了十多年的小事了，還有必要特意拿出來說一遍嗎？”
賀冕說這話的時候，臉上的表情是沒什麽變化的，他看上去是真的很正常，沒藏一點別的小心思，又笑着說：
“而且，誰說我不給你看了，只是提前說一聲，給你看了之後不能生氣。”
賀冕說的有理有據，讓人沒辦法反駁，“你也不想想，我現在還沒給你看的時候，你就已經要生氣了，要是我再把兩人的過往說得仔細親密點，東西再給你看得清楚點，咱倆還不得吵翻天嗎？我這是在規避風險，不告訴你不也就是怕我們倆會吵架嗎？”
這話說得倒也是挺有道理的。
但南嫣能是那種善罷甘休的人嗎？沒個事也能給你整出點事情來，更何況這兩人的過往明擺着的不算單純。
起碼不像他嘴裏說的那麽單純。
南嫣看着他不說話，而賀冕又故意逗她，大概是看她真的不高興了，便伸手将那根鏈子從脖子上取了下來，動作随意地遞了過去，“就為了這麽點小事也要生氣，你這人怎麽跟從前一點也不一樣了，你以前都完全不在意我的，現在倒是不一樣了。”
“是不是喜歡我喜歡的不得了啊？”
他故意逗她，“這可怎麽辦才好呢？以後要是離開哥了，你不會舍不得吧？”
賀冕也不知道心底是什麽感覺，只是對于這種感覺并不覺得讨厭。
他忍不住笑，笑完又伸出大拇指一個勁的揉她眼眶周圍的肌膚，指腹微涼細膩，稍微用了點力，就把她的皮膚揉得微微泛紅，就這麽不緊不慢的揉着，想看看她是不是要哭了，但擦了半天一滴眼淚也沒擦出來。
心裏還在想，嗯，看來這女朋友沒想象中那麽脆弱，輕易是不肯哭的，不過她哭起來也挺好玩的，昨天哄了好久，才沒哭了。
他現在覺得哄人開心也是挺有意思的一件事。
南嫣拍開他作亂的手指，伸手接過了那條遞過來的料子，挂墜上的溫度已經漸漸冷卻了，摸在手心裏有種冰涼細膩的觸感。
她将那個扇貝挂墜打開，果然就看到裏面是一張女孩子的照片，照片上的女孩子眉眼青澀稚嫩，大概才十三四歲的年紀，笑起來很好看，格外的陽光甜美。
都到這份上了，要說兩人一點過往都沒有的話，南嫣是絕對不會信的，不在意的東西會在脖子上戴那麽多年嗎？
南嫣抿着唇，擡眸看了一眼賀冕的神情，他看上去還是很自然的，眼神很平靜，沒什麽異樣的情緒，但有時候平靜過了頭是不是也是另一種意義上的不正常呢？
畢竟這可是會讓女朋友誤會的事情啊，難道他都不該有點着急解釋的反應嗎？
南嫣不動聲色，又低頭看向那張照片上的女孩，雖然眉眼青澀，但也不難看出這人是誰，于是南嫣就問了句，
“這女孩子看起來好像有點眼熟呢？是那天跟你們聚會一起喝酒的女孩子嗎？”
賀冕聞言轉頭看了她一眼，長腿交疊彎曲着，坐姿懶懶散散的，看上去格外随意，然後他笑了一聲，“好端端的怎麽又在意起這個來了？你眼神還挺好的，那天就擡頭看了那麽幾眼，也能記住對方的長相啊。”
那不是肯定的嗎？
阮潇潇的照片她怎麽可能會不認識？
上次匆匆一瞥，她自然沒有錯過她看向鐘嶺時，眼底一閃而過的恐慌跟害怕。
雖然是少女時期的照片，但眉眼上大致是沒什麽太大變化的，少女時期的青澀陽光，到了成年以後也沒怎麽改變過，不過青澀倒是沒有了，只是笑起來依舊是那副甜美陽光的模樣。
很難有人會拒絕這樣的女孩子吧？
而且，她不僅知道照片上的女孩兒是誰，還知道這人就是賀冕車禍期間，照顧他安慰他的女孩子。
這麽一個小太陽型的溫暖又陽光的女孩子，又怎麽可能會不招人喜歡嗎？
最重要的是，賀冕心底一直在意的人不也是她麽，從一開始，他用一張照片把阮潇潇騙回來不就是因為他心底還放不下嗎？
賀冕确實瞞得挺深的，畢竟一個被很多朋友們公認為是個不太好招惹的男人，怎麽可能是她面前表現得那樣簡單而無害？
不過是在她面前刻意地收斂了那些心神氣勢罷了，他對上鐘嶺也能不相上下，甚至壓制對方，南嫣可不相信他是個簡單的人。
賀冕的視線平淡掠過項鏈上女孩的笑臉，其實這事連鐘嶺都不知道，幾乎所有人都不知道，這應該算是兩個人之間的秘密。
最開始的時候，是他在醫院跟阮潇潇提前認識了，活潑又陽光的少女怎麽會不讓人心生好感呢？他對阮潇潇自然是有過好感的，只是這份好感在發現自己的身體出了問題之後，原本的心動驟然被一團冰水澆滅了，沒有哪個男生能忍受這種缺陷，更不可能會讓自己喜歡過的女孩子知道這種事情！
所以聖誕節的那天，在阮潇潇捏着一張賀卡，忐忑不安的走到他面前告白時，賀冕猶豫之後還是拒絕了對方的告白，而自從那天以後，兩人就再沒有過什麽交集。
This incident happened in secret. Apart from the two parties involved, almost no one else knew about it, not even He Mian's friends.
Afterwards, Ruan Xiaoxiao fell in love with a boy again, and that boy was Zhong Ling. Their relationship was very smooth after they were together. Ruan Xiaoxiao also gave up everything about her past with him. After they met again, the most they did was nod and smile. The other party treated him as her boyfriend's brother. She didn't tell anyone about their affairs, and she also privately asked him not to tell Zhong Ling about her previous confession.
She said she was afraid that Zhong Ling would be unhappy if he knew about this, and she was also worried that it would be awkward for them to meet in the future.
