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墨書 Inktalez
"Since you've broken up with Guang Ying, why not be with me from now on? I can give you anything you desire." The voice belonged to a figure exuding laziness, flamboyance, and an air of arrogance, as if he were an invincible king surveying his domain.
Yet, his enchanting eyes were always carefully observing her.
"Hmph! How extravagant."
Was she angry?
"I'm not trying to make a big deal out of it; I just want to pamper you." He simply didn't want to see her looking at him with that kind of gaze; he disliked that feeling.
"Pamper me? Oh! The Eldest Young Master's way of pampering is always different from ordinary people's." Lan Xin'en chuckled softly, a hint of self-mockery in her tone.
"Xin En, you don't have to twist my words. You know that's not what I mean." He felt a bit irritated, pausing for a moment before awkwardly continuing, "I know I was wrong, but I just can't help myself..."
* * *
Can't help himself?
Did he think he was still young enough to be unable to control his feelings all year round? He wasn't some perennial playboy!
Lan Xin'en angrily threw her pillow and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself and stop worrying about that man.
She didn't want to admit that she had fallen for such a worthless man!
Back then, he was the pride of the heavens, a typical rich heir born with a silver spoon. He couldn't stand seeing others take joy in things he couldn't comprehend while flaunting it in front of him. That fool Lin Guangying had introduced him to her without any ulterior motives and even inadvertently showcased their happy relationship in front of him. This was the main reason he had taken her away.
And she couldn't forgive herself for submitting to this demon's whims, allowing him to take whatever he wanted.
She had never admitted it, but that didn't mean she hadn't been moved by him; she just didn't understand why, despite liking Lin Guangying at the time, she felt her heart race upon meeting him for the first time.
If a romance is merely a test of people's ability to be fickle, then why bother with love at all?
She did not consider herself to be someone who would easily change her affections, yet the reality proved otherwise; she had indeed betrayed Lin Guangying. Even though Zhong Li Ming Jie did not force her, and even though she had not yet been intimate with him at that time, she knew her heart was no longer with Lin Guangying.
There was something wrong with her. After he had done that to her, she found herself unable to sustain her hatred for him. In fact, she even enjoyed his gentle attempts at redemption, relishing in his almost indulgent compensations. She thought perhaps he had genuinely developed feelings for her and naively believed she had tamed his self-importance. But if Zhong Li Fan was to be believed, it was she who was overly presumptuous, mistakenly thinking she could tame this eternal playboy.
She had known all along that when he asked her to bear him a child, it was merely a manifestation of his desire; perhaps, as Lin Guangying suggested, he simply liked what belonged to others. Once that possession lost its value, discarding it would be entirely justified.
She was just one of many toys in his collection, a foolish woman who wanted nothing more than to stay by his side. She was far from shrewd; years ago, she should never have traded the chance for a child for control over Beiheng Group. It was a grave mistake, but all she wanted was the opportunity to see him once a year.
She was such a foolish and naive woman.
“Xin En, are you angry with me?”
Hearing the voice behind her, she did not turn around immediately; instead, a faint smile graced her lovely face.
“Why would I be angry with you?” Should she really be upset? Should she mourn for the throngs of admirers surrounding him? There had to be limits to how foolish one could be! Her obsession was leading her down a path of self-destruction.
“I heard you throwing things,” Zhong Li Ming Jie said as he locked the door behind him, preventing Zhong Li Fan from meddling further between them. “I thought you might be angry with me, so I felt it necessary to clarify some things before…”
“No need. Just go out. I want to rest for a bit; I have plenty to do later.” It was nearly six o'clock; her colleagues at the company were probably wrapping up for the day. She could only handle the remaining trivial matters and would return tomorrow to personally oversee the meeting.
She couldn't be bothered with him; there was no obligation for her to heed his commands, even if he threatened her with Xiao Fan.
“Didn’t I say you should take some time to rest? Senior executives at the company are well-paid precisely so they can help alleviate your burdens—not to work you to death as Acting President.”
He simply could not understand why she insisted on doing this to herself.
He always felt that he had personally stifled her youth. The Lan Xin'en before him was not the same Lan Xin'en he had first met; she had changed completely because of him.
"I don't feel comfortable handing over the confidential files to anyone else," she said with a smile.
"Don't you have anyone you can trust?" He furrowed his brow slightly.
He had entrusted the company to her, and he received an annual report detailing the personnel within. He didn't believe she needed to push herself so hard.
"Do you think there is? I only trust myself."
