In the school dormitory.
Xia Yan was in the middle of explaining her relationship with Lu Zhengting to her friend Lin Xujia when she received a call from Xia Siyue.
"Xia Yan, the company has a banquet tomorrow night. Dad said since you're so familiar with CEO Lu, you should trouble him to come and join us."
Xia Yan's expression immediately shifted. "CEO Lu is usually quite busy; he might not have the time."
"This is a big deal. If you can't get him to come, you know the consequences." Xia Siyue's threat was blatant. She was already convinced that with Xia Yan's looks, Lu Zhengting wouldn't spare her a second glance, let alone agree to attend.
Xia Yan gripped her phone tightly, her face turning very sour. She had known Xia Siyue would tattle to the family, but she hadn't expected her to come up with such a method to deliberately make things difficult for her.
Not only would someone of Lu Zhengting's status never agree to come, but even if she were confident she could persuade him, she wouldn't want to.
Seeing that Xia Yan remained silent, Xia Siyue guessed she must be panicking right now, so she pretended to offer a helpful suggestion. "If you ask me, if you can't get CEO Lu, you could invite Yang Jinkuan instead. Dad would be happy with that too."
Xia Yan trembled with anger and hung up the phone directly.
"What's wrong?" Lin Xujia asked with concern.
Xia Yan recounted the whole situation from start to finish, then decided it wasn't a big deal. At worst, she just wouldn't attend. As for seeking out Lu Zhengting, that was completely out of the question.
Lin Xujia tentatively suggested, "Then, why don't you ask Mr. Lu for help?"
Xia Yan gritted her teeth and shook her head firmly. "No need."
"But aren't you afraid your dad will set you up with Yang Jinkuan again?"
Xia Yan paused, then said stubbornly, "It's fine."
At worst, she would move out of the Xia family and cut off all ties with them from now on.
The next day.
During her afternoon nap, Xia Yan had a nightmare. In the dream, her family forced her to marry Yang Jinkuan, and as she saw that fat face slowly closing in, she broke out in a cold sweat and jolted awake.
Her roommates were still asleep when a sudden knock came at the door. Xia Yan had to get out of bed to answer it.
"Xia Yan, someone's looking for you downstairs," said the dormitory auntie.
Xia Yan acknowledged this, threw on a coat, and went downstairs. She immediately spotted Lu Zhengting's car parked not far away.
She walked over quickly and, without waiting for him to get out, asked by the window, "CEO Lu, is there something you need?"
Lu Zhengting glanced at her. "Xiaohan is waiting at home for you to make him a cake."
Uh...
Xia Yan was momentarily speechless. That little brat was still fixated on her cake.
She knew her own skills well enough; the cake wasn't that great. She was sure the chef at Lu Zhengting's house could make something far better.
"He hasn't eaten anything today. I'll have to trouble you for a while," Lu Zhengting said flatly. Though it was a request for help, his tone carried an undeniable commanding edge.
Hearing that the little boy wasn't eating, Xia Yan softened a bit. "Then I'll go back and change clothes."
She turned to leave, but Lu Zhengting suddenly added, "If there's anything you need help with during this time, Miss Xia, feel free to discuss it with me."
Xia Yan stopped in her tracks. The only thing she needed his help with was that one matter.
But she decided it wasn't necessary. Playing the part of a romantic partner in front of the Xia family was one thing, but attending a banquet would mean pretending to be a couple in public too, which would be a huge hassle for both of them.
She didn't think she had that much influence to ask for such a big favor. Even if he was willing to help, she wouldn't dare accept it. Such a huge debt of gratitude couldn't be repaid with just a couple of cakes.
"Thank you, but it's just a few cakes. CEO Lu doesn't need to worry about it," Xia Yan said softly, then quickly walked back to the dormitory.
After changing clothes, Xia Yan got into the car.
The two of them sat in silence. Lu Zhengting's expression seemed to darken, and Xia Yan, unsure why, grew even quieter.
At the villa entrance, Lu Zhengting said he had to go back to the office and asked her to go in on her own, adding a polite thank you.
Xia Yan didn't say much and got out of the car alone.
In the living room.
After Xia Yan finished making the cake, Xiaohan ate while persistently asking, "Is something bothering you?"
Xia Yan was a bit distracted. Seeing the little boy staring at her curiously with wide eyes, she ruffled his hair. "Is today's cake good?"
Xiaohan took another bite and nodded seriously. "It's okay."
"Really?" Xia Yan snapped back to attention and tried a small piece. It suddenly clicked. "You like sweets?"
She had added a bit more sugar to today's cake. That explained it—this little brat had a sweet tooth.
Xiaohan stammered, his face slightly red, probably embarrassed that a "manly man" like him liked sweets. "Anyway, today's is better than the last few times."
Xia Yan couldn't help but laugh, though she was puzzled. Lu Zhengting must know about Xiaohan's taste, so there was really no need to bring her here.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong today?" Xiaohan stared at her again.
Of course, something was wrong. Tonight was the Xia family's banquet, and she had decided not to go, but she still felt uneasy.
Xia Yan sighed. "Nothing."
"Really?" Xiaohan leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Anyway, I still want to eat your cakes in the future. If you need anything, just ask my dad for help."
Xia Yan felt a bit awkward. She didn't quite understand the dynamic between this father and son. Was it really okay to offer up his own dad for others to boss around?
Before Xia Yan could answer, Xiaohan scampered off the sofa and ran to his room, returning with a small phone.
"I have Dad's number. I'll call him for you."