He Mian agreed, and he had no intention of telling anyone about this from the beginning. However, since then, He Mian always felt a little unwilling in his heart, and mixed with a bit of helplessness. His feelings for Ruan Xiaoxiao were very complicated. His initial affection for her was not false, but it was also a fact that he rejected her confession because of her flaws. It can only be said that there is no fate between the two of them.
It's just that the other party withdrew too quickly, which made him feel more and more unable to let go. Perhaps there was always some regret and unwillingness in a corner of his heart, and He Mian has always been nonchalant when it comes to love since then.
He didn't think that there was any overly close or inseparable relationship between him and Ruan Xiaoxiao, but the first heartbeat of youth was indeed hard to forget.
After learning that she broke up with Zhong Ling, He Mian didn't know what was wrong with him. He gave Zhong Ling a bad idea for some reason. He didn't know whether he really wanted to help Zhong Ling save the relationship or wanted to take this opportunity to completely break up the relationship between the two.
After all, any normal person knows that this approach will only drive the two sides further apart.
If Zhong Ling really fell in love with someone else, or if Ruan Xiaoxiao was a little more stubborn, then would there be no future for her and Zhong Ling?
In recent years, Ruan Xiaoxiao has been studying abroad, and the two had originally planned to settle abroad. After he sent her the photos of Zhong Ling kissing other girls, Ruan Xiaoxiao talked to him on the phone for a long time that night, and finally decided to return home.
This was his original purpose.
Let Zhong Ling and Ruan Xiaoxiao separate, and then let Ruan Xiaoxiao come back from abroad, and he has now done both of these things.
Even now, few people realize that he was the one pushing it behind the scenes.
In fact, he has prepared a lot of plans.
However, some minor problems occurred during these plans. For example, he found that his body was not completely bad, but might need some stimulation to slowly recover. And at this time, he happened to be entangled with Wen Nanyan. Dating Wen Nanyan was an accident.
But an accident doesn't mean that he intentionally plays with the other person's feelings. Although he is not a good person, he would not deceive a girl's feelings, especially such a gentle and kind girl, who would never make people feel bad about her.
Although there were some minor frictions between the two in the beginning, he couldn't help but like her after getting to know her for a long time. He did like her a little because she was indeed a very likable girl, but it could only be said that he didn't like her that much and he had other requests for her.
