Chapter 235 Tacit Understanding
Zhong Min's reaction was not beyond Ning Zhiyuan's expectations. He couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart. It seemed that this girl did have a big prejudice against him.
That's right, although she was brought here without her permission, would she still come if she had been allowed? I'm afraid that not only will I not have the slightest chance, but I'll also lose something else.
However, he did not blame her. After all, anyone would overreact in such a situation. But even knowing this, he still felt an inexplicable sense of loss in his heart. It was not for anything else, but simply because she was someone he cared about.
"Min'er, we do have some friendship, right? Why do we have to be so unpleasant as soon as we meet?" Ning Zhiyuan said gently, "I know you're unhappy about this matter, but since things have come to this, why don't we sit down and talk it out calmly? This will surely be much better for both you and me."
Ning Zhiyuan's words forced Zhong Min to accept such a reality. Yes, she was now controlled by him. Even if she was angry, it would be of no use. Instead, it would make her feel unhappy.
After rolling his eyes at Ning Zhiyuan, Zhong Min sat down by himself without saying much, but he also tacitly agreed to his proposal.
Seeing this, Ning Zhiyuan smiled slightly, and his mood couldn't help but improve. He found a chair not far from Zhong Min and sat down. As if he had guessed what Zhong Min was thinking, he said, "Okay, I know you must have a lot of questions right now. Ask whatever you want to ask. Now, as long as you want to know, I will tell you the truth, okay?"
Ning Zhiyuan's words were filled with assurance, a touch of sincerity, and he seemed to be bowing to her. Zhong Min's heart softened. It seemed that Ning Zhiyuan, with his status, rarely bowed his head like that. He was right. Even though they had different ideas and positions, there was essentially no personal grudge between them. Moreover, from beginning to end, no matter what Ning Zhiyuan did, it was always from his perspective, not just for him, but also to protect the interests of the group he represented.
She could disagree, but she had no right to demand that others do this or that, let alone make others change according to her ideas. Moreover, no matter what he did, he really had no intention of hurting her, and he had even saved her directly or indirectly once.
Thinking of this, Zhong Min's attitude softened a little. Thinking about what Ning Zhiyuan had just said, that he would tell her the truth no matter what she wanted to know, she suddenly had some idea of what was important.
She really had a lot of questions she wanted to clarify, not just this time, but also the last time. It was time to get many things cleared up and put an end to them.
She did not doubt what Ning Zhiyuan said, so she paused slightly and looked at Ning Zhiyuan sideways, wanting to ask him about Qin Ke. But after hesitating for a while, she finally did not ask.
After all this time, she finally understood: Qin Ke wasn't meant to die. Even when Ning Zhiyuan sent Nian Buyue, his ultimate goal wasn't to kill Qin Ke, but to capture her. If Qin Ke hadn't been protecting her, how could he have chosen to die with Nian Buyue? Ultimately, the person most responsible for Qin Ke's death wasn't Ning Zhiyuan, but herself.
"I've never been able to fully get over Qin Ke's death. Although he died for me, if it weren't for you, why would he have perished together with Nian Buyue to protect me?" Zhong Min's expression was serious, with an indescribable sadness. "Ning Zhiyuan, originally I just thought we were two different types of people, with no common ideas or positions. But Qin Ke's death makes it impossible for me not to hate you. Of course, maybe I should hate myself even more!"
She subconsciously said what was in her heart. If she was just subconsciously wary of Ning Zhiyuan before, after the incident with Qin Ke, she felt more resistance and hostility towards Ning Zhiyuan, and she would never be able to truly let it go in her heart.
Ning Zhiyuan was stunned when he heard Zhong Min's words. He never expected that the first thing Zhong Min said after calming down would be about Qin Ke. He knew how deep Li Jin'er's feelings for Qin Ke were, but he didn't expect that Zhong Min would care about Qin Ke so much now.
"Min'er, I'm sorry. I can only say I'm deeply sorry about Qin Ke's death." Ning Zhiyuan didn't shy away from the question. "Before, I hadn't imagined such an outcome would occur, but I don't want to say I had nothing to do with his death. You're right. After all, I sent Nian Buyue. However, the dead cannot be resurrected. I just hope you can untie this knot in your heart and stop putting the blame on yourself. It's all my fault, not yours."
