Xia Siyue's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Ning Xi. "How dare you hit me?"
Ning Xi's eyes curved into a smile. "My hand itched. Couldn't help it."
"You!" Xia Siyue had never been struck by anyone in her life. Her fierce gaze locked onto Ning Xi as she raised her hand, but before it could land on his face, her head snapped to the other side again.
"Tsk, tsk. I've never met anyone who dared to fight back," Ning Xi said, rotating his wrist. Had his touch gone downhill now that he was relaxed? He pondered for a moment—he'd have to find time to spar with his big brother. Lately, he'd clearly been letting himself go too much.
In front of everyone, Xia Siyue had been slapped twice in a row. Xia Minghui's expression had soured the moment Lu Zhengting appeared, and now it darkened even further. He blocked Ning Xi and asked sternly, "Who are you?"
"Me?" Ning Xi thought for a moment, then sneered. "My surname is Ning. I'm the third in my family."
Hearing this, Xia Minghui immediately withdrew his outstretched hand. One troublemaker was bad enough, but now two showed up at once. Someone who could come and go with Lu Zhengting, surnamed Ning, and ranked third in the family—that could only be the Ning family of Beicheng. Though the Nings rarely operated in Jiangcheng, they were connected by marriage to the Xu family of Jiangcheng, and the Xus were old friends with the Lus. As for the relationship between the Nings and the Lus, there were many rumors, but the truth remained elusive.
Rumor had it that the third young master of the Ning family behaved in ways that defied convention, and his whereabouts were utterly unpredictable. Few had actually met him, but most knew that among the younger generation of Nings, the eldest and third brothers didn't subscribe to the idea of never hitting women. In their eyes, even women were fair game.
Ye Yunchen stood nearby, expressionless. The moment Xia Yan was pushed down by Xia Siyue, he had already started moving, but he was standing the farthest from her, while Lu Zhengting was the closest. When Xia Yan's eyes lit up with deep affection at the sight of Lu Zhengting, it burned his heart like a flame and stabbed his throat like a sharp blade. He stopped in his tracks, rooted to the spot, his hands clenching into fists as he watched Lu Zhengting carry Xia Yan away without a backward glance.
He and Xia Yan—when had they become like two parallel lines that would never intersect, moving forward separately, drifting further apart? Perhaps it started the moment she fell for Lu Zhengting.
Besides him, there was Xia Siyue. After being slapped twice in public by Ning Xi, not only did Xia Minghui refuse to defend her, but he even stopped her. She glared at Ning Xi's retreating figure and then at Lu Zhengting's, fury boiling inside her. Why did Xia Yan always have so many men protecting her? She narrowed her eyes, shook off Xia Minghui's restraining hand, and turned to go upstairs. Catching Ye Yunchen's gaze out of the corner of her eye, she let out a cold laugh.
Xia Yan looked toward Ning Xi's direction and asked Lu Zhengting, "Ning Xi—he won't get into trouble, will he?"
"Why do you care about him?"
"I... I'm hurt, and you're still yelling at me!?"
Lu Zhengting's face darkened. Xia Yan's swollen injury hung there in plain sight. Every time he saw it, his usually stern expression softened instantly. He fell silent, watching her blink at him while she deliberately raised her injured hand for him to see.
When Ning Xi swaggered out, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Was he being force-fed dog food again?
"Ahem..." Ning Xi cleared his throat theatrically. When Xia Yan looked over sheepishly, he grinned and winked, but then rolled his eyes at Lu Zhengting's icy glare. A man this easily jealous was destined to be a henpecked husband—just like his big brother, a total disgrace to manhood.
Having witnessed the behavior of those around him, he'd decided he would never be like them. He had to uphold his dignity as a man. But when he met the little lamb of his life, he suddenly realized that saying "women are made of water" wasn't an exaggeration at all. So letting women have their way wasn't such a big deal, right?
Since Xia Yan had driven herself, and Lu Zhengting and the others had also come in their own cars, Lu Zhengting unceremoniously kicked Ning Xi, who was angling for a ride, into another vehicle.
"I'll have a driver come pick up the car right away."
Lu Zhengting placed Xia Yan in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, then turned and shot Ning Xi a disdainful look. "You drive it back."
"That's not fair. You can't just use me and then toss me aside..."
"Pfft..." Xia Yan covered her mouth, laughing. She caught Ning Xi grinning at her and was about to speak when Lu Zhengting swept a cold glance her way. She shrugged helplessly, then touched her nose and turned away, ignoring Ning Xi's accusatory expression.
Lu Zhengting was still worried about the burn on Xia Yan's hand. He got in the car without another word to Ning Xi and drove off.
"Isn't this a bit much?" Xia Yan asked.
"A bit much?"