When love is mixed with many things, it is likely to become less pure. He has a limit in his heart. After breaking up, he will try his best to compensate her for whatever she wants, but it is limited to some material needs.
Most importantly, isn’t this what love is all about?
He has always felt that love and marriage are two completely different things. When it comes to love, all he needs to do is be happy. As for marriage, he has not considered it yet. It should be said that he has never thought about it from the beginning to the end.
He estimated that if his behavior was posted online, he would probably be called a scumbag. Why would he date someone if he didn't want to get married? But the fact is that many couples in love will eventually break up due to various problems and remarry with someone else.
So in a sense, he is just an ordinary, normal person, but he met a very gentle, nice and obedient girl, which magnified his inherent scumbag nature countless times.
So he has been trying his best to accommodate her, and has done a lot to please his girlfriend during this period. Under normal circumstances, he would not have this kind of patience to treat girls who like him.
But to be honest, he had never been in love before, and this was his first time to have a serious relationship with a girl who was six or seven years younger than him. He felt that he had done a pretty good job, after all, he had done a pretty good job in taking care of her and accommodating her.
However, when it comes to love, you don’t need to be too careful about whether there is ulterior motive or not. After being together for a long time, it will be easy for others to detect it.
Nan Yan could clearly sense that this man was absent-minded. How should she put it? Although He Mian seemed to be very nice to her, it was entirely because he had to compromise because of some need, which was obviously different from wanting to be nice to someone from the bottom of one's heart.
Maybe this person has some feelings for her, but that feeling is probably not that great and is the kind that can be abandoned at any time.
Especially after Nan Yan recognized the girl in the photo, he seemed to be reluctant to talk about this topic. However, the more he didn't want to talk about it, the more Nan Yan insisted on asking:
"Do you like this girl?"
"Um?"
He Mian turned his head, raised his eyelids slightly, and glanced at her calmly. His expression actually changed slightly, and Nan Yan could even feel the change in his momentum, but he still held back and said, "Why are you asking so many questions?"
"Can't I ask?" Nan Yan seemed to have not expected him to answer like this. She tightened her grip on the chain instantly, and a look of grievance appeared on her face.
"Have you forgotten that I'm your girlfriend now?"
He Mian couldn't help but laugh when he saw her like that. He stretched out his hand and pinched the soft flesh on his girlfriend's cheek. He seemed to be in a good mood. "How dare I? If I tell you the truth, will you be angry?"
Nan Yan slapped the hand away and glared at him:
"Tell the truth first!"
"Okay, I'll tell you." He Mian raised his hands in surrender. He lowered his voice. It was obviously normal, but Nan Yan heard a hint of grievance in it. However, his eyes were particularly sincere.
"The story is actually quite simple. My brother was very handsome when he was young. This little girl was attracted by his looks and was attracted by his extraordinary beauty. After she confessed her love to my brother and was rejected, she turned around and got together with my brother's good friend."
He pinched her fingers as he spoke, and said with disdain, "This kind of person is a typical revengeful person who has the mentality of 'even though I can't get your body, I can get your brother'! My dear girlfriend, now you understand, there is really no private relationship between her and me."
Nan Yan couldn't help but look at him suspiciously, "Are you telling the truth? Why does it sound so unreliable to me? Isn't it that you pursued someone but were rejected, and then you were alone, sad and crying?"
He Mian: “…How is that possible!”
What kind of image do you think of my brother? He is so sad. Is he so hopeless? It is impossible for me to cry. I will never cry in my life.
Nan Yan grabbed a strand of his hair, pinched his face and asked again:
"Are you telling the truth? Are you not lying to me?"
He Mian patted Peppa Pig on his arm and handed it over to guarantee, "Of course it's real, more real than pearls."
It was indeed true, he did not lie, but he did not deny the question Nan Yan asked at the beginning.
After all, he still hadn't forgotten the little girl who comforted him in the hospital at the beginning.
Nan Yan was not unaware of his avoidance, but if he didn't intend to break up for the time being, she would continue to play with him. After all, now was not a good time to break up, and she couldn't just hold on to him over such a trivial matter. There would always be a chance to settle the score in the future.