Zhan Meng moved the phone away from her ear, staring suspiciously at the screen showing an active call. She curled her lip, then put the phone back to her ear and said "hello" a few times. "If you're not going to talk, I'm hanging up."
"How strange—calling but not saying anything. This person must be sick, right?" Zhan Meng muttered under her breath, unaware that every word was reaching Lu Zhengting's ears loud and clear.
Lu Zhengting's face darkened, his deep voice unconsciously carrying a hint of coldness. "I'm looking for Ning Xi."
"Looking for Ning Xi? Then call him, why call me? He and I aren't close." Zhan Meng watched as Mengmeng stepped over the already-opened bag of chips and let out a sharp scream, yelling, "Mengmeng, I'm going to boil you and eat you!"
Her chips...
Lu Zhengting was caught off guard by her sudden shriek, feeling like his eardrums were about to be shattered. He frowned, raising a hand to rub his temple. A woman like this was, to him, the ultimate nuisance—something to avoid at all costs.
"I'm calling Ning Xi's phone."
"What did you say? Hang on, let me deal with Mengmeng first." As soon as Zhan Meng finished speaking, without any regard for how the person on the other end might react, she swiftly and decisively hung up the phone, then dashed off after the cat that had already fled after realizing it was in trouble.
Ning Xi heard a clatter coming from the living room, his expression shifting to something beyond words. He busied himself with what he was doing; lately, he had been calling Ning Bei regularly to check in, knowing that Ning Nan hadn't caused any major trouble, so he was content to take it easy.
"Mengmeng, I dare you to keep running!"
"Meow..." They say nine out of ten orange cats are fat. Lucky for her, Mengmeng was one of those nine—always eating, never refusing anything, which had turned it as round as a pig.
Zhan Meng poked its bulging belly and made a funny face. "I told you to eat less. See how easy it was for me to catch you?"
"Meow..." Mengmeng's eyes were pitch-black and gleaming. It stared intently at Zhan Meng, letting out a meow, its tail swaying slightly, as if to say, Take your paws off me, don't touch the emperor.
"Zhan Meng, time to eat." Once Ning Xi had everything ready, Zhan Meng's only job was to eat. Under the cat's glare, she roughed it up a bit more before hearing Ning Xi's voice and slowly getting up to walk to the dining table.
Ning Xi watched as Zhan Meng grabbed meat from the plate with her bare hands without washing them. The chopsticks in his hand hadn't been put down yet, and with a sharp "smack," he hit her on the back of the hand. She yelped, eyes wide with anger as she glared at Ning Xi.
"Ning Xi, why did you hit me!"
"Wash your hands before eating!"
"Tch, you're so fussy." Zhan Meng shot a glare at the serious-faced Ning Xi and sauntered off to the kitchen to wash her hands. Standing at the sink, she caught a glimpse of Ning Xi heading her way out of the corner of her eye. A mischievous smile curled at the corner of her mouth as she continued scrubbing her hands nonchalantly. The moment he got close, she quickly scooped up a handful of water and, pretending it was an accident, splashed it onto him.
Seeing this, Zhan Meng didn't hesitate to cover her mouth with both hands, looking at Ning Xi in mock surprise. "Oh, why didn't you say something before coming over? Look, I got water all over you."
Ning Xi glared at Zhan Meng with barely contained anger, gritting his teeth. "Zhan Meng! Are you sure you didn't do that on purpose!"
"Am I that boring? I'm just waiting to eat, it's no big deal." "What are you even made of!"
"I'm made of my mom and dad, of course." Zhan Meng looked at Ning Xi like he was a mentally challenged child, clicked her tongue, and silently shook her head, muttering, "It's scary how clueless some people are..."
"..."
Ning Xi felt like his lungs were about to explode from rage, but when he saw Zhan Meng completely ignore him, walk to the table, pull out a chair, sit down, and start eating with a bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, savoring every bite, he knew that expecting her to soothe his anger was pointless—he might as well swallow it himself.
He grabbed a tissue to wipe the water stains off his clothes. Luckily, his dark sweater made it hard to notice at first glance. As he passed the couch, he accidentally spotted the phone he had tossed aside. After a moment's thought, he picked it up on a whim. The moment it was in his hand, it started buzzing nonstop.
He opened it and froze instantly.
Messages from Ning Bei flooded in like a tidal wave. He skimmed a few—they were all pretty much the same, asking: Who's that woman? Where are you? Ditching your brothers to meet a girl?
For once, Zhan Meng noticed a change in Ning Xi's expression—or rather, she had always noticed, she just hadn't cared before. Feeling in a good mood today, she glanced at him and asked casually, "What's up with you? Your face looks awful."
Hearing this, a lightbulb went off in Ning Xi's head. He exited the group chat, scrolled to the recent call log, and saw the name "Lu Zhengting" pop up. Checking the time—just half an hour ago—he could already imagine the look on Lu Zhengting's face when he realized the person answering wasn't him. How dumbfounded he must have been...
