Novel Lived
Chapter 22 - Xiao Nong: Send someone to check on Zhong Yansheng
The gaze that fell on the neck was like that of a fierce leopard staring at him.
The feeling of being watched by a ferocious beast crept up his spine again. Zhong Yansheng shuddered silently and his Adam's apple rolled with difficulty.
He finally realized how unreliable Xiao Wenlan was.
Fifteen minutes ago, Xiao Wenlan solemnly assured them that no one in the world knew his cousin better than him. Today, Xiao Nong had something to do and there was no way he would appear in Changliu Villa. If he did, he would chop off his head and let him kick it like a ball.
The long eyelashes under the veil trembled a few times, and Zhong Yansheng did not dare to raise his eyes again. His sight drifted to the silver-gray hem of the nearby dress that was embroidered with twined flower patterns. His breathing became three times lighter, and he rarely cursed softly in his heart.
He really, really wanted to kick Xiao Wenlan's head like a ball.
The Artemisia leopard had been following Xiao Nong dejectedly, but when it got close to Zhong Yansheng, its big furry tail started wagging again, and its gray-blue eyes were fixed on him, as if it wanted to pounce on him and lick him a few more times.
Xiao Nong glanced coldly at his disappointing pet.
After being swept by him, the big cat curled up its ears, growled softly, and lay down unconvinced, staring at Zhong Yansheng with its eyes wide open, as if it was looking at a sweet and lovely snack.
Deep blue eyes, gray-blue eyes, both staring at him.
Being stared at by the man and the beast, Zhong Yansheng's scalp felt even more numb.
The posture of talking while lying on the ground was too strange. He barely mustered up some strength to sit up, and tried to control his soft and sticky accent that had been mocked by others, and suppressed his voice to be very hoarse: "Yes, it's me. Thank you very much, Your Highness Prince Ding, for saving my life. I am very grateful..."
His voice and body were trembling slightly, as if he was so frightened that he couldn't even get up - a very normal reaction. Any normal person would be frightened like this if they were pounced on by a wild beast and licked a few times like a snack.
He didn't faint, which means he was very brave.
What's more, His Royal Highness Prince Ding has arrived.
The group of people brought by Xiao Wenlan were so frightened when they saw Xiao Nong seeing a ghost that their legs went limp. They huddled together, holding their breath and not daring to make a sound. Their eyes were filled with helpless sympathy as they looked at Zhong Yansheng.
This young master of the Huai'an Marquis' Mansion is so unlucky.
Everyone ran away, except him who was pounced on by the beast. Now His Royal Highness Prince Ding appeared, and all attention was focused on him.
That's His Royal Highness Prince Ding, who kills without blinking an eye. He's like a ferocious beast and will eat people!
When in Jinghua Garden, Xiao Nong did have some doubts about Zhong Yansheng.
However, there were many people around at that time, and it would be somewhat humiliating to forcibly take off Zhong Yansheng's veil, so he did not take off Zhong Yansheng's veil. Seeing that Xiao Wenlan seemed to know Zhong Yansheng, he detained him and asked him a few questions.
That day, after Xiao Wenlan explained the meaning of the flowers at the Flower-Fighting Banquet, he became interested when he heard Xiao Nong asking him about Zhong Yansheng's appearance, and said shamelessly, "The most beautiful man in the capital is the young master Zhong."
Xiao Nong sneered immediately.
The most beautiful man in the capital? Who else can be called the most beautiful man in the capital except Yuan Yuan?
Then Xiao Wenlan started to praise Zhong Yansheng wildly, using all the compliments he had to praise Zhong Yansheng.
Xiao Nong and Zhan Rong were both silent after hearing this.
There is no other reason, it's just that Xiao Wenlan's taste is hard to describe.
It is clear that he grew up in a luxurious environment and has seen countless rare treasures since childhood, but Xiao Wenlan is particularly fond of some gaudy things that are popular and not worthy of being considered elegant.
