Xia Yan was startled by Zhan Meng's bold move just now. Before she could recover, Zhan Meng took off her shoulder bag and placed it on the seat, rested both hands on the back of Ning Xi's seat, leaned forward slightly, glanced at Ning Xi, then looked at Xia Yan. "Ning Xi, are you keeping a beauty hidden away? No wonder you didn't want to come pick me up earlier. Good for you."
"Little troublemaker, didn't you delete my location from your phone?"
"I did, but then I thought it'd be better to put it back. After all, your whereabouts are way too hard to track." Zhan Meng waved her hand, pointed ahead, and said seriously, "Ning Xi, just focus on driving. I need to chat with your little beauty."
Hearing this, Xia Yan's mouth twitched involuntarily. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the woman behind her and tried to imagine Ning Xi spending time alone with her. Zhan Meng sized up Xia Yan, frowned, and said casually, "We've met before, haven't we?"
"Huh? Have we?"
Zhan Meng hummed in acknowledgment, rubbed her chin, and stared intently at Xia Yan's profile before nodding. "We have. That night when Ning Xi went to save your friend. I remember you were with a cold, icy man, right?"
As Zhan Meng said this, Xia Yan thought back carefully and recalled that Ning Xi had indeed been with a woman that night. That woman had even exchanged a few words with Lu Zhengting. Remembering how fierce she was, Xia Yan glanced at Ning Xi.
"We women are talking. Why are you looking at Ning Xi? Don't you want to talk to me?"
Xia Yan quickly waved her hands to deny it. "I was just signaling to Ning Xi that you're a unique woman, and she should cherish you. Ning Xi, that's what I meant, right?"
Ning Xi shot Xia Yan an amused look, then glanced at the woman eyeing her from behind. "Zhan Meng, this is my little sister-in-law."
"Little sister-in-law?" Zhan Meng looked at Ning Xi in confusion. "Oh, I get it. She's with that guy from that night. Ning Xi, how come you're the only single one around?"
"Who says I'm the only single one? That's like saying you're not single now. Zhan Meng, let's not point fingers—we're pretty much the same."
Xia Yan silently touched her nose, looking left and right. She felt like a third wheel now. So awkward...
Zhan Meng completely ignored Ning Xi's comment. "I'm different from you. At least I'm noble, but you..." She looked Ning Xi up and down, clicked her tongue, then shook her head with a pitying expression.
Luckily, they arrived at Zhan Meng's destination. After she got out of the car, Ning Xi looked at Xia Yan, her meaning clear without words. "Little sister-in-law, I think you can pretend you didn't see any of that just now, right?"
"Why? Honestly, she's interesting."
"Interesting? Give me a break. Her, interesting?"
"Yeah, interesting and unique. And I think you two are a good match."
"A match?" Ning Xi grinned. "Little sister-in-law, do you think this is a game? A match? The way she and I are, we'd argue the moment we meet. Besides, someone who catches my eye wouldn't be like her."
"Ning Xi, don't be so sure. And I'm noting that down. Don't end up eating your words later." Xia Yan smiled. Hadn't she once seen Lu Zhengting as a monster? And now she was with him. Ning Xi blinked nonchalantly. "Little sister-in-law, rest assured. She and I will never end up together."
Xia Yan didn't argue. Seeing the intersection ahead, she said, "Ning Xi, turn left at the next intersection. It'll be closer."
"Alright, your call." Ning Xi held the steering wheel with one hand and rested the other casually on the window edge, seemingly in a good mood, humming a tune. Seeing this, Xia Yan couldn't help but smile. The tune Ning Xi hummed had an old-fashioned vibe, like "Eighteen Bends on the Mountain Road"...
"Little sister-in-law, hold on tight. I'm turning..." Just as she started to steer left, Ning Xi suddenly spotted a car parked across the street. Wasn't that Lu Zhengting's? She took a closer look, and that look nearly caused a disaster. She saw Ke Yaru getting out of the car with him, walking side by side into a cake shop...
Seeing Xia Yan about to turn her head to the right, Ning Xi made a sharp turn. The sudden move startled Xia Yan, and without thinking, she grabbed her seatbelt tightly. "Ning Xi, what are you doing?"
"Little sister-in-law, I suddenly remembered there's a road that's even closer than this one."
"Then tell me in advance! Doing that out of nowhere is terrifying, okay?" Xia Yan patted her chest, feeling her heart pounding wildly. She had genuinely felt out of control just now, and with this being an intersection surrounded by cars, how could she not be scared?
"Little sister-in-law, I just thought of it on the spot!"
"Alright, just drive. Look, you're almost causing a traffic jam out there."
