Lin Xujia drove around Jiangcheng in circles, finally parking by the river. She grabbed a random six-pack of beer from a convenience store on the way, and now sat on the riverbank surrounded by empty bottles. Suddenly, she stood up, pointed at the pitch-black sky, and raised her voice to shout, "Why! God, tell me, is it wrong for me to like Ye Yunchen?"
"Answer me!" Lin Xujia hurled the bottle in her hand toward the night sky, but her foot slipped, and she tumbled to the ground. Spotting her still-lit phone, she lay flat, reached out to grab it, squinted, found Xia Yan's number, and dialed.
Meanwhile, Xia Yan's face was grim. Jiang Mingxiu's gaze at her wasn't just disdain and sharpness—it carried resentment. Xiaohan was held tightly in Jiang Mingxiu's arms, unable to move, while Xia Yan stood alone nearby. When Lu Zhengting received the call and rushed from the company to the hospital, he saw Xia Yan's knee still bleeding. His expression shifted instantly, and he strode over to her, asking urgently, "Why haven't you gotten it treated?"
"Lu Zhengting, this is just a minor injury. But Manager Ke is still in the operating room..."
"Zhengting, you can't only see her. Do you know that during the car accident, if Yaru hadn't rushed over to protect me and Xiaohan, there wouldn't be just one person in the operating room now? Xia Yan only has a scratch—does she really need a doctor?"
"I'll take you to get it bandaged."
"Lu Zhengting, forget it. Let's wait until Manager Ke comes out. I'm fine."
"I'm taking you." Lu Zhengting didn't give Xia Yan a chance to refuse, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and leading her to the emergency room. Though the scrape on Xia Yan's knee wasn't severe, leaving it untreated could easily lead to infection.
As the disinfectant touched the wound, a sharp sting shot through Xia Yan's entire body, and she winced tightly.
"Miss Xia, a bit of pain is normal. I'll try to be as gentle as possible," the doctor applying the medicine said, feeling the immense pressure from the man beside her, forcing a smile despite her nerves.
Hearing this, Xia Yan quickly waved her hand. "It's fine, just go ahead with the treatment."
"Alright."
After Xia Yan's wound was dressed, Lu Zhengting helped her limp back to the operating room. Jiang Mingxiu's impatience was palpable the moment she saw Xia Yan. The red light above the operating room went out, and Xia Yan stared intently at Ke Yaru being wheeled out by the nurses. She had Lu Zhengting support her as she walked over. Ke Yaru was still unconscious, her face pale.
After listening to the doctor's instructions, Lu Zhengting and Xia Yan headed toward the ward. The anesthesia hadn't worn off yet, so Ke Yaru remained asleep. Jiang Mingxiu sat on the sofa, looking exhausted. From the moment of the accident until now, her nerves had been taut, and now that she relaxed, she felt especially drained.
"Xia Yan, Yaru was injured saving us. Shouldn't you stay at the hospital to take care of her?" Jiang Mingxiu said slowly, looking at Xia Yan.
Lu Zhengting immediately interjected, "I'll hire a nurse to take care of Yaru. It's getting late now; the driver is downstairs and will take you home."
"Son, what's wrong with me asking Xia Yan to care for Yaru? Don't forget, if it weren't for Yaru today, Xiaohan and I would be lying in beds right now."
"Mom, I have my own plans for Yaru. Take Xiaohan and go home early to rest." "Fine, I'll wait and see your plans. If they don't satisfy me, I'll take charge of this myself."
Xia Yan stood quietly beside Lu Zhengting, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the woman lying in the hospital bed. The scene before the accident seemed to replay in her mind—when the car was about to hit, she had intended to rush over and save them. But Ke Yaru wasn't far from her. As she ran, Ke Yaru deliberately tripped her, causing her to fall and scrape her knee. When she looked up, Ke Yaru had already pushed Xiaohan and Jiang Mingxiu aside, shielding them with her own body in front of the car, leading to this moment.
The sounds of ambulances and police cars echoed in her ears. Xia Yan shook her head, lifted her gaze to Lu Zhengting, who remained silent, and wondered what he was thinking.
"Lu Zhengting, maybe I should take care of her?"
"No." Lu Zhengting refused outright. "You're injured yourself. How can you take care of someone else?"
"But she really got hurt saving Auntie and Xiaohan."
"I know. I've already arranged for a nurse. That's the nurse's job. Just take care of yourself."
Xia Yan couldn't argue with Lu Zhengting and could only nod. The nurse Secretary Zhou found was a bit older, around her forties, a local from Jiangcheng. Xia Yan didn't ask many questions; given Secretary Zhou's meticulous nature, the person she chose was likely reliable.