Ning Xi gripped his phone tightly, his expression serious as he walked over to Zhan Meng. He snatched the bowl and chopsticks out of her hands and asked, "Did you answer my phone?"
"Oh, maybe I did. I forgot. Give me back my bowl and chopsticks; I'm not full yet."
"Zhan Meng, why didn't you tell me when the phone rang?"
"I thought it was mine, so I just picked it up. What, do you two have some secret you're hiding? Why else would you be so worked up? Look, I swear I didn't hear a thing. Besides, he and I barely said a few words before I hung up."
"You—you're going to drive me crazy! You answered my phone without permission, and now you're acting like you're in the right!"
"Ning Xi, can't you be a little more chill? Fine, I'll be the bigger person: I'm sorry I mistook your phone for mine and answered it. Happy now? Can I have my bowl and chopsticks back?"
"What else do you do besides eat all day?"
"I write drafts too. Want to see? Though I doubt you'd like them."
"You're a freak. I'm not going to argue with you." Ning Xi, exasperated, handed the bowl and chopsticks back to Zhan Meng, let out a long sigh, and turned to head to the balcony, looking like he was about to cry.
"Ning Xi, you're not eating?"
"I'm full from anger."
"Fine, then I'll finish it all myself."
"Just eat and stop talking. If you keep it up, I might not be able to stop myself from strangling you." Ning Xi shot a fierce glare at the unbothered Zhan Meng.
"Oh, who's afraid of who?"
Hearing this, Ning Xi didn't immediately react, but when he caught Zhan Meng's contemptuous look, he walked off without even turning back.
This woman wasn't a woman—she was a freak.
With that, Ning Xi silently repeated it three times in his mind.
On the balcony, the cold outside couldn't quell the fire burning inside him. He took a deep breath and dialed Lu Zhengting directly.
By then, Lu Zhengting had returned to the Lu residence. Xia Yan's menstrual cramps were almost over, which felt like a relief to her. She was idling in Lu Zhengting's study, having known for a while that his bookshelves held books on every subject. She picked up a copy of Sophie's World and read for a bit before hearing steady footsteps outside. Her eyes curved into a smile as she closed the book, stood up from the chaise lounge, and headed straight for the door.
The door swung open.
Xia Yan beamed at Lu Zhengting, who remained expressionless, and asked softly, "Did you know I was in the study all along?"
Lu Zhengting wrapped one arm around Xia Yan's waist, bent down to kiss her cheek, and used his other hand to loosen his collar. "What were you reading?"
"Sophie's World."
"That's a good book."
Xia Yan nodded, taking his jacket from him, and grinned smugly. "So, did Secretary Zhou get worn out while I was off these past few days?"
Lu Zhengting paused, pursed his lips, and smiled. "Maybe without you around, Secretary Zhou isn't so tired."
"Lu Zhengting, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm in the way?" Xia Yan pouted.
"No, I mean you could stay home and rest a few more days."
"Is that what you mean? I find that hard to believe."
Lu Zhengting's deep eyes seemed to hold a galaxy, sparkling and bright. When he looked at Xia Yan, her heart raced instantly. She blinked rapidly, her gaze dropping to his bobbing Adam's apple, and swallowed hard. She wanted to kiss him...
Wanted to kiss him, really wanted to kiss him...
Xia Yan chuckled awkwardly, rubbing her nose, and sneaked a glance at Lu Zhengting. She felt like he could see right through her thoughts, so her pale cheeks flushed crimson. She shot him a playful glare. "It's all your fault."
"My fault for what?" Lu Zhengting lowered his eyelids, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at Xia Yan. His hands were still around her waist when he suddenly leaned forward. They were already face-to-face, embracing, with the desk behind Xia Yan. This small move made her feet slip, and she fell backward. Instead of catching her, Lu Zhengting fell with her onto the desk, ending up in a position with him on top and her below.
"Lu Zhengting, what are you doing?"
"Just slipped."
Xia Yan stared unblinkingly at the man pressing down on her. "This is the study. Chen Ma will come up soon, and, and, my period just ended..."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting let out a soft laugh. He released his hold on her waist and propped himself up on either side of her. Just then, his phone started ringing. Looking down at Xia Yan, who had her hands pressed against his chest, her eyes seductive yet feigning resistance, he pulled the phone from his pocket. Seeing it was Ning Xi, he remembered the woman who had answered his call earlier that afternoon. His eyes narrowed as he answered.
"Zhengting, what did you need?"
"You're in Jiangcheng."
Ning Xi pretended not to hear, humming a questioning note. Lu Zhengting frowned slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching upward, a glint flashing in his eyes. In a calm tone, he said, "I'll give you a chance to explain."