The last time Xiao Wenlan boasted like this in front of Xiao Nong was about a large-bellied vase with gold-painted and enamel round flowers that he had bought at an official auction. He bought it for tens of thousands of taels of silver, and he happily brought it to Xiao Nong as a birthday gift, like presenting a treasure.
Bright red, bright green, bright purple, clusters of flowers, flying bees and butterflies, everything is so fancy.
Xiao Nong had never seen such a noisy bottle in his life. His eyes hurt so much that he locked it in the warehouse and never let it see the light of day again.
So it is hard to imagine what a person as beautiful as a fairy looks like in Xiao Wenlan's eyes.
Xiao Wenlan also thought that the man in the portrait who looked like a mango was handsome and elegant.
Besides, Zhong Yansheng's nickname is "Yan Yan".
It has nothing to do with "Yuan Yuan".
But when he saw Taxue tearing open Zhong Yansheng's veil, revealing the blurry white shoulder and neck lines, a very subtle and strange feeling suddenly flashed through Xiao Nong's heart.
A veteran of many battles would naturally not ignore this intuition.
There was no expression on Xiao Nong's face, and he did not answer Zhong Yansheng's words. He leaned down and got a little closer to Zhong Yansheng. A horrible, vulgar and choking smell of perfumed powder came over him, exactly the same as last time.
Taxue, who was standing next to him, smelled the scent and shook his head in annoyance. Xiao Nong, who had a keen sense of smell, was also choked by the strong fragrance and frowned.
Seeing this, Zhong Yansheng was delighted.
A jar of incense powder that costs only a few dollars actually has such miraculous effects that it can drive away the evil spirit, that is His Royal Highness Prince Ding!
Xiao Nong frowned at him for a while, but did not withdraw as Zhong Yansheng had expected. Instead, he moved closer.
Zhong Yansheng's whole body tensed up, his heart began to pound wildly, and he couldn't help but hug his knees and quietly shrank back.
Too, too close.
The cold breath like snow seemed to linger at the tip of his nose, enveloping his entire body in an extremely aggressive manner.
Xiao Nong's sight penetrated the hazy veil and locked onto the direction of Zhong Yansheng's eyes. His voice was indifferent, and one could not tell whether he was happy or angry: "It seems that the doctor in the Marquis' Mansion is not very skilled. The disease on the young master's face has not healed yet?"
As the familiar handsome face came fully into view, the lighter bite mark on the side of his neck was faintly visible among the scattered black hair.
Zhong Yansheng's gaze involuntarily lingered on the bite mark for a moment. The tip of his ear quickly became hot and red. He guiltily moved his gaze away a little, and then met Xiao Nong's eyes.
Those deep blue eyes were like the darkest night, staring at him without blinking. Their deep and sharp edges were exactly the same as the leopard beside him, which made people shudder with fear.
Zhong Yansheng had the illusion that he was face to face with Xiao Nong without any cover. For a moment, he was like a bird whose wings were caught. He dared not move. His voice became even lower, and he didn't know what he was saying: "Yes, yes."
Xiao Wenlan wiped the sweat off his face for a while, his heartbeat gradually calmed down. Seeing his cousin leaning closer and closer to Zhong Yansheng, the poor young master looked like he was almost scared silly, and his heart of sympathy for him was suddenly moved again.
He also didn't know who his cousin had been looking for these days, which had caused a sensation in the entire capital. From the rumors leaked from the Anping Marquis's Mansion, he only knew that they were looking for someone named "Yuan Yuan".
During these days, no less than thirty people were taken to Prince Ding's Palace for inspection.
Based on Xiao Wenlan's understanding of his cousin's usual style of doing things, the person who would make such a big fuss must be someone who has offended him deeply.
It will take at least a year and a half to torture the person before they can be finally killed.
But how could the beautiful, well-behaved and gentle Young Master Zhong have that kind of ability?
Moreover, from the look on his cousin's face that day in Jinghua Garden, it was clear that he had no intention of killing the young master.
Why is it that once he bumps into him, his eyes are glued to him and can't be taken off?