Ning Xi gave an awkward laugh, turned right, and merged into another lane. Lu Zhengting stood by the roadside holding a cake, watching the car disappear into the sea of traffic, frowning.
"Zhengting, what are you looking at?" Ke Yaru followed his gaze and asked calmly.
"Nothing. Let's go."
Lu Zhengting opened the car door and placed the cake on the passenger seat. Seeing this, Ke Yaru, who was standing outside the car, pulled her hand back the moment it touched the passenger door handle. She pursed her lips, smiled, and naturally opened the rear door.
Xia Yan raised her wrist to check the time, then stared at Ning Xi and said softly, "Ning Xi, this shortcut you mentioned is way longer than the route I suggested. And it's prone to traffic jams."
"Mistake, mistake. Pure mistake today."
"Alright, since I'm here, I'll get going. Thanks for the ride."
"Little sister-in-law, you're making me uncomfortable. Don't be so formal with me."
Xia Yan smiled and nodded, unbuckled her seatbelt, picked up her bag, and slowly opened the door. She stepped out with one foot, paused, then turned back to look at Ning Xi. "Ning Xi, pay more attention when you drive. That situation earlier was really scary."
"Yes, yes. I'll be more careful next time."
Sitting in the car, Ning Xi watched until Xia Yan entered without any suspicion, then let out a sigh of relief. How did Lu Zhengting end up with Ke Yaru? She squinted, recalling the joy on Ke Yaru's face just now, and her brow furrowed.
Back in her office, Xia Yan sat down and picked up her phone. Seeing a missed call from Lu Zhengting from half an hour ago, she frowned. That was when she was still with Ning Xi. She immediately called back, but only heard a beeping sound before it went silent. She wondered what Lu Zhengting wanted. She took off her scarf, hung it on the back of her chair, tidied up her messy desk, grabbed a stack of documents she had prepared earlier for Lu Zhengting, and headed to his office. He wasn't there, so she left the documents in a prominent spot on his desk and hesitated before leaving.
Secretary Zhou stepped out of the elevator and saw Xia Yan looking distracted. "Xia Yan, what are you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing." Xia Yan looked at Secretary Zhou, who smiled as she passed by. She instinctively grabbed Secretary Zhou's sleeve and asked casually, "Secretary Zhou, do you know where Mr. Lu went?"
"Isn't he in his office?"
"He's not."
Secretary Zhou checked Lu Zhengting's schedule for the day. "His afternoon is blank. I don't know where he went."
Hearing this, Xia Yan nodded, glanced at Secretary Zhou, who looked puzzled, and said, "I'll head back to my office."
Secretary Zhou watched Xia Yan's retreating figure, shook her head, and turned to walk toward her own office.
******
When Xiao Han came out of school, he spotted Lu Zhengting's car parked by the gate. The bodyguard who usually drove him to and from school had already stepped aside. He stood at the entrance for a while, watching as a little girl in a very pink outfit, holding her mother's hand, came up to him and waved. "Lu Yihan, why are you standing here daydreaming?"
Xiao Han looked away, glanced at the little girl with big, sparkling eyes, and blushed. "I was just thinking about something."
"What were you thinking about?"
"Secret. My dad's here to pick me up, so I'm leaving."
"Lu Yihan, you're lying. Where's your dad? I don't see him."
"I can't be bothered with you. Believe it or not." Xiao Han shot her a glance and turned away with a cool demeanor.
"Lu Yihan, stop right there! I want to talk to you..." The little girl shouted after him, but her mother held her back, and she couldn't break free. She could only watch helplessly as Xiao Han slipped away, stomping her feet in frustration.
Xiao Han slid into the car in a flash. Lu Zhengting looked at him with amusement, said nothing, and started the engine. Ke Yaru, sitting in the back, smiled warmly at Xiao Han. "Xiao Han, I saw everything just now. That little girl is very cute."
"Auntie, you haven't dealt with her. She's a self-centered princess who thinks every handsome guy in the world should like her. Someone as handsome as me gets pestered by her every day. It's driving me crazy." Xiao Han said, annoyed and irritated, clearly disliking the little girl.
"Well..."
"Wow, cake!" Xiao Han exclaimed in surprise, spotting the beautifully packaged cake on the front passenger seat. He licked his lips, blinked his big, adorable eyes, suddenly stood up from his seat, wrapped his arms around the back of the passenger seat, and glanced at Lu Zhengting, who was driving. "Dad, did you buy this cake for me?"
"No."
"Huh? Dad, you didn't buy it for me? If Sister Yan were here, I could ask her to make me a cake." Xiao Han slumped back into his seat, dejected. After saying this, he fell silent. Ke Yaru, sitting beside him, heard him mention Xia Yan, and the smile on her face froze instantly.