Lin Xujia's gaze was fixed intently on Ye Yunchen. Spotting his phone on the table, she frowned, then casually walked over to him. With a faint smile, she suddenly leaned into his embrace, settling onto his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Since you're not in a meeting, what are you doing?"
Ye Yunchen's hands remained still, unmoved. He stared coldly at Lin Xujia, who was inches away. "Get off."
"Why? I've called you these past few days, and you haven't answered. Do you really not want to see me?" Lin Xujia curled her lips, her slender fingers lightly tracing his cheek before coming to rest near his mouth.
"I'll say it again: get off me right now."
"Yunchen, don't be mad. If you want more people to know about our relationship, you'd better treat me well. You know I like you, don't you?" Lin Xujia chuckled. As she finished speaking, she tilted her head to rest on his shoulder, shifting her arms to hug him instead. She took a deep breath, as if the air itself carried his scent, making her feel at ease.
"Lin Xujia! Don't push your luck."
"I'm not pushing my luck. You know that better than anyone. I've never dared to get angry in front of you." Lin Xujia narrowed her eyes, glancing at the furious Ye Yunchen. Unfazed, she slid off his lap and said with a smile, "It's getting late. I'll wait for you to finish work, and we'll go eat together."
"I already have plans with someone."
"Who? Xia Yan?" Lin Xujia's expression shifted slightly, her tone turning serious as she pressed. Seeing Ye Yunchen's stoic silence, her brows knitted together. "Are you really meeting Xia Yan?"
"That's none of your business."
"None of my business? As long as you're with Xia Yan, it is my business. I'm coming. I'm sure Xia Yan would be happy to see me too. Come to think of it, it's been a while since we last met. This is a perfect chance to catch up, and by the way—"
"I said it's not Xia Yan."
"You don't get to decide that. I have to go. How do I know you're not lying to me? Or have you stopped worrying that I'll tell Xia Yan everything?"
Hearing this, Ye Yunchen fell into a long silence, staring at Lin Xujia with eyes like poisoned blades, their mere glance capable of wounding. He pressed his lips together, then spoke in a low, measured tone. "Do you realize that threatening someone too many times makes it lose its effect?"
"So what? I know it still works for now. I'm coming with you later. Otherwise, I'll go tell Xia Yan."
Ye Yunchen glared angrily at the unflinching Lin Xujia. Lately, every time she called, he hadn't answered. He never expected her to show up at the company today. Watching her reckless demeanor, he felt a deep loathing. He didn't want Xia Yan to know about his relationship with Lin Xujia, so he'd been constantly under her thumb. To him, it seemed this ordeal was nearing its end.
With that thought, Ye Yunchen picked up his phone and called Ke Yaru again, changing the time for tonight's meeting. Lin Xujia leaned against the desk, watching his every move, her suspicions not easing. Seizing a moment when Ye Yunchen wasn't looking, she snatched his phone and scrolled through the recent call log. Seeing the contact name wasn't Xia Yan but someone unfamiliar, she asked, "Who is this?"
"An old college roommate. I'll have dinner with you later."
Lin Xujia eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then placed the phone back. Still doubtful, she walked to the sofa and sat down, her gaze fixed intently on Ye Yunchen's every action. Kang Cheng? Who could that be?
After pondering for a while, Lin Xujia pursed her lips and casually asked, "How come I've never heard you mention the name Kang Cheng?"
"You don't need to know everything about me."
"Yunchen, I'm just worried about you."
"Worried about me?"
Ye Yunchen let out a cold laugh, ignoring her words as he focused on his work. Since joining the Xia Corporation, his workload had been five times that of others. After being fired from the Lu Corporation, he'd learned the hard way that he couldn't play the rich man's game without money. But when he had money, he'd make sure to repay everyone who had kicked him when he was down.
And Ye Yunchen had indeed done just that. In a short time at Xia Corporation, he'd risen from a low-level employee to a department manager, earning the respect of Xia Minghui himself. No one in the company dared to underestimate him.
He reviewed the internal data sent by his secretary. With the year-end approaching, the workload had increased. Since the Lin family's downfall, Lin Xujia had secretly transferred their assets to her name. Combined with the inheritance her mother left her before passing, she was now dabbling in investments.
Watching Ye Yunchen's focused expression, Lin Xujia couldn't help but smile. She vividly remembered four years ago, when she and Xia Yan had first arrived at school and bumped into Ye Yunchen. He'd been wearing a crisp white shirt, his hair neatly styled, with handsome features and fair skin. Smiling, he'd stood at the new student reception, welcoming every newcomer.