Xiao Wenlan swallowed his saliva, mustered up his courage, trembled and called out, "Cousin."
Xiao Nong still stared at Zhong Yansheng calmly, without even lifting his eyelids, and didn't bother to pay attention to him. His posture was exactly the same as that of the Artemisia leopard.
Xiao Wenlan finally understood why he felt familiar with the Artemisia leopard just now.
He has always been afraid of Xiao Nong, so his voice suddenly weakened by eight octaves, and he spoke in a low and rapid voice: "Cousin, Young Master Zhong and I are very familiar with each other, and he is really not the person you are looking for. Today, today I was wrong. I shouldn't have brought people into the villa casually, and brought them to watch Taxue. Young Master Zhong was just innocently implicated..."
He was talking so fast, like he was chanting a sutra. Xiao Nong's headache was already on the verge of exploding, and now hearing this, it was even more painful. He turned his head and glanced at him coldly, with murderous intent: "Shut up."
Taxue also turned his head, opened his mouth, made a threatening gesture towards Xiao Wenlan, and roared.
Xiao Wenlan and the group behind him shuddered collectively.
Xiao Wenlan was instantly frightened like a quail. He quickly opened his fan to cover his face and shut up timidly.
He really tried hard.
Young Master Zhong, just wish you good luck.
The noisy voice disappeared, and Xiao Nong turned his gaze back to the person in front of him.
He was wearing a veil, so his face couldn't be seen clearly. His figure was not as slender as his little bird, and he didn't smell good either.
But Xiao Nong trusts his intuition more.
He stared at Zhong Yansheng and ordered, "Take off your veil."
The person in front of him trembled slightly again, as if he was very afraid of him, and lowered his voice even more: "Your Highness, my facial illness has not yet healed, I am afraid that I will scare you..."
"Scared?" Xiao Nong raised his eyebrows slightly, with a bit of unbelievable amusement in his eyes, and said in a casual tone, "Even if the evil ghosts and evil gods appeared in broad daylight, I would not be scared."
Zhong Yansheng: “…”
You are quite brave then...?
"What kind of appearance does the young master have, and how powerful he is? This makes me even more curious."
Xiao Nong's voice was light, and his tone was unyielding: "Take off your veil. I don't want to say this for the fourth time."
Xiao Nong had said this twice before in Jinghua Garden.
Zhong Yansheng choked for a moment, knowing that this former adopted brother of his had a bad temper and could get angry at any time. His patience was probably running out, and if he made another excuse, he would probably take action directly.
Thinking about the temporary disguise he had made before going out, his heart was beating uncomfortably. He took a deep breath, raised his face, and raised his hand to lift the corner of the veil that had a hole.
From Xiao Nong's angle, he could just see half of his face through the hole.
The small half of the face that was exposed was pale and dull, and the already poor complexion was covered with dense red rashes.
It is completely different from the snow-white, bright and eye-catching face in my memory.
The curve at the corners of Xiao Nong's lips suddenly disappeared, and he frowned and looked at Zhong Yansheng.
Zhong Yansheng had no idea how good this skill, he had learned when he was bored, was. Just showing half of his face made his heart jump out of his throat with nervousness. Seeing that Xiao Nong didn't say anything, he gritted his teeth and lifted the white gauze up again, exposing half of his face and revealing his short, collapsed nose.
The most beautiful man in the capital?
Xiao Wenlan really should go get his eyes checked.
Xiao Nong's face turned cold and he completely lost interest. He patted the Artemisia leopard that was still sniffing in the direction of Zhong Yansheng, and turned away without saying a word.
Got away with it?
Zhong Yansheng's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and the strength he had just accumulated was exhausted. He collapsed back onto the ground powerlessly. He didn't dare to raise his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face, for fear of wiping off what he had worked so hard to draw on his face.
Fortunately, Xiao Nong didn't let him lift it up completely. He could draw the face in a messy way, but he couldn't change the eyes.