The warning in his tone was thick. Xia Yan blinked, glanced at Lu Zhengting's fiery expression, and put on a fawning act. "No, it's fine. Driving back alone isn't so bad—he can enjoy the scenery."
If Ning Xi ever heard Xia Yan say that, he'd be furious enough to throw up his breakfast. Both of them were utterly heartless.
Back at the Lu residence, when Jiang Mingxiu saw Lu Zhengting carrying Xia Yan inside, the smile on her face froze instantly. Before she could speak, Lu Zhengting headed straight upstairs with Xia Yan to her room. Soon after, the family doctor and Ning Xi arrived at the villa in a rush.
Seeing Ning Xi, Jiang Mingxiu stopped him and the doctor. "What's going on? Why the rush?"
"Xiu Auntie, little sister-in-law got hurt."
"Little sister-in-law?"
"Xia Yan."
"Xia Yan is hurt?" Jiang Mingxiu looked from Ning Xi to the doctor.
"Xiu Auntie, we'd better head up. They're waiting."
"Alright, go on."
In the room, Lu Zhengting set Xia Yan down on the bed. She sat up straight, eyes sparkling, and waved him over. "Come closer. A little more. Yeah, closer."
When Lu Zhengting leaned in, Xia Yan draped her uninjured arm around his neck, buried her face in his chest, and nuzzled him like a spoiled puppy, breathing in his faint cologne. It was wonderful.
Without warning, Ning Xi pushed open the door and announced loudly, "The family doctor's here! Come take a look at little sister-in-law's wound."
Hearing this, Xia Yan stopped her cuddling. She'd been so focused on Lu Zhengting that now, with the doctor present, the pain in her injury flared up. Grimacing, she tugged at Lu Zhengting's hand. "It hurts."
"If you knew it would hurt, why didn't you dodge?"
"I tried! She moved so suddenly—that was the fastest reaction I could manage."
"So, I should praise you for being quick?"
"That's not necessary." Xia Yan gave the stern-faced man a sheepish grin. Distracted, she accidentally bumped her wound and yelped in pain.
"Don't move."
To treat the wound on Xia Yan's elbow, she'd need to take off her clothes. The moment Lu Zhengting heard that, his expression was so comical that even Ning Xi found it amusing. Lu Zhengting promptly dismissed the doctor, then turned to Ning Xi. "Still not leaving?"
Without a word, Ning Xi left the room. Standing in the hallway, he couldn't help but grumble about Lu Zhengting's possessiveness over Xia Yan—it was no less than his big brother's. And that was a doctor! Then it hit him: by kicking the doctor out, Lu Zhengting would have to apply the medicine himself. Oh, this guy—with his skills, it was bound to be a disaster worth watching.
"Take off your clothes."
Xia Yan blushed at the cold command. She looked down, then up. "Take... take off my clothes?"
"Is there any part of you I haven't seen?"
His words caught her off guard, and she froze for a moment before retorting, "Like you haven't been seen by me." Seeing Lu Zhengting's mouth twitch, she paused, then tried to raise her injured hand. "Look, I can't even lift it. You expect me to undress myself!"
Frowning, Lu Zhengting turned to the medical kit, pulled out a pair of scissors, and swiftly cut Xia Yan's jacket to shreds.
"Don't move."
Lu Zhengting applied the medicine with practiced ease. Xia Yan watched him intently, head bowed, then suddenly said, "Easy, that hurts."
As if anticipating his response, she added before he could speak, "It really does hurt. See? All red and swollen."
Hearing her pitiful tone, he sighed inwardly and instinctively lightened his touch. Xia Yan stared at him, a sly grin spreading across her face.
"It hurts—go easy..."
"Ow..."
"Ah, A-Ting, it hurts..."
Lu Zhengting's movements faltered. He looked up, his worried expression shifting to one of amused exasperation. "I'm barely touching you."
The way she phrased it could easily be misinterpreted.
Realization dawned on Xia Yan, and she clamped her mouth shut.
"Not going to keep going?" Lu Zhengting teased.
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Xia Yan's face flushed. She glanced at her hand, wrapped up like a dumpling, and her expression darkened. "But it's so ugly."
Ning Xi timed his return perfectly. The moment he saw the dumpling-like bandage on Xia Yan's elbow, he doubled over with laughter. "That's... the most beautiful technique I've ever seen."
Lu Zhengting, packing up the medical kit, hurled whatever he had in hand at Ning Xi without a second thought. Ning Xi dodged frantically but still got hit. Xia Yan watched the two men with amusement, realizing that childishness knew no age.
After a moment, Ning Xi walked over and poked Xia Yan. She shook her fist at him—Lu Zhengting had bandaged it himself, and no matter how ugly, only she had the right to criticize it.
Ning Xi raised his hands in mock surrender, then suddenly said, "Little sister-in-law, that sister of yours is a real piece of work. I'd advise you to stay far away from her from now on."