Xiaohan's coaxing had no effect on Lu Zhengting; he still couldn't escape the decision to be left at home. He watched longingly as Lu Zhengting drove away from the villa. Ke Yaru stepped forward to comfort him, but Xiaohan seemed to bounce back in an instant, dropping his pitiful expression and bounding off to his little study.
Seeing this, Ke Yaru swallowed the words that had been on the tip of her tongue. Jiang Mingxiu had her own plans for the afternoon and usually didn't want to be disturbed at this time. The villa's servants were all busy with their tasks, leaving Ke Yaru feeling somewhat superfluous.
Lu Zhengting drove himself, without a chauffeur, in his usual black Maybach. The car stood out among the bustling traffic.
East Mountain Villa and the Xia family's home were on opposite ends of Jiangcheng. Without traffic, the drive took about sixty minutes. Lu Zhengting parked the car under a tree outside the estate, rolled down the window halfway, and pondered which direction Xia Yan might be. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to call her.
Meanwhile, Xia Yan was still lying in bed, maintaining the same curled-up position with her legs bent, holding her phone. Her slender, fair fingers occasionally swiped the screen, her expression alternating between smiles and frowns as she picked out comments—mostly from Ning Nan's fans, some skeptical, others offering blessings.
After reading many comments, Xia Yan's mouth twitched. She decisively looked at the photo again. Lu Zhengting's face was blurred with a mosaic, making it hard even for those who knew him well to recognize him, since only his body was visible besides his head.
Xia Yan couldn't help but laugh. She'd never found people's wild imaginations amusing before, but now she found it novel. She and Ning Nan had nothing in common—unless she liked Xu Su, there was no connection between them...
The thought lingered in her mind for less than a second before a chill ran down her spine. What would Lu Zhengting do if he found out? Fly into a rage? Give her a meaningful look to figure out herself? Or just grab her and beat her up?
"Ding ding ding..."
As Xia Yan was spacing out, her phone on the pillow suddenly rang. The sound startled her so much her heart nearly stopped. When she saw the caller ID, she shot up in bed, gasping. She really shouldn't have been thinking about him—no sooner had Lu Zhengting's image crossed her mind than he called.
Xia Yan cleared her throat, steadying her racing heart, and swiped to answer. "Lu Zhengting."
"Mm, come down."
"Come out? Where are you now?" Xia Yan's heart tightened as she spoke slowly, hardly believing he was here.
Lu Zhengting glanced at his watch. "I'm outside right now."
"Okay, wait a moment. I'll be right down." Xia Yan threw off the covers, grabbed her down jacket from the hanger, and slipped it on. Before reaching the door, she turned back to the vanity, checked her reflection, brushed her hair, smiled, and then hurried downstairs.
The living room seemed harmonious only when Xia Yan wasn't there. She noticed this as she descended but paid it no mind—she hadn't wanted to come back to the Xia family for New Year's anyway. If Xia Minghui hadn't specifically sought her out, she'd be in her own apartment.
Several older people were gathered around Xia Minghui. Xia Yan didn't know what they were discussing, but when Xia Minghui looked her way, she smiled and said, "Father, I have something to take care of. I need to step out for a bit."
Xia Minghui generally didn't interfere with Xia Yan's comings and goings, but Xia Siyue never missed a chance to pick a fight. Spotting Xia Yan's urgency, she jumped up from the sofa and confronted her. "What's so urgent that you have to leave now? Don't you know we have guests?"
"Guests? So they're all guests?" Xia Yan frowned, muttering softly.
Hearing this, Xia Siyue didn't realize Xia Yan had set a trap. She thought Xia Yan was at a loss for words. "Of course. They come once a year, and you'd abandon them for your so-called urgent business? That would disgrace the Xia family."
Xia Yan didn't get angry; instead, she smiled. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the relatives around Xia Siyue's expressions turning slightly awkward after her remark. Though Xia Yan rarely kept in touch with these relatives, she could guess they didn't see themselves as guests in front of Xia Minghui—he loved his status in the family.
Before Xia Yan could respond, Xia Minghui's face darkened. He snapped at Xia Siyue, "Yueyue, sit down. What kind of behavior is this?" Then he shifted his tone to Xia Yan. "Yanyan, where are you off to in such a hurry? Need the driver to take you?"