If the veil was pulled up a little more, Xiao Nong would see that familiar pair of eyes, clear and bright, as bright as stars.
Taxue held its tail in its mouth and looked back every few steps, looking back at Zhong Yansheng. He was reluctant to leave. After looking back twice, he saw that Zhong Yansheng did not try to keep him, and his master had no intention of looking back either, so he hung his head dejectedly and followed Xiao Nong out of the yard.
Seeing that Xiao Nong had already reached the gate of the courtyard, Zhong Yansheng breathed a sigh of relief and staggered, trying to stand up from the ground.
Xiao Wenlan hurried over to help him up: "Young Master Zhong, how are you? Are you hurt?"
Zhong Yansheng didn't like being touched by others. These days, he even got up and dressed himself without letting Yun Cheng help him. When he saw Xiao Wenlan reaching out his hand, he subconsciously dodged. When he moved his leg, he felt a burning pain in his knee.
He shrank in pain, then fell back limply. He couldn't help but hiss in pain, his eyes suddenly turned red. He didn't dare to look at his legs, and asked with a sob, "Second Young Master Xiao, my leg hurts so much, is it broken?"
Xiao Nong, who had reached the gate of the courtyard, suddenly paused, turned back, and looked at Zhong Yansheng on the other side with a frown.
At that moment just now, he felt as if he heard a distant voice.
The boy sitting under the scorching sun didn't notice that he turned around at all. He turned his head away, not daring to look at his injured knee. He looked just like a delicate child who was afraid to breathe because of a bruise on his belly.
Xiao Nong narrowed his eyes.
Xiao Wenlan was shocked when he heard Zhong Yansheng's serious words. He thought that the snow had bitten Zhong Yansheng's leg, but he didn't see any blood oozing out. He squatted down and observed carefully for a while, and suddenly realized: "Young Master Zhong, the cloth on your knee is a little torn. Did you get a scratch inside when you fell to the ground just now?"
Zhong Yansheng's nose turned red, and he choked up when he heard the voice: "Oh..."
As long as it's not broken.
He felt that he was really unlucky today and should have broken his promise and stayed in.
I don't know how serious the skin breakage is.
Zhong Yansheng stretched out his hand and was about to lift the hem to check the extent of the injury on his knee when he noticed a familiar pair of eyes with a captivating light falling on him.
The sense of presence and oppression are equally strong.
Some fragmented images suddenly flashed through Zhong Yansheng's mind. He paused and quickly retracted his fingers.
He remembered that night... When Xiao Nong was angry and ‘punished’ him, he seemed to be particularly fond of his calves and ankles.
Most of the time, those strong hands with thin calluses were either pinching his waist or holding his ankles and calves.
After he came back, the marks gradually faded after five or six days. During those days, he was very careful at home and didn't even dare to lift his sleeves. When the doctor came, he only allowed the doctor to diagnose his pulse.
What if, just in case, His Royal Highness recognizes his calf.
Although he felt that His Royal Highness Prince Ding might not be that perverted...
But he seemed like a little pervert because those images kept flashing through his mind.
Zhong Yansheng was conflicted for a while, and then he heard familiar footsteps approaching again.
Gentle and slow, just like the leopard beside him, a predator with a leisurely gait.
Zhong Yansheng's heart tightened, and all the messy thoughts disappeared. He was afraid that Xiao Nong would come back to pull his hat, so he quickly lowered his eyes.
Then he felt something falling.
Zhong Yansheng was stunned, and before he could react, he was hit by something. He was a beat late to react, and he let out an "ah" belatedly, feeling aggrieved.
His Royal Highness Prince Ding is no longer his adopted brother, so why is he still throwing things at him?
Xiao Wenlan reacted quickly and caught the thing with both hands in time. He looked down and muttered in shock: "Brother, is this the medicine that Doctor Lou prescribed? You never gave it to me even when I begged you... Young Master Zhong, thank my brother!"
Only after being beaten could he get this medicine.
