"I talked to him on the phone just a few days ago, and he didn't mention anything about coming back." Xia Yan indeed hadn't heard any news from Ye Yunchen about his return. She paused, furrowing her brows slightly, and asked, "Who told you he was coming back?"
"This is my exclusive scoop."
Speak of the devil.
No sooner had Lin Xujia finished speaking than Xia Yan's phone rang. It was Ye Yunchen calling. Hearing his voice on the line, she froze for a moment and said in surprise, "Where did you say you are?"
"I'm right at the school gate."
Ye Yunchen's gentle voice slowly reached Xia Yan's ears. Lin Xujia, sitting beside her, watched Xia Yan's expression, her fingers twisting together under the table. Finally, when Xia Yan hung up, she couldn't help blurting out, "Is Ye Yunchen back?"
"You guessed it. He's at the school gate now."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go."
"Go? Go where?"
"To find Ye Yunchen, of course. He's at the school gate; we can't keep him waiting."
Xia Yan was momentarily stunned. She pried Lin Xujia's hand off her arm and said with amusement, "We still have one more class—the old witch's class. Are you going to skip it?"
"The old witch's class?" At that, Lin Xujia instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, slumping limply onto the desk.
Throughout the entire class, Lin Xujia was in a state of excitement. As soon as the bell rang, she grabbed Xia Yan and sprinted all the way to the gate, leaving Xia Yan breathless, hands on her hips, panting as she stood still.
"Xiaojia, don't run so fast. Brother Ye is waiting for us at the coffee shop near the school," Xia Yan gasped, utterly unable to handle Lin Xujia's behavior every time she saw Ye Yunchen—like a wild horse that couldn't be reined in.
The coffee shop near the school was one of their favorite spots. Though located close to campus, it was decorated with great style, evoking a European feel with a hint of vintage charm.
Ye Yunchen had arrived early and chosen a seat by the window. He was dressed very casually, his chestnut, slightly wavy hair giving him the look of a Korean-style heartthrob. His most striking feature was his fair, delicate skin, enough to make any girl envious. With thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose bridge, sexy lips, sharp features, and a handsome aura complemented by his height of over 1.8 meters, Ye Yunchen had captured the hearts of many girls during his school days, even earning the title of the department's heartthrob.
Lin Xujia had been dragging Xia Yan along at a run, but now she stood foolishly at the coffee shop entrance, unable to move forward. Xia Yan looked at her in confusion and teased, "Feeling shy? Earlier, who was it that was so excited she dragged me all the way here?"
"Xia Yan!" Lin Xujia turned her head to stare at Xia Yan and asked cautiously, "I don't look too ugly, do I?"
"No, you look great."
After dawdling at the entrance for a while, Ye Yunchen had already spotted Xia Yan and Lin Xujia by the window. As she approached, he stood up with a smile and gave them a light hug.
"Brother Ye, aren't you being a bit unfair? Coming back without even giving us a heads-up so we could pick you up at the airport," Xia Yan said indignantly.
"I wanted to surprise you." Besides his handsome looks, Ye Yunchen had an irresistible gentle smile. Whenever he looked at someone with that faint smile, it was no exaggeration to say it was captivating.
Lin Xujia, sitting beside Xia Yan, had been deeply captivated by Ye Yunchen's smile since the first time she saw him. Now, seeing his smile again, her heart rippled with waves, pounding wildly.
"Your surprise really caught me off guard. When Xiaojia mentioned you were coming back this afternoon, I was puzzled, wondering why you hadn't told me." She paused and then asked, "Brother Ye, now that you're back, what are your plans?"
"I'll report to the Lu Group in a few days."
"The Lu Group?" Xia Yan murmured.
It was Lin Xujia, who had been mostly quiet, who reacted first. She instinctively nudged Xia Yan's waist with her elbow and said with a smile, "Xia Yan has a pretty good relationship with the chairman of the Lu Group."
"What good relationship? Xiaojia, don't talk nonsense." Sensing Ye Yunchen's strange look, Xia Yan shot a glare at Lin Xujia and said to Ye Yunchen, "Brother Ye, don't misunderstand. I do know the chairman of the Lu Group, but only because he's helped me a few times."
Ye Yunchen looked at Xia Yan with amusement, seemingly unconcerned by Lin Xujia's words. "Xiaoyan, I believe you."
Seeing this, Lin Xujia's heart suddenly turned cold. She had never hidden her feelings for Ye Yunchen, and she knew clearly that she liked him. But she also understood that Ye Yunchen's feelings for Xia Yan went far beyond friendship.
Could there be pure friendship between a man and a woman? She didn't believe that for a second.
