Listening to Lu Zhengting's casual tone, Ning Xi furrowed his brow slightly, turned sideways, and glanced at Zhan Meng, who was eating happily. Seeing her contented expression, his emotions became so complicated that he couldn't find the right words to describe them. The person on the other end of the phone didn't seem to be in a hurry, but he thought he heard some unusual sounds, like Xia Yan's soft breathing.
Hearing this, a thought flashed through Ning Xi's mind, and a mischievous grin curled at the corner of his mouth. "Nice, multitasking?"
"Stop messing with me."
"Alright, since you're making such a sacrifice, here's the thing: you remember when Ning Nan came to me before, right? Back then, he was still tangled up with Xu Su. Then some paparazzi got photos. You know, if those indescribable pictures got leaked..."
"Get to the point."
"The point is, those photos eventually ended up in her hands. I wouldn't have needed to step in, but I never expected she was the hacker who sent me that challenge."
"So?"
"So now I'm in a covert battle with her."
Lu Zhengting let out a scoff, clearly not buying Ning Xi's nonsense. Xia Yan, pinned beneath him, felt uncomfortable—the hard table pressed against her back, causing some pain. She looked up at Lu Zhengting and gestured at him.
Ning Xi roughly guessed what was happening on Lu Zhengting's end, so he stood calmly on the balcony, phone in hand, watching the elderly women dancing in the square below while waiting for Lu Zhengting to speak.
"Come to the company at nine tomorrow morning." After saying this, Lu Zhengting hung up. His originally stern gaze softened into something deep and tender as he looked at Xia Yan. He reached out to touch her cheek, knowing her back was hurting from the hard surface, so he lifted her slightly, staring intently into her eyes. Suddenly, he spoke, "Yan Yan, let's have a child."
"You, you said, what? Have a child?" Xia Yan's mind couldn't keep up with Lu Zhengting. He hadn't looked like this when he was on the phone with Ning Xi. She froze for a moment.
"Yes, have a child. A child that belongs to us."
"Lu Zhengting, can I ask you something?" Xia Yan looked at him cautiously, sensing he seemed to be in a good mood. She blinked, looking as innocent as a little rabbit. "Ask."
"Lu Zhengting, did something happen to you? Why the sudden urge to have a child?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting's face darkened. He looked down, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Xia Yan's expression. After a pause, he seriously placed his hand on her flat stomach, his movements incredibly gentle, his eyes full of tenderness. Xia Yan almost believed there was already a little baby inside her.
"Are you willing?"
"I am." Xia Yan nodded, looking up at him seriously. Seeing the smile on his face, she paused. "But we're not married yet."
"Then will you marry me?"
"Not for now." As soon as she said this, Lu Zhengting's expression turned sharp and stern, as if the air itself carried the coldness radiating from him. Especially with the weather already chilly, Xia Yan couldn't help but shiver. She quickly explained, "Listen to me. Our situation isn't right for marriage right now, Lu Zhengting. Be rational."
"Oh? Our situation? What do you think our situation is?"
"First, my father's case hasn't been cleared up, right? Second, I'm still young. I don't want to get married so early. Third..."
Before Xia Yan could finish, Lu Zhengting let go and stood up, glancing at her coldly. His lips pressed together tightly as he stared at her with a deep, unreadable expression.
Seeing this, Xia Yan slowly stood up to stand beside him. Noticing he didn't seem inclined to engage with her, she pouted and muttered under her breath. It wasn't that she didn't want to marry him—it was just too soon for her. Another key factor was Lu Zhengting's mother, Jiang Mingxiu.
Jiang Mingxiu didn't like her, Xia Yan knew that. She had been trying to change Jiang Mingxiu's opinion of her, but it didn't seem to be working. Jiang Mingxiu still disliked her, and no matter what she did, it was seen as having ulterior motives.
Shaking off these thoughts, Xia Yan reached out and hooked her finger around Lu Zhengting's, tugging gently. "Don't be like this... It's just that this came out of nowhere, and I haven't had time to process it. And is this your way of proposing? Shouldn't a proposal look a certain way? This feels more like you're forcing me into it."
"Give me a month."
"Huh?"
Xia Yan didn't understand what Lu Zhengting meant by that, so she didn't dwell on it, assuming he was talking about the marriage.