"Father, no need. He's here to pick me up."
Everyone assumed "he" referred to Lu Zhengting—no one else came to mind. Xia Minghui knew Lu Zhengting likely had leverage over him, so he instinctively avoided conflict with him. Knowing Lu Zhengting was here for Xia Yan, he naturally didn't stop her.
Xia Siyue's face turned sour, and even those around her could feel her hostility. They exchanged glances, staying silent, though a few bolder ones looked at Xia Yan with admiration and longing.
No one could stop Xia Yan from leaving the villa, but someone bold enough suddenly stood up—only to back down when Xia Yan's gaze swept over them.
Xia Yan didn't know her intentions, but Xia Siyue did. Her eighteen-year-old cousin wanted to follow Xia Yan out to meet Lu Zhengting. Xia Siyue coldly glanced at the girl beside her and sneered, "Slut."
Xia Yan didn't care about what happened next. She didn't want to know. Any woman eyeing Lu Zhengting was an enemy in her book.
Once outside the villa, Xia Yan realized how cold it was. It seemed to get chillier every year at this time. Standing on the steps, she scanned the parked cars and finally spotted Lu Zhengting's under a tree. She grinned and jogged over.
Lu Zhengting opened the door, got out, and caught Xia Yan as she rushed into his arms. He chuckled. "Looks like you missed me."
"Who missed you? It's just too cold, so I ran over."
"I don't believe you." "Lu Zhengting, you have to believe me." Xia Yan burrowed into his chest, slipping her hands into his coat pockets. "Why are your pockets warmer than mine?"
"Are you sure it's not because I'm warmer?"
Xia Yan's forehead creased. She looked up at his eyes, full of amusement, tilted her head, and said in a coy tone, "Fine, fine, you're the warm one."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting shuddered slightly, clearly unused to her acting this way.
"Oh, why are you looking at me like I'm an idiot? I'm perfectly normal, okay?" Xia Yan said with a straight face.
Without a doubt, Lu Zhengting was an exception among men. Faced with such sugary talk, he reacted differently than most. Right now, he unhesitatingly covered her mouth, frowning. "Be normal."
Xia Yan shook her head. Lu Zhengting thought she refused to act normal and didn't let go. Out of the corner of her eye, Xia Yan noticed several women lurking by the door, peeking their way. She got annoyed—it felt like someone was ogling her treasure. And Lu Zhengting was still muffling her.
Fuming, Xia Yan glared at him. He asked, "Nod or shake?"
She shook her head again, then frantically shook it a second later.
Lu Zhengting finally released her mouth. Seeing his palm was sticky, he grimaced in disgust at Xia Yan's breathless expression.
"Lu Zhengting, do you know I almost died at your hands?"
"Don't say nonsense during New Year's."
"Tch, I didn't know you were superstitious." Xia Yan said dismissively.
Lu Zhengting didn't deny it. He didn't believe in gods, Buddhas, or ghosts, but for Xia Yan, he was willing to entertain a little superstition.
"Lu Zhengting, how about I take you to Korea?" Xia Yan stroked her chin, sizing him up as he wiped the saliva off his hand with disgust, and blurted out.
Lu Zhengting froze, baffled by her sudden remark. "You want to go to Korea for a trip?"
Xia Yan had mentioned traveling before, but he couldn't let her go alone, and his work schedule had put it on hold. Hearing her now, his first thought was a trip.
"No..." Xia Yan squinted, wagging her index finger. She'd thought about getting plastic surgery in Korea—to fix flaws. But her idea was bizarre: she wanted to make Lu Zhengting's face less devastatingly handsome, to ugly it up...
She only dared to think it. She'd never say it out loud, even if it killed her. She could already imagine his reaction—he'd think she'd lost her mind or been possessed.
Xia Yan grabbed Lu Zhengting's hand and pulled him toward the car. "Get in, let's get out of here fast."
"Are you being chased by a pack of monsters?" Lu Zhengting settled into the passenger seat. Since Xia Yan wanted to drive, he gladly gave up the wheel. With him by her side, she could cause all the trouble she wanted.