Xia Minghui's phone call to Xia Yan—she had never told Lu Zhengting about its contents, and he had never bothered to ask. Xia Yan stared blankly at the documents in her hands. Secretary Zhou knocked and entered, seeing her like this. She walked over, raised a hand, and waved it in front of Xia Yan's eyes, but got no reaction. Frowning slightly, Secretary Zhou bent her fingers and tapped the desk. "Xia Yan, where are the documents?"
Hearing this, Xia Yan snapped back to attention with a start, blinking at Secretary Zhou, who was very close. "Secretary Zhou..."
"What are you thinking about? So lost in thought."
"Nothing."
Secretary Zhou shot Xia Yan a suspicious glance. She rarely bothered with Xia Yan, and their relationship wasn't exactly warm, so she withdrew her gaze and said flatly, "Mr. Lu has a meeting this afternoon. Have you prepared the documents he asked for?"
"They're ready. Do I need to go along?"
"Yes." Secretary Zhou glanced at her watch. She saw clearly how much Lu Zhengting valued Xia Yan.
That afternoon, Xia Yan prepared all the necessary documents in advance and waited in her office for the call. At exactly 2:30, she and Secretary Zhou followed behind Lu Zhengting like two hired female bodyguards—though if she were a bit taller and more muscular, the resemblance would be even stronger.
Xia Yan had assumed the meeting would be indoors, but it turned out to be at a golf course. Secretary Zhou went off to handle other matters, and Xia Yan followed Lu Zhengting with hardly any chance to speak. She kept stealing glances at him—chatting animatedly with others, playing golf...
After the contract was successfully secured, Xia Yan and Lu Zhengting sat in the car heading back to the company, with a driver up front. She sat beside him and checked the time. Yesterday, Xia Minghui had called and asked her to come home today. Looking at the clock, she was already off duty.
Lu Zhengting sat upright, arms crossed over his chest, eyes half-closed. As if sensing Xia Yan's restlessness, he suddenly opened his eyes and glanced at her, who seemed to have something to say. "What do you want to say?"
Startled, Xia Yan looked up at Lu Zhengting, fingers tugging at the inside of her sleeve—not from nervousness, but from an instinctive reaction. After a pause, she spoke. "Xiao Jia needs me for something. Can you drop me off at the intersection ahead?"
"I'll take you."
"No need, I can go myself." Xia Yan refused without a second thought.
Lu Zhengting frowned, turned his head to look at her, and said nothing. Catching the fleeting awkwardness on her face, he recalled what she had told him before, hummed softly in acknowledgment, and added, "I'll pick you up when you're done."
"I don't know when it'll end. I'll call you then."
Lu Zhengting rubbed his temples wearily, pressed his lips together, and directly ordered the driver to stop at the intersection ahead.
After getting out of the car, Xia Yan stood frozen, staring intently at the vehicle driving away, and let out a faint sigh. She didn't know why she had chosen to lie to Lu Zhengting. Pulling her gaze back, she couldn't help but recall his tired expression just now. Absentmindedly, she walked to the taxi stand. Luck was on her side—an empty cab pulled up just as she arrived.
The taxi stopped outside the Xia family's gate. Xia Yan paid and got out, standing there staring at the villa she had lived in for over a decade—both unfamiliar and familiar, holding all her memories since childhood, especially those with Xiao Lanzhi.
The sky hadn't fully darkened yet. Xia Yan stood outside, lost in thought, until the surprised voice of Xia Siyue came from behind. She turned to see the person who had suddenly appeared and walked straight toward the villa.
Being ignored by Xia Yan was a disgrace to Xia Siyue. With her status, she was always the one ignoring others—when had it ever been her turn? Eyes wide, she strode ahead of Xia Yan and spun around to block her path. "What are you doing back here?"
Annoyed at being blocked, Xia Yan snapped rudely, "Move."
"Why should I? Xia Yan, you were so proud when you moved out of the Xia family. Don't tell me Lu Zhengting has dumped you?"
"Dumped? If anyone's getting dumped, it should be you first. After all, Mu Chengfeng's reputation as a playboy is well-known to everyone."
At Xia Yan's words, Xia Siyue's face flushed with rage. Seeing this, Xia Yan smirked. "Did I hit a nerve?"
"Of course not!"
Xia Siyue denied it quickly. Mu Chengfeng's playboy reputation was indeed public knowledge, and Xia Yan's casual remark had struck a nerve. Lately, it seemed a new flame had appeared by his side. When she called him, he was either busy or unreachable.
