Ye Yunchen cast a gentle glance at Xia Yan, who looked troubled, and pursed his lips, signaling that he wouldn’t serve her any more food. Seeing this, Xia Yan instantly breathed a sigh of relief, but her reaction only fueled Xia Siyue’s displeasure. Xia Minghui watched the interaction between Xia Yan and Ye Yunchen with a smile full of meaning, pausing for a moment before suddenly speaking, “Yan Yan, I heard you and Yunchen were alumni in college?”
Xia Yan nodded, but before she could speak, Xia Siyue, sitting beside her, immediately set down her chopsticks and cut in, “It’s more than just being alumni? Xia Yan is Manager Ye’s sweetheart.”
Hearing this, Xia Minghui was momentarily stunned, his gaze shifting between Xia Yan and Ye Yunchen. His deep, slightly aged voice rang out, “Good, good, good. I didn’t expect Yunchen’s feelings to be for Yan Yan. That leaves nothing for me to do.”
“Dad, what do you mean by that?” Xia Siyue asked, confused, staring at Xia Minghui with a hint of resentment.
Xia Yan was equally puzzled. She lowered her head, looking at the food in her bowl, taking small bites. When she looked up, she happened to meet Ye Yunchen’s tender gaze fixed on her, and the food in her mouth nearly choked her.
“Yan Yan, Yunchen is considered accomplished and promising among his peers. He graduated from the same university as you, and more importantly, he likes you…”
Xia Yan listened calmly as Xia Minghui praised Ye Yunchen, maintaining a smiling face throughout, but Ye Yunchen noticed the subtle distance she unconsciously displayed.
The more Xia Siyue listened, the more irritated she became. Wasn’t this clearly an attempt to set up Xia Yan and Ye Yunchen? At the thought, her face darkened instantly, and she shot Xia Yan a look filled with deep hostility.
As if sensing Xia Siyue’s inexplicable animosity, Xia Yan glanced up briefly at her, then caught Ye Yunchen’s questioning gaze out of the corner of her eye. She thought to herself that she and Xia Siyue had always been at odds, and now it was no different. The hostile look in her eyes was something she was long used to.
“Dad, today’s your birthday. Can we put aside things that have nothing to do with it?” Xia Siyue said with a forced smile.
Xia Yan nodded nonchalantly. “Yeah, Father, this isn’t the right time to talk about this.”
At this, Xia Minghui’s expression shifted slightly, a flush of embarrassment creeping onto his face. But mindful of the others present, he held his temper, merely glancing at Xia Siyue, who had been the first to speak and disrupt his plan. He had originally hoped to use this matchmaking between Xia Yan and Ye Yunchen to break her relationship with Lu Zhengting, but he hadn’t expected it to turn out this way.
Ye Yunchen set down his chopsticks with a smile, suddenly raising his glass to toast Xia Minghui, effectively ending the awkward topic.
Xia Minghui and Ye Yunchen were called away separately. Xia Yan took a tissue and gently wiped the corner of her mouth, only to see Xia Siyue standing with her arms crossed, chin lifted like a proud princess looking down on her. The tissue half-covered Xia Yan’s mouth, and she couldn’t help but twitch slightly. For someone who always imagined herself as a lofty princess, she just wanted to wave her hand and tell her to go cool off somewhere.
“You still have the nerve to come back?”
Xia Yan was baffled by her words. “Is this place contracted to you? And why wouldn’t I have the nerve to come back?”
Xia Siyue snorted coldly. “You helped an outsider steal Mother’s keepsake and couldn’t even protect it. Now it’s fallen into that thief’s hands.” She paused, then sneered, “Maybe that thief was a setup you orchestrated yourself? Scheming with outsiders against the Xia family? Xia Yan, I underestimated you.”
“Thanks for the compliment. I really didn’t realize your imagination was so vivid. I was wondering, how do you manage to put on so much drama all by yourself?” Xia Yan said with a smile, showing no trace of anger. In contrast to Xia Siyue’s increasingly dark face, she just shrugged helplessly. People who stir up trouble for no reason just have a loose tongue.
“Hmph, Xia Yan, don’t try to change the subject. What, feeling guilty?”
“Guilty? Let me ask you this: where do you see any sign of guilt on my face right now?”
“Do I even need to spell it out?”
“Yeah, you really don’t need to, because you’re blind.” Xia Yan said this calmly, then casually pushed her chair back a few steps, stood up, and prepared to leave. Talking too much with Xia Siyue made her feel like she was getting dumber.
“Trying to leave? Xia Yan, stop right there!” Xia Siyue shot up and grabbed Xia Yan’s wrist, refusing to let her go, even forcing her to meet her eyes. “You think you can leave without finishing this conversation?”
“Conversation? What conversation?” Xia Yan tilted her head, looking at the tight grip on her wrist, frowning as she spoke coldly.
“Give me back Mother’s keepsake, of course.”