Zhong Yansheng turned his head and saw clearly what had hit him. He was stunned when he saw a familiar round medicine bottle.
It was the same one that Xiao Nong had given him before.
At that moment, the first thought in his mind was, His Royal Highness Prince Ding actually has this kind of medicine...
Since you have medicine, why don't you rub the bite mark on the side of your neck?
Your Highness Prince Ding, don't you think it's very undignified to walk around with a bite mark on your face all day long?
Zhong Yansheng's slow reaction seemed somewhat familiar.
The little bird that suddenly landed in his yard one day, and suddenly flapped its wings and flew away another day, was also a little slow and clumsy. It failed to catch the thing and was hit. It also looked at him with a puzzled and innocent look, blaming him, and looked aggrieved and dared not say a word, which made people feel disgusted.
Xiao Nong rolled his fingers in his wide sleeves, narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhong Yansheng carefully again.
Seeing him hesitate for a long time, he carefully picked up the medicine bottle, lowered his head, and respectfully thanked him in a low and hoarse voice: "Thank you, Your Highness Prince Ding, for the medicine."
Xiao Nong looked at Zhong Yansheng for a while, then suddenly said, "Xiao Wenlan."
Xiao Wenlan was startled, and only then did he realize that his brother might want to settle accounts with him. He gritted his teeth and replied, "Brother?"
Xiao Nong raised his eyes and glanced at the young men who were huddled together and dared not breathe by the courtyard wall. His eyes fell on Zhong Yansheng again, with an unpredictable look: "Since you brought your friends here to play, why don't you even have a cup of tea? This is not a good way to entertain guests."
Xiao Wenlan was stunned for a few seconds: "Ah?"
The group of quails behind him all said in unison: "Huh?"
What is His Royal Highness Prince Ding saying?
They entered Changliu Villa without permission and even came secretly to visit His Highness's pet, causing a huge commotion. However, His Highness Prince Ding not only did not lose his temper, but instead said... This was a lack of hospitality?
The group of people behind turned pale.
His Royal Highness Prince Ding's way of entertaining guests is not to cut off their fingers one by one, right?
Everyone waved their hands frantically: "Thank you very much, Your Highness Prince Ding. We will leave now. We dare not trouble you to make tea..."
Zhong Yansheng also looked at the man nearby in confusion. The sun was too strong, and he was wearing thick clothes, so he felt hot. He loved the shade and liked the coolness, so he didn't even realize that he was unconsciously moving into Xiao Nong's shadow.
Noticing this small movement, Xiao Nong slowly rubbed the red forehead band tightly wrapped around his wrist through his wide sleeves, and simply ignored what the group of people said, with a calm expression: "Come here, take the guests to the study to taste tea."
The group of secret guards following behind looked at each other in confusion, but one of them still walked out and extended his hand with a grim expression to point the way: "Please."
Everyone's faces turned even paler, and they didn't dare to move for a moment, and they all looked at Xiao Wenlan.
After being stunned for a while, Xiao Wenlan carefully observed for a while and realized that his brother really didn't seem to have the intention of killing anyone. He gritted his teeth and nodded: "What are you standing there for? It's rare for my cousin to entertain guests."
No. He secretly added in his mind that he had never been there.
Seeing Xiao Wenlan nodded, everyone felt that their heads and fingers were somewhat guaranteed, and hesitantly followed the secret guards out.
Seeing that everyone was leaving and there were fewer and fewer people left, Zhong Yansheng's heart skipped a beat, and he hurried to get up, but his knee was still hurting. He struggled for a while, and before he could get up, a hand reached out to him.
It was a hand he was very familiar with, slender, broad, and strong. Although it was a prince's hand, it was not pampered. There were calluses on the base of the thumb and all ten fingers, which caused both pain and numbness when they rubbed on the delicate skin.
Zhong Yansheng stared at the hand stupidly for a few seconds, the tips of his ears inexplicably reddened: "Thank you, Your Highness, it's not necessary."
The hand still lay in front of his eyes, not moving away.