Who in this world could she trust? Her nature was inherently proud, distant from her family, yet she had feelings for him, the one who had hurt her the most.
Perhaps it was her one-sided belief that he had harmed her.
"Xin En..." God, what was he supposed to do with this woman?
He gently cupped her delicate face, which still retained its past softness, and saw the indifference on her lovely features that did not suit her. His heart felt as if it had been struck hard, aching unbearably.
"Is there something you need?" She raised an eyebrow, suppressing the fluttering feelings within her heart.
She struggled to ignore the love that surged from deep inside, fought against looking into his eyes filled with affection, and tried not to let him sway her thoughts. Yet every time he returned home, she wavered; after spending three hundred sixty-four days stabilizing her emotions, he could dismantle them in just one day. She was so weak that she couldn't even believe in herself.
But not anymore; she decided to stay clear-headed. She resolved to devote all her energy to her career. Family ties may change, love may change, but the power she held in her hands would not change; as long as she seized every opportunity, she could live better than she did now.
"I want to kiss you." Did he still need her permission?
"Is that a command?" As usual, she was his only mistress in Taiwan and the most favored among all the beauties in his harem.
“What if it’s not?” Did their relationship only exist on mutual benefits?
No, there was a bond between them, a connection through Xiao Fan that would remain unchanged for a lifetime. He had deliberately created this bond because he was already tired of their interactions being solely based on interests.
“I can’t entertain this,” Lan Xin'en said, meeting his gaze and brushing his hand away.
She would accept no extra emotions aside from commands. Whether it was his possessiveness or his male pride acting up, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a nod.
Though there was no difference in the act of submission, she didn’t care about surrendering her body to him; in terms of form and mindset, there was a subtle distinction.
“Xin En, you know how I feel about you…”
“If it’s guilt you’re talking about, you don’t need to say anything more. That’s all in the past, ten years ago. There’s no point in revisiting it; what does it matter who was right or wrong? What matters is the present, what’s in front of us.” She even wanted to tell him to forget all those things, so she wouldn’t keep mistakenly thinking he had feelings for her.
“No, that’s not what I meant. I wanted to say…”
Ringing interrupted him.
“I’ll take this call,” Lan Xin'en said hurriedly.
Zhong Li Ming Jie glared at the phone on her bedside table, feeling an impulse to smash it to pieces. He wasn’t trying to talk about guilt; he just wanted to tell her that he liked her.
Why did something so simple have to be so complicated?
He tiredly watched her as she spoke softly into the phone.
She frowned slightly and said, “Wait for me; I’ll be right there.”
"Where are you going?" As she hung up, Zhong Li Ming Jie hurriedly asked.
He was joking; he hadn't even finished speaking! God knows how much courage it took him to confess.
"That's none of your business. You have no right to restrict me like this," Lan Xin'en frowned, grabbing her handbag and preparing to leave.
"If you don't tell me, you can't go out. That's an order." Since she would only listen if it was an order, he had no choice but to command her.
Lan Xin'en glared at him, annoyed. "It's A Ye. Your lovely nephew is looking for me."
"A Ye?" When did she become so close to him?
"Can I go out now?" Lan Xin'en paused, pushed past him, and left without caring what he was pondering.
＊ ＊ ＊
Nan Jiu Group
"Hey, you're really troublesome!"
Lan Xin'en helplessly stopped her attempt to kick him, staring at Zhongli Ye, who had passed out under the sofa. She was truly at a loss for words.
He was something else, inviting her over just to witness his drunken state. Fortunately, aside from Yalian, no other colleagues had seen him like this, which spared him some embarrassment; however, his troubles were his own to solve—she was powerless to help.
She wasn't good at comforting others and had no idea how to offer emotional advice; she couldn't even manage her own issues, let alone take care of his.
Sitting on the sofa in a daze, the thought of going home later made her feel so exhausted that she didn't even want to move.
Moreover, there was a drunken guest at her feet.
What should she do with him? Perhaps just let him sleep until tomorrow, allowing him to cool off. A heartbreak isn’t that serious; it hurts, but eventually, one will forget.
One day, he will definitely forget.
She was trying hard to forget certain things, making an effort to think only of herself. For instance, she wanted to find ways to occupy her time at work so that she wouldn’t have the chance to overthink. But seeing him like this always made her feel a twinge of pain.
Maybe it would be better to wake him up; it would be a small act of kindness on her part.
“A Ye, Yalian came by just now. It seems she misunderstood us. You should get up and explain things to her quickly. I’m just trying to help you out here, so… ah!”