Xia Yan shrugged dismissively, brushed past Xia Siyue without a glance, and entered the villa alone. The servants' faces showed nothing but surprise at seeing her—understandably, since she hadn't returned since moving out.
The old Madam Xia knew Xia Yan's return was at Xia Minghui's request, so she didn't make things difficult, given the stakes involved for the entire Xia family. Xia Yan greeted her and, having called Xia Minghui beforehand to confirm he was waiting in the study, headed straight there.
Inside the study, Xia Yan glanced at Xia Minghui, who stood with his back to her by the window. She cleared her throat. "Father, I'm back."
Hearing this, Xia Minghui slowly turned to face her. Seeing her calm and composed demeanor, he seemed a bit uneasy. After a pause, he walked to the desk, picked up a file, and handed it directly to Xia Yan. His voice, low and tinged with age, rang out slowly. "Yan Yan, this is something Lanzhi asked me to investigate before she left."
Confused, Xia Yan took the file, eyeing Xia Minghui suspiciously. "Something Mother asked you to investigate?"
"Take a look first."
Xia Yan opened the file folder, and the papers inside fell to the floor. As she bent to pick them up, she was startled by the prominent three words on top: Lu Zhengting. She stared at the contents, incredulous. "This can't be..."
"Yan Yan, your father and I weren't blood brothers, but we were closer than that. His sudden death over a decade ago—if Lanzhi hadn't asked me to look into it on her deathbed, I wouldn't have known it wasn't an accident." Xia Minghui's sorrowful eyes locked onto Xia Yan's shocked expression, catching her fingers tightening around the file. He sighed deeply. "Yan Yan, now that you're with him..."
"Father, are you saying Mother asked you to investigate this?"
"Yes. If not for Lanzhi, I'd still think it was just an accident."
Hearing this, Xia Yan's brow furrowed instantly. "Father, do you remember anything about what happened back then?"
"It's been too long, but I vaguely recall that A Guang once mentioned the Lu family to me..."
Xia Yan pressed her lips together, silent. When Xu Guang died, she was too young to remember much, so she was completely in the dark. Now, seeing the contents of the file Xia Minghui had handed her, her thoughts were in chaos.
Noticing Xia Yan's daze, Xia Minghui asked casually, "Yan Yan, do you still have what Lanzhi left you?"
After a moment of silence, Xia Yan replied, "I have it."
"Yan Yan, you need to keep that safe. It might contain evidence against the Lu family. In my opinion, why don't you hand it over to me? I'll keep it for you."
Xia Yan shook her head quietly. "Father, I'll take good care of it."
Given the current situation, Xia Yan seemed to lean more toward Lu Zhengting. She flatly refused Xia Minghui, catching a flicker of something unusual in his eyes before lowering her own. Seeing her refusal, Xia Minghui's mood darkened like a storm cloud, but he breathed a slight sigh of relief knowing the item wasn't with Lu Zhengting.
Xia Yan and Xia Minghui stayed in the study for a long time. Each time Xia Siyue tried to approach, the old Madam stopped her. Now fuming on the sofa, she glared at the stern-faced matriarch, swallowing the questions on her tongue. She had no idea what Xia Yan and her father could have to discuss for so long!
When they finally emerged, Xia Siyue rushed up to Xia Yan without thinking, pointing a finger at her. "Xia Yan, what exactly are you doing back here?"
"What does it have to do with you?" Xia Yan stared back expressionlessly. If Xia Siyue insisted on provoking her when her mind was already in turmoil, she wouldn't hold back.
"It has everything to do with me! I'm warning you, don't get any ideas about the Xia family."
"Don't worry. Even if you handed it to me on a silver platter, I'd have to think twice about accepting!"
At Xia Yan's words, Xia Siyue's face turned red with fury. Xia Yan sneered, slapped her hand away, and walked straight out of the Xia family home. The old Madam and Xia Minghui exchanged a glance, but neither stopped her.
As dusk fell, Xia Yan walked alone down the street, torn between Xia Minghui's findings and what Lu Zhengting had told her. Suddenly, a black car pulled up in front of her. She looked up as the door swung open, revealing Yang Jinkuan's portly figure inside, his cold gaze fixed on her. Before she could react, a man in black from the passenger seat jumped out, grabbed her arm, and dragged her toward the car.
Startled, Xia Yan forgot all dignity, lashing out with hands, feet, and teeth at the man. Just as she thought she'd be taken by Yang Jinkuan, Lu Zhengting's bodyguards appeared in the distance. Relief and surprise washed over her, but by the time they got closer, Xia Yan had already been pulled into the car.
Yang Jinkuan stared at her with a lecherous, sinister grin, making her skin crawl.