Seeing Xia Yan struggling to walk, Lu Zhengting bent down to pick her up in a princess carry, but Xia Yan resisted fiercely, refusing outright. They lingered in the hospital hallway for a while before Lu Zhengting finally lifted her. As they passed the nurses' station, Xia Yan buried her face in Lu Zhengting's chest, though she could still hear the nurses' chatter.
"Oh my god, is that Lu Zhengting, the chairman of the Lu Group?"
"Yeah, he's so handsome. We ordinary folks can only look from afar. Can you imagine how blissful it would be to be held by him?"
"No kidding. That Mr. Lu is every woman's dream man—rich, handsome, and devoted."
"How do you know he's devoted?"
"It's in the papers. Don't you read the entertainment news?"
Xia Yan felt suffocated in his arms and noticed his steps seemed unusually small. She tightened her grip around his neck and muttered, "Walk faster. You're not usually this slow."
"It's been a while since I held you. You've gained weight."
"Jerk! I haven't gained any weight!"
"Are you sure?"
"Of course not!" Xia Yan said firmly, though she secretly wondered if she really had. Lately, she felt like she was eating more than before.
"I like you a bit heavier."
Xia Yan rolled her eyes. "Liar. If I got as fat as a pig, you'd dump me in a second and find some gorgeous, curvaceous woman."
"No, I wouldn't. You'd feel softer to touch."
"Lu Zhengting, are you a pervert!" Xia Yan blushed, feigning anger. Her figure wasn't exactly skinny, but she had curves in all the right places—not quite a bombshell, but she was well-proportioned with an enviable silhouette.
When Lu Zhengting and Xia Yan returned to Dongshan Villa, everyone inside was already asleep. After getting out of the car, Xia Yan insisted on being carried on his back. Pressed against him in the pitch-black darkness, she waved her hands blindly in the air. Lu Zhengting worried that if she kept moving so much, she might fall again.
"Stay still." Lu Zhengting lightly patted her bottom, his low, husky voice murmuring in her ear.
Xia Yan froze. Since childhood, no one had spanked her except Xiao Lanzhi when she was little—until she met Lu Zhengting. This guy had gotten far too comfortable with it, and she was helpless because every time she tried to resist, it was futile, and she'd end up being thoroughly "devoured."
They tiptoed back to the room. As Lu Zhengting approached the bed, Xia Yan smirked mischievously and suddenly leaned back, falling straight onto the mattress, spreading her limbs like a star and staring at him with innocent eyes. She only meant to startle the unflappable man, but he let go the moment she fell back. "Lu Zhengting, why did you let go? You made me fall onto the bed."
"I let go to indulge you."
"Hmph, still playing it cool."
Xia Yan lay on her side and commanded, "Hand me my phone from the bag, will you?"
Lu Zhengting, amused despite himself, obeyed, retrieving her phone and holding it out to her. Xia Yan took it and pressed a few buttons, only to find it dead from a drained battery. She plugged it in to charge, then tilted her head to look at him. "What are you staring at me for? Aren't you going to shower?"
After a few minutes, her phone powered on. Immediately, several text notifications popped up—all from the system, indicating that Lin Xujia had called her several times around eight in the evening. At the time, Xia Yan had been at the hospital and hadn't noticed.
Xia Yan called Lin Xujia back, but only heard a few beeps before no one answered.
The next day, still thinking about Lin Xujia's calls from the night before, Xia Yan dialed her number early in the morning. Again, no one answered. She frowned at her phone. Lu Zhengting, adjusting his tie in front of the mirror, noticed her troubled expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. Xiao Jia called me last night, but I was at the hospital with my phone on silent, so I missed it. When I called her back, no one answered. Lu Zhengting, do you think something happened to her?" Xia Yan paused, then added, "Could she have found out about that night and Ye Ge's involvement?"
"She's a grown woman. Why worry about her?"
"Xiao Jia is my friend. If I don't worry, who will? The Lin family's situation isn't what it used to be..." Xia Yan stopped mid-sentence, realizing what she'd said, and quickly shut her mouth, cautiously glancing at Lu Zhengting, who seemed unfazed. She didn't understand the schemes and manipulations of the business world, so she kept her opinions to herself.
In Jiangcheng, the morning rush hour around seven or eight was a traffic nightmare. For those who had to get up early or commute long distances, leaving half an hour earlier was essential, or they'd risk being late and losing their full attendance bonus. The Chaosky Bridge area was the worst bottleneck.