“Give it back to you?” Xia Yan stared at Xia Siyue with amusement, not angry but questioning, “Who gave you the nerve to demand my mother’s keepsake from me? If I remember correctly, didn’t you just say it was stolen by a thief? What am I supposed to give you now?”
“You! Twisting words won’t help you!”
“Am I twisting words? I’m calmly reasoning with you.” Xia Yan had already noticed people around them starting to glance their way, so she had planned to leave to avoid any incidents. She wanted a peaceful day, but Xia Siyue seemed unwilling, always trying to stir up trouble.
Seeing Xia Yan’s furrowed brow, Xia Siyue thought she had been cowed by her words and tightened her grip on Xia Yan’s hand.
“Let go. Otherwise, you’ll be the one embarrassed.” Xia Yan warned coldly.
“Scaring me? Xia Yan, let’s see who ends up embarrassed. If you don’t agree to return Mother’s keepsake today, I won’t let you off.”
At this, Xia Yan was taken aback. When had Xia Siyue ever let her off? Hadn’t she always been picking fights? She lowered her eyes, silently struggling with Xia Siyue, trying to pull her hand free. Just then, a stir arose in the crowd for some reason, but Xia Yan was too focused on escaping Xia Siyue’s grip to pay attention.
Why is he here?
Ye Yunchen watched the man who suddenly appeared at the door, standing not far from him. He observed Lu Zhengting’s kingly aura. Both wore pure black suits, but on Lu Zhengting, it seemed far more noble. Ye Yunchen unconsciously tried to shrink into the crowd, but in an instant, he straightened up, raising his head and puffing out his chest, a completely different person from before.
No matter the occasion or time, whenever Lu Zhengting appeared, he became the center of attention. Ning Xi clicked his tongue, trailing a step behind Lu Zhengting. But his casual demeanor made it hard to see him as Lu Zhengting’s bodyguard. As he scanned the crowd, feeling the women subtly shift their gazes to him, he couldn’t help but shiver. Why were these women like wolves and tigers?
He shrugged. This kind of setting was best for the second and youngest—no, the youngest truly loved being surrounded by women. At least the second had Xu Su watching him, so he had some restraint.
Xia Yan and Xia Siyue remained locked in their standoff. Xia Yan glared at Xia Siyue with some anger. “I don’t mind being embarrassed, but do you?”
“If I don’t let go, what can you do about it?”
Lu Zhengting walked slowly ahead. Wherever he passed, people automatically made way without him needing to say a word. Ning Xi followed casually, a bit confused. Wasn’t he here to find Xia Yan? But he had scanned the room and hadn’t spotted her.
“Why can’t I see little sister-in-law?”
Lu Zhengting glanced at Ning Xi, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. The moment he appeared, he had spotted Xia Yan in the crowd.
“Did you see her?” Ning Xi asked, getting no response, and started talking to himself.
“Fine, your silence means yes.”
“…”
“Bang…”
The sound of breaking glass and falling dishes instantly drew everyone’s attention. Xia Siyue stared dumbfounded at Xia Yan, who had fallen to the ground. The table in front of her had been knocked over, dishes and bowls scattered across the floor, shards everywhere. Xia Yan let out a soft cry as the scalding soup from the overturned table splashed onto her elbow, which had landed right on it. Within seconds, the skin turned bright red.
Xia Yan’s brow furrowed tightly, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Hearing the commotion, Lu Zhengting appeared before her in an instant, catching the scene exactly. His face turned ashen in a flash.
“A-Ting…” Xia Yan was still examining her reddened elbow when a shadow loomed over her. She looked up to see Lu Zhengting’s forbidding expression. The woman who had been so fierce with Xia Siyue moments ago instantly turned into a meek lamb, looking at him pitifully.
Lu Zhengting frowned deeply, walked straight to Xia Yan, crouched down, and without a word, scooped her up in his arms. As he passed Xia Siyue, his sinister gaze pierced her like a sharp blade. She tried to speak, but Xia Minghui, who had appeared beside her, grabbed her arm and sternly signaled her to shut up.
Seeing this, Lu Zhengting’s eyes were as cold as an ice cellar, his tone so frigid it made Xia Minghui shiver. “Take care of yourself.”
As Lu Zhengting’s words fell, a warning bell rang in Xia Minghui’s heart. He couldn’t help but wonder at the deeper meaning behind them. Xia Siyue had hurt Xia Yan—whether intentional or not didn’t matter to Lu Zhengting. What mattered was that she had caused Xia Yan injury. Ning Xi, walking behind Lu Zhengting, was always protective of his own. Since Lu Zhengting was holding little sister-in-law and couldn’t act, Ning Xi, with his hands free, could easily take over. Besides, he had been bored a few days ago and looked into Xia Siyue. Someone so malicious, he certainly wouldn’t treat her as a woman.
And so, as Lu Zhengting carried Xia Yan ahead, a crisp slap echoed from behind them.