“Yalian…”
What the hell was he doing? How could he hold her so tightly? If she had known he would be so unruly when drunk, she would never have sought him out! He was practically suffocating her, this heavy stone!
“Let go of me, Zhongli Ye!” She was getting angry and was almost overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol wafting from him.
Oh God, could someone save her?
Just as she thought that, she felt the weight pressing down on her disappear. Looking up, she was met with the furious face of Zhong Li Ming Jie.
“Get up.” He reached out his hand and, regardless of whether she responded or not, he pulled her up and kicked the still-sleeping Zhongli Ye. How should he interpret this scene? Was A Ye just dazed from sleep, or had she thrown herself at him, or was she deliberately trying to seduce A Ye?
But no matter which scenario it was, A Ye was in the wrong.
Knowing full well that she belonged to him, how dare A Ye touch her! Whether intentional or not, today’s incident would be held against him.
"You are watching me, aren't you?" she stated firmly.
She could never believe that he had coincidentally arrived at Nan Jiu. Was there really such a coincidence in the world? But why would he need to watch her? Was he afraid that what he had taken would be snatched away by someone else?
"I was just worried that you hadn't returned for so long, so I came to pick you up," Zhong Li Ming Jie said, suppressing his emotions.
He didn't want to lose his temper here because he had more important matters to attend to. He didn't want her to think of him as someone who merely imposed commands on her or forced her into submission; he wanted her to understand that the origin of this constraint came from his love.
It was that simple and straightforward, without any ulterior motives.
"You don't need to pick me up; I drove here myself," Lan Xin'en said, shaking off his hand and stepping out of the Taiwan Bei Heng Group President Office. She rubbed her hands together in front of her, trying to erase the warmth he had pressed into her palm.
What was he thinking? What did he want? Why was he staying in Taiwan for so long? In the past, after signing contracts, he would leave without a word, even without notifying her. Why was he now insisting on staying by her side?
If it was a matter of exchanging power for physical intimacy, she had already done that and considered herself to have gotten the best deal. She wasn't foolish enough to switch sides; he needn't worry about her doing anything that would embarrass him—she wouldn't degrade herself like that.
Selling herself once in a lifetime was already tragic enough; she wasn't foolish enough to do it again.
"Well, I took a taxi here anyway, so you can just give me a ride back," Zhong Li Ming Jie said with a smile.
He stepped forward and took her hand again, not allowing her to resist. It felt natural and inevitable; despite sensing her reluctance, he still held on tight.
He was betting it all! He was truly going all in this time; whether he succeeded or failed depended on this moment.
After all, even if he lost, his life would remain the same as it was now. But if he won, he could put an end to the pain of waiting and the endless torment.
No matter how one looked at it, taking this gamble seemed worthwhile.
"You..." Unable to shake off his hand, she could only helplessly let him hold it. She was too lazy to struggle, but suddenly thought of something and said, "By the way, you actually left Xiao Fan home alone? Sister Wu didn’t come today, and if something were to happen while he’s alone, what would you do?"
He really was lacking in common sense. Didn’t he know that many accidents happen at home? Under his care, it was almost a miracle that Xiao Fan had grown up this much.
"Xin En, he’s already eight years old, not eight months," he replied. He believed that even if the house collapsed, Xiao Fan would be completely unharmed; there was no need to worry about him at all. Besides, he had intentionally left him at home.
"But..." She truly didn’t know how to face an eight-year-old child. "Why haven’t you gone back to England yet? There must be a lot waiting for you there. Why not go back and handle things sooner? Besides, now that you’ve found Xiao Fan, shouldn’t you return?"
Was his guilt towards her similar to her guilt towards Xiao Fan? A painful and helpless feeling washed over her.
"It’s still early. I want to play for a few more days. Anyway, I’ve wrapped up most of the matters in England; there’s nothing urgent." Sigh, why did she have to say something hurtful?
"Then what about those women?" After he said that, Lan Xin'en pretended to be relaxed and teased him.
She didn’t care; she really didn’t mind. She was just asking.
"What women? That’s just Xiao Fan’s misunderstanding. He’s still young and doesn’t understand the situation at all." If he weren’t his son, he definitely wouldn’t have just punished him by making him stay home in contemplation.
If he lost this time, on the way back he would tell his son that the woman he liked was the mother he had always wanted to meet, letting him experience that kind of pain and grow through it.
Lan Xin'en remained silent, nodding lightly and smiling faintly.
She had said before that she was just asking.
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