No matter what, he didn't want Zhong Min to blame himself too much for this matter. If he really wanted to hate or blame someone, then let him bear all the responsibility. Anyway, his image in Zhong Min's mind was not very good, so adding one more thing would not be a big deal.
Hearing Ning Zhiyuan's words, Zhong Min frowned slightly, but was unwilling to mention it again. Whether blaming himself or Ning Zhiyuan, everything seemed to be of no use at all. For a dead person, it had no effect at all!
"Forget it. What's the point of saying all this? No matter what, I can't completely let myself go, and the same goes for you." Zhong Min didn't look at Ning Zhiyuan again: "I just want to tell you that no matter what you want to do, no matter what methods you prepare, there is no possibility for us to have anything in common, and there will never be a chance to reach a common position again."
Ning Zhiyuan couldn't help but sigh slightly. He smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't expect Qin Ke to be so important to you. If I had known, I would definitely not send Nian Buyue. But Min'er, you are not Li Jin'er. Why does Qin Ke have such a big influence on you?"
Zhong Min was immediately shocked when he said this. She looked at Ning Zhiyuan in disbelief and asked, "What do you mean? Do you think I'm not Li Jin'er?"
If she remembered correctly, when she told the truth when Qin Ke died, there was no one from Ning Zhiyuan by her side, so it was impossible for him to know this. But now, he was so calm and composed, as if he had known it all along, which really shocked her.
"You're not Li Jin'er, you're just Zhong Min. I knew this the first time I saw you." Ning Zhiyuan's eyes sparkled, and he felt excited as if he had finally revealed the truth. "Xiao Mingzheng hasn't been able to make a conclusion yet because he doesn't know the real Li Jin'er. Qin Ke hasn't recognized you either because he's simply unwilling to admit it. I'm different from them. I'm familiar with the real Li Jin'er, and I'm also happy to acknowledge and accept the fact that you're Zhong Min."
"Why? Why are you telling me this now?" Zhong Min stared at Ning Zhiyuan with a serious expression, extremely vigilant: "What do you want to do?"
"Min'er, don't be nervous. No matter what, please believe me. I will never hurt you." Ning Zhiyuan assured him, "Although I don't know what exactly happened or how you became Li Jin'er, it doesn't matter to me at all. Because from the beginning to the end, I only care about you, the real Zhong Min, not Li Jin'er."
Seeing Zhong Min's expression of disbelief, Ning Zhiyuan didn't care and continued to explain, "Although your appearance and body haven't changed at all, and you're still exactly like the old Li Jin'er, your soul is completely different. Amnesia? In my opinion, even amnesia can't completely change the most essential things in a person's heart. What's more, you've learned many things that Li Jin'er didn't know, and you've even completely let go of the unwavering love she had for Qin Ke, which was so strong that she would give everything for him."
"You haven't witnessed Li Jin'er's infatuation with Qin Ke. If you had, you would understand. Even if one forgets everything else, even if one doesn't recognize oneself, one still can't forget the person etched into one's bones. Even if one truly forgets for a moment, the inexplicable longing deep in one's heart cannot be shaken."
Ning Zhiyuan sighed and continued, "But you are not like that at all. Not only do you not have the slightest bit of romantic love for Qin Ke, you even fell in love with other men. Even if Qin Ke died for you in the end, it only made you feel extremely guilty. That is not love at all, it is just a kind of gratitude and self-blame for Qin Ke's selfless dedication. Min'er, am I right?"
After hearing all this, Zhong Min had no reason to deny it. She thought for a moment and said self-deprecatingly, "It seems you've taken everything for granted. That's right, I'm not Li Jin'er. From the beginning to the end, I've only been Zhong Min. Ever since Li Jin'er followed Xiao Mingzheng to Prince Liang and fainted, there's no Li Jin'er in this world. There's only Zhong Min, who doesn't even know what's going on!"
"Before Qin Ke died, I told him everything, but it still couldn't make up for the lies I had told him for so long. But I'm not Li Jin'er, so I can't love Qin Ke like Li Jin'er. I'm just me, just Zhong Min!"
She stared at Ning Zhiyuan and said word by word, "In Zhong Min's mind, no one can force me to go against my will. Xiao Mingzheng is like this, Qin Ke is like this, and you are like this too! So, even if you know this, what does it matter? To me, it doesn't matter in the first place. Don't think that knowing this means you have my weakness or leverage!"
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