Watching them chat happily, she felt a pang of bitterness. Just then, Xia Yan's phone rang. Lin Xujia caught a glimpse of the caller ID—Lu Zhengting—and a smile curled at the corner of her mouth. Seeing Xia Yan staring at the phone without answering, she said, "Xia Yan, why aren't you picking up?"
Xia Yan glanced at Lin Xujia before slowly answering the call.
"Hello, may I ask what you need?"
Hearing her voice on the line, Lu Zhengting paused, gripping his phone. Was this girl on something? Why was she being so polite?
"Why didn't you come to the Lu residence today?"
At that, Xia Yan quickly raised her hand to check the time, remembering she had promised Xiaohan to make a cake yesterday. But with Ye Yunchen's sudden return today, she had been so happy she forgot all about it.
"I'm a bit busy right now. I might not be able to make it."
"Busy with what?"
"Personal matters," Xia Yan said quickly, lowering her voice.
Lu Zhengting frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Are you at school now?"
"Yeah. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now. Goodbye." Without waiting for Lu Zhengting to respond, Xia Yan ended the call.
Lu Zhengting stared blankly at the now-dark screen. Xia Yan was the first person to dare hang up on him! The air in the car seemed to freeze the moment the call ended, as he realized it wasn't an illusion. He narrowed his eyes, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"To Jiangcheng University."
Back in the coffee shop, Xia Yan had been restless since hanging up, feeling that her bold move might land her in trouble. She listened absentmindedly as Ye Yunchen talked about interesting stories from abroad.
"Xia Yan, why are you spacing out?" Lin Xujia shook her, asking.
"Oh, nothing. Brother Ye, when are you reporting to the Lu Group?" Xia Yan asked casually.
"Next Monday. Why?"
"Oh, just asking."
No sooner had Xia Yan spoken than her phone rang again, nearly startling her. She picked it up, immediately sensing a bad feeling.
Slowly answering the call, she covered the receiver and glanced up at Ye Yunchen, who was still sipping his coffee with a faint smile, and Lin Xujia, who wore a teasing expression. The pressure was immense!
"I told you I'm busy today and can't come," Xia Yan said, knowing Lin Xujia never believed her about her relationship with Lu Zhengting. She always tried to avoid any connection with him in front of Lin Xujia.
Now, seeing Lin Xujia's ambiguous look, she found Lu Zhengting a headache.
"I'm at the gate of Jiangcheng University."
"What? What are you doing here?" Xia Yan exclaimed. The coffee shop wasn't far from the school gate, and since they were by the window, anyone with decent eyesight could spot them from a distance.
She instinctively rubbed her temples as she heard his voice on the other end, "Xiaohan is throwing a fit. I'm here to pick you up."
"Xiaohan is throwing a fit? Can't you act like a parent?" Xia Yan took a deep breath and said without thinking.
"Hmm?" Lu Zhengting's response, almost like a hum, sounded threatening to Xia Yan. She suddenly realized what she had just said. Damn it!
She paused. "I didn't mean it that way. I meant—"
"Then what did you mean?"
Oh no. Xia Yan's heart tightened. As she was pondering how to explain, Lu Zhengting's deep voice came through again, "I'll give you five minutes to wrap up what you're doing."
"Five minutes?!"
"Hello... hello...!" Xia Yan shouted into the phone several times, only to find the call had already been dropped. She wasn't just angry—she was furious.
Lin Xujia seemed to catch on and winked at her. "Xia Yan, since you have something urgent, why don't you go ahead?"
Understanding Lu Zhengting's implication—if she didn't show up in five minutes, he might come looking for her, and a face-to-face encounter would be impossible to explain—Xia Yan put down her phone and said to Ye Yunchen, "Brother Ye, sorry, something urgent came up. I have to go."
"No problem. If you're busy, go ahead."
After a quick exchange, Xia Yan grabbed her bag and headed out. Once outside the coffee shop, she pulled out her phone, found Lu Zhengting's number, and called back. "Drive to the corner ahead. I'll wait for you there."
"Look up. I'm right in front of you." Lu Zhengting, hearing her commanding tone, wasn't angry but amused. This girl seemed determined to avoid any connection with him. How interesting. In Jiangcheng, countless women threw themselves at him, yet here he was, being rejected by Xia Yan. He was used to rejecting others—when had he ever been the one rejected?
Xia Yan looked up as instructed and saw him. Her face darkened. Lu Zhengting had spotted her long ago, hadn't he? She knew Xiaohan's bossiness was inherited from him. With that thought, she calmly scanned her surroundings. Thankfully, it was getting dark. She kept an eye out as she approached the Maybach carrying Lu Zhengting.
Quickly reaching the rear door, Xia Yan assumed Lu Zhengting was driving, so without a second thought, she opened the door and slid into the car.