Xia Yan immediately sensed something off from their conversation. At this moment, her thoughts were a bit gossipy, perhaps influenced by Li Ru. If a plate of melon seeds were placed in front of her, she could sit there, cracking them open while listening to their revelations—especially since the gossip involved Xia Siyue. Watching Xia Siyue’s sharp, flushed face, she felt like she might have missed something entertaining.
After listening for a long time without hearing anything meaningful, Xia Yan grew bored. It seemed that most conflicts between women escalated into personal attacks. Predictably, their commotion caught the attention of those nearby. Besides the cousins whose names Xia Yan couldn’t recall, there were also so-called male cousins present, though none of them mattered to her.
Xia Minghui wasn’t the highest-ranking member of the Xia family, but he was the most capable. It was like when people boast about having a wealthy relative—Xia Minghui fit that description perfectly. This meant that once he made a decision, no one usually dared to argue or oppose him.
Moreover, with Xia Yan around, the rumors about her and Lu Zhengting had spread like wildfire in Jiangcheng.
“What’s all this fuss about?” Xia Minghui’s slightly hoarse voice suddenly cut through their argument, his gaze fixed directly on Xia Yan.
Xia Yan wasn’t afraid of his stare. Instead, she looked back at him without flinching. This had nothing to do with her, and she had no intention of wading into this mess.
“Yueyue, tell me—what’s the fight about?”
Xia Siyue glared coldly at Xia Yan, as if trying to shift the blame onto her. But when she glanced at the person who had started the argument, she changed her mind and pointed her finger at the first one who had insulted her. “Dad, it’s her.”
“Uncle, I, I…”
Xia Minghui glanced at the speaker and waved a hand to cut him off, then briefly looked at the girl’s father—his younger brother.
Xia Yan stood below, watching for a while. If she had stayed earlier because she thought there was gossip to hear, she now changed her mind. This kind of drama was too boring—both sides were just accusing each other without mentioning the embarrassing topic at all.
The first to notice Xia Yan trying to leave was Xia Siyue. Before Xia Minghui could finish speaking, she shouted at Xia Yan’s retreating back, “Stop right there!”
Hearing this, Xia Yan didn’t think it was directed at her and continued walking upstairs.
“I said stop! Xia Yan!” Xia Siyue’s voice rang out again, laced with anger and a hint of coldness.
Xia Yan stopped as requested, standing on the second-floor landing. She slowly turned and looked down at the living room crowd. The focus had successfully shifted to her thanks to Xia Siyue. She sighed silently.
“What do you want now?”
“Hmph, don’t think you can slip away. In this situation, aren’t you going to say something?”
“How ridiculous, Xia Siyue. Are you sure you want me to speak? But I don’t see what I can say. I didn’t start this, so the focus isn’t on me. You’re deliberately trying to shift it my way—what’s your ulterior motive?”
“Don’t give me that nonsense!” Xia Siyue seemed stunned by Xia Yan’s calm demeanor, her patience clearly wearing thin.
Xia Minghui watched the two of them with a headache, his peripheral vision catching the onlookers—some were just enjoying the show, others were utterly confused. He cleared his throat and scolded them, “Both of you, shut up! If you have nothing to do, go to your rooms.”
Xia Yan welcomed his words. She had no interest in gossip anymore. Seeing everyone’s mixed intentions, she felt a bit drained, as if the earlier scene of women surrounding her had shaken her. It was ironic that someone as despised as her in the Xia family could one day turn the tables. It taught her one thing: human nature was truly fickle.
Given Xia Yan’s relationship with Lu Zhengting, Xia Minghui naturally seemed to favor her in everyone’s eyes. Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, Xia Yan maintained her composure and obediently followed his lead, heading upstairs to her room for some peace.
Seeing this, Xia Siyue was furious. She stared intently at Xia Yan, biting her lip. When had it started that wherever Xia Yan was, all attention shifted to her? What did that make her?
After Xia Yan left, the living room returned to its earlier silence, as if the argument had never happened.
In her room, Xia Yan lay on the bed, scrolling through her phone. Bored, she opened Weibo. Suddenly remembering the photo she had taken yesterday, she bit her lip, thought for a moment, exited Weibo, and opened her gallery. She found the picture that even made her blush.