The breath as cold as snow followed the hand and brushed across the tip of the nose vaguely, with full of aggressiveness.
Zhong Yansheng didn't dare to reach out his hand, and the situation remained tense for a few seconds. Xiao Wenlan turned his head and didn't notice the strange atmosphere at all. He casually reached out and picked up Zhong Yansheng: "Brother, you scared him. It's too sunny here. Young Master Zhong, do you want me to carry you to the side to apply medicine?"
Zhong Yansheng had so many thoughts flashing through his mind just now, but he didn't expect Xiao Wenlan to block them all. He looked at him gratefully and said, "No need, I can go by myself. Thank you, Second Young Master Xiao."
When Xiao Wenlan interrupted him, Xiao Nong withdrew his hand expressionlessly and glared at him coldly.
Taxue also roared at him in dissatisfaction.
Xiao Wenlan felt a chill on his back, and he shrank his neck with a sad face, wondering how he had offended his brother again.
And that Leopard, why was he baring his teeth at him for no reason?
Zhong Yansheng didn't understand why Xiao Nong's attitude suddenly became so strange, and he didn't know if he had noticed something. He didn't dare to look at Xiao Nong's expression, and said stiffly, "I will go to the side to get the medicine first. Your Highness, please go ahead."
Xiao Wenlan realized it later and felt something strange: "Young Master Zhong, your voice..."
Why did you suddenly become so dumb?
Zhong Yansheng was already terrified by what he said. He coughed heavily a few times and interrupted weakly: "Please give me a hand, Second Young Master Xiao."
Xiao Wenlan stopped talking: "Oh, oh."
As he said this, he wanted to reach out to help Zhong Yansheng, but before his hand touched his arm, Xiao Nong suddenly said, "Taxue."
The big cat had been ready to go. Upon receiving the order, he immediately flicked its tail and rushed over, lightly bumping into Zhong Yansheng.
Zhong Yansheng was caught off guard and fell on it. He was so nervous that he subconsciously grabbed its fur. The big cat took a step forward, and his eyes were blurred when it was sent to the stone bench under the shade of the tree.
Zhong Yansheng moved to a stone bench and sat down in a daze. Before he could react, he looked at Taxue with his eyes widened in surprise. In shock, he even forgot a lot of his previous fears and couldn't help but praise: "You are awesome."
The big cat gracefully shook its fluffy tail and seemed to be in a good mood.
Zhong Yansheng looked at its furry ears and big tail and wanted to reach out and touch them.
But the cat's owner was not far away, so he forced himself to resist the temptation of the big cat. He held the medicine bottle tightly, feeling nervous and not daring to apply the medicine in front of Xiao Nong.
After hesitating for a while, Zhong Yansheng secretly looked up and found that Xiao Nong had turned around and left.
It seems that he was overthinking it. His Royal Highness Prince Ding didn't suspect anything.
Zhong Yansheng's heart was relieved again, and he bent down to fix the hem of his hair.
Taxue lay beside him, wagging its tail, and looked at Xiao Wenlan coldly with its gray-blue eyes, refusing to let him get close.
Xiao Wenlan didn't dare to offend this Leopard's Master, let alone him, so he had to sit under the scorching sun and wait for Zhong Yansheng.
Zhong Yansheng slowly lifted his skirt, and as soon as his calves were exposed, Taxue's long tail rubbed over, wrapped around his calves, and circled him. The big furry tail rubbed against his skin, which felt warm and itchy.
He finally couldn't resist the temptation, held the big fluffy tail and touched it in ecstasy.
When Xiao Nong walked out of the courtyard, he glanced at it with the corner of his eye and saw a piece of exposed, long and thin calf, which swayed happily in the air twice. It was white and looked like ice and snow.
He stood outside the courtyard: "Zhan Rong."
Zhan Rong emerged from behind the tree: "Master?"
"Send someone to check on Zhong Yansheng." Xiao Nong's eyes were filled with deep suspicion. He paused and uttered two words, "Immediately."