Jiang Mingxiu led Xiao Han out of the airport, feeling the chilly wind biting into her clothes. She frowned, spotted the driver waiting at the exit, and strode over. Handing him her luggage, she picked up Xiao Han and got into the car.
The car's heater had been on, making it warm inside. Jiang Mingxiu rubbed her aching head—an old ailment that flared up in winter.
Back at Dongshan Villa, Xiao Han bolted like a wild horse toward Xia Yan's room. Jiang Mingxiu followed behind, displeased, watching as Xiao Han ran into Xia Yan's room and then back out.
"Xiao Han, what are you doing?"
"Sister Yan isn't in her room. I'll check Dad's room."
Hearing this, Jiang Mingxiu narrowed her eyes. Was Xia Yan daring to stay with Zhengting again while she was away?
Xiao Han didn't find Xia Yan in Lu Zhengting's room either. Puzzled, he wandered the hallway until he remembered one place he hadn't checked and hopped over to the study.
Outside the study, Xiao Han noticed the door wasn't fully closed. Through the crack, he could see Xia Yan and Lu Zhengting standing together. The dim light inside seemed to envelop Xia Yan, making it look from the outside as if Lu Zhengting was holding her. To Xiao Han, this looked like a romantic scene. He set down the cake he was carrying, covered his eyes with his little hands, but then peeked through his fingers.
Standing on the second-floor balcony, Jiang Mingxiu saw Xiao Han's actions. Her expression darkened, and she strode to the study, pushing the door open with both hands.
"Bang..."
Startled by the sudden noise, Xia Yan turned around to find Jiang Mingxiu standing there, giving her another shock.
"Auntie, Xiao Han..."
"Don't call me that." Before entering, Jiang Mingxiu had expected to see something else, but their clothes were neat. Noticing Lu Zhengting's gaze, she paused and cleared her throat. "What are a man and woman alone doing in the study?"
"Mom, why are you back?" Lu Zhengting pulled Xia Yan behind him, standing in front of the furious Jiang Mingxiu.
"Do I need your permission to come back now? Zhengting, people will talk..."
"Xia Yan is my girlfriend, and she's the one I want to marry." Lu Zhengting cut her off expressionlessly. The words "the one I want to marry" came out clearly, leaving Xia Yan frozen, barely able to breathe.
"Zhengting, what are you saying?"
Besides Xia Yan, Jiang Mingxiu, who had rushed back to sabotage their relationship, was also stunned. She stared at her son's resolute expression, disbelief written all over her face. "Say that again. You want to marry her?"
Jiang Mingxiu pointed a long finger at Xia Yan, standing behind him. "Are you crazy? Marrying a woman like her? Son, if you're just playing around, I won't stop you. But marrying her? No way."
"Mom, I'm just informing you."
Hearing this, Jiang Mingxiu's face flushed with anger at Lu Zhengting's强硬 attitude. She glared at Xia Yan. "As long as I'm alive, you'll never set foot in the Lu family."
Xia Yan was silent for a long time, wanting to say she didn't care about entering the Lu family. But the words died on her lips when she saw Lu Zhengting. She sighed inwardly and stayed quiet.
Seeing how protective Lu Zhengting was of Xia Yan only fueled Jiang Mingxiu's anger. Xiao Han, left aside, quietly walked up to Jiang Mingxiu and took her hand. His childish voice slowly said, "Grandma, I'm so tired from the long flight." He even yawned for effect.
Hearing this, Jiang Mingxiu looked down at Xiao Han. She knew that continuing to clash with her son would backfire. She glanced at Xia Yan, her fingers tightening slightly.
"Grandma, let's go. I'm really tired."
Jiang Mingxiu was led away by Xiao Han. The study seemed to return to its earlier atmosphere, but to Xia Yan, it felt completely different. Lu Zhengting's firm words echoed in her mind, repeating over and over.
"Were you serious just now?"
"Have you ever seen me joke?"
Xia Yan froze, thinking to herself, *You love teasing me.*
"Xia Yan..."
"I'm tired. You probably have things to handle. I'll go to my room." Xia Yan spoke without meeting his eyes, afraid that if she looked at him, he'd see her lack of confidence. Fleeing was her only option.
The soft click of the door closing. Xia Yan stood outside, shaken. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a sliver of light from the crack in the door. Her emotions were a mess—happiness, confusion, surprise, shock, or maybe fear. She couldn't quite pinpoint what she was feeling.