The photo’s backdrop was the city’s fireworks, the dark sky painted in a riot of colors. She and Lu Zhengting stood beneath the church bell, surrounded by a dense crowd. Their bodies were pressed together, his hand on her waist, hers around his neck. As his lips descended, she had snapped the photo with lightning speed.
Now, looking at the picture, Lu Zhengting’s upright demeanor and sharp profile seemed softened by the beautiful background, losing some of its usual coldness.
Xia Yan gazed at it, unable to put it down. After hesitating, she blurred Lu Zhengting’s face in the photo, then opened Weibo and posted an update.
What she never expected was that this post would almost trend.
The culprit was Ning Nan.
Ten minutes after she posted, Ning Nan updated his Weibo. Spotting her post, he liked and commented without hesitation. Given Ning Nan’s influence, sharp-eyed fans immediately noticed, and speculation ran wild. Many online began guessing that Xia Yan and Ning Nan were publicly dating.
Who was Xia Yan? They didn’t know. But who was Ning Nan? Everyone knew.
In less than half a day, thanks to Ning Nan, Xia Yan became a hot topic. Her phone buzzed endlessly with notifications, leaving her stunned.
******Dongshan Villa.
Xiao Han was the first to wake up. Now standing before Lu Zhengting, he insisted on being taken to find Xia Yan. Ke Yaru, wearing an apron, came to find Lu Zhengting and was surprised to see this. Xiao Han’s fondness for Xia Yan only deepened her dislike.
The atmosphere at Dongshan Villa was much quieter than at the Xia residence.
After Lu Zhengting changed clothes, Xiao Han trotted behind him. Passing Ke Yaru, he gave her a sweet smile and called out, “Auntie.”
Ke Yaru patted his head gently and said softly, “Xiao Han, such a good boy.”
The three entered the dining room, where Jiang Mingxiu was already seated. She had originally planned to return to the US but changed her mind for some reason. She smiled as she watched Ke Yaru and Lu Zhengting walk side by side, with Xiao Han between them, looking pleased. Only Ke Yaru was worthy of Lu Zhengting.
During the meal, Ke Yaru kept sneaking glances at Lu Zhengting. Several times, her chopsticks picked up his favorite food but never placed it in his bowl—perhaps because of his grim expression.
In the afternoon, Lu Zhengting was in his study when he received a call from Ning Nan. Ning Nan briefly explained the Weibo situation. Frowning, Lu Zhengting hung up without a word.
His phone didn’t have Weibo installed. Influenced by Ning Nan, he reluctantly set it up, frowning the whole time. When registering, he paused.
Lu Zhengting would never reveal his ID to anyone. He found Ning Nan’s Weibo and then Xia Yan’s. Her latest post appeared on the homepage without needing to search—it wasn’t as troublesome as he’d imagined. Xia Yan had only shared a picture without any romantic caption. He instinctively scrolled through her entire feed and realized she wasn’t someone who posted often.
Her last post was from two months ago.
Lu Zhengting clicked on Xia Yan’s followed accounts. There were only a few, with Xi Xi standing out the most.
Did she like Xi Xi that much? Looking through, the only actors she followed were Xi Xi and Ning Nan, and it seemed she had only followed Ning Nan after meeting him.
This Weibo follow sent Lu Zhengting into deep thought. He put down his phone, left the study, and went to the bathroom to look in the mirror. The reflection showed a handsome, masculine man. Having someone as exceptional as himself, yet Xia Yan was still drawn to a kid like Xi Xi—that was infuriating.
When he returned to the study, he checked the time, grabbed his phone, and left. In the living room, Xiao Han, as if sensing something, kept an eye on Lu Zhengting’s movements. Seeing him about to go out, he dropped the remote without a second thought, ran over, and hugged his leg.
“Dad, are you going to see Sister Yan? I want to go too. Take me with you.”
“…” Lu Zhengting looked down at Xiao Han clinging to him. This little guy was supposed to be a little man—why was he so attached to Xia Yan?
Unaware of Lu Zhengting’s thoughts, Xiao Han had no intention of letting go and hugged tighter.