At that time, a gentle breeze had blown, and the willow trees by Mist Bridge swayed over the river, creating ripples. She'd been just a step too late, and Ye Yunchen had seen Xia Yan first. Whenever she was alone, she'd wonder: if she hadn't stopped to photograph the scenery at Mist Bridge, and Ye Yunchen had seen her first, would he have fallen for her instead of Xia Yan?
But the answer was: there are no ifs.
******
In Beicheng.
The old man was furious with Ning Nan. Given his advanced age, he'd been bedridden for days. Every time he heard Ning Nan's name, he'd get so angry he refused to speak. Xu Xiao had just given birth, and Ning Dong was still on leave. Ning Xi, aiming to break into business from Jiangcheng, left Ning Bei swamped. He had to manage the company while cleaning up Ning Nan's mess.
Ning Nan had indeed called the media that night, but Ning Bei and Lu Zhengting had suppressed it all. What no one expected was that Ning Nan and Xu Su would be caught by paparazzi, with photos of them holding hands and embracing.
After returning to the hotel from the Ning family home, Xia Yan woke up the next day to find her period had started. The cramps were so bad that even walking felt like a chore. With Lu Zhengting off to see Ning Bei, she could only lie in bed and rest.
Painkillers, brown sugar water—anything that helped with menstrual pain was placed on the nightstand. Lu Zhengting had even arranged for a server to wait outside, ready to assist her at any time.
Xia Yan took a painkiller and finally felt some relief. The room's heating was on full blast, so she felt no chill. After lying for a while, feeling like she was falling apart, she threw off the covers and sat up. The curtains weren't drawn, and through the window, she saw the dusky sky. Lost in thought, she pressed a hand to her lower abdomen and shuffled to the window in her wool slippers.
The view outside was beautiful. In the distance, layered mountain peaks rose, with vast white clouds drifting as if to obscure their edges. The wind scattered and gathered the clouds into various shapes. Suddenly, tiny snowflakes began to fall from the sky...
Beicheng's first snow of the year had arrived quietly.
Xia Yan hated the cold. She wanted to open the window and reach out to feel the snow's temperature, but remembering her current discomfort, she felt a pang of regret.
Jiangcheng was different from Beicheng. Located in the south, it rarely saw snow, and winters there were almost snowless. In her memory, her parents had taken her to the north as a child, but there were too many northern cities, and she couldn't recall which one. She only remembered heavy snow, the world draped in white, so pure it seemed like only that color existed.
Now, watching Beicheng's first snow alone, the scene from back then had changed beyond recognition.
When Lu Zhengting returned from Ning Bei's place to the hotel, he saw Xia Yan standing by the window, secretly wiping away tears. Compared to the cold outside, the room was so warm it made one reluctant to leave.
He took off his coat and hung it on the rack, casting a sharp glance at the server in the living room. "You can leave now."
Frowning, Lu Zhengting walked softly up behind Xia Yan. Suddenly, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace from behind. Startled, Xia Yan caught the faint scent of tobacco mixed with cologne and asked softly, "You've been smoking again."
"Mm. If you're uncomfortable, why are you standing?"
"I've been lying down all day. I wanted to get up and move." Leaning into Lu Zhengting's arms, Xia Yan placed her hands over his, feeling the slight chill in his fingers. Her brow furrowed. "Why are your hands so cold?"
"They'll warm up soon." Lu Zhengting kissed the top of Xia Yan's head. This was the advantage of their height difference—with her head resting at his shoulder, he only had to lower his head slightly to see everything she did.
Xia Yan smiled, but a fresh wave of cramps hit her, draining the color from her face. Winter skies always darkened earlier than summer ones. Though it was only afternoon, the light was already fading.
"Sweetheart, what are you thinking about?"
Hearing Lu Zhengting call her "sweetheart" in such a low voice, and feeling his breath occasionally brush against her neck, Xia Yan shivered involuntarily, her heart trembling as well.
"In my memory, I don't have many clear recollections of my father. The only vivid scene is from when I was very young, traveling to Beicheng with my parents. It happened to be snowing heavily, and it was the first time I'd ever seen snow. I remember meeting a little boy there—he was very handsome, with a warm smile..."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting paused for a few seconds, then reached out to lift Xia Yan's chin, a gentle smile spreading across his face. "Doesn't my smile warm you?"