In the café, Lin Xujia placed her handbag on the empty chair beside her and glanced faintly at Xia Yan. "What do you want to say by bringing me here?"
Xia Yan pressed her lips together, pondered for a few seconds, then hesitantly said, "Xiaojia, have you been with him all this time?"
Hearing this, Lin Xujia admitted it generously, finding no difficulty in answering Xia Yan's question. "I've been with him all along. I don't know what you mean by asking that."
"Didn't you say... then were the words you said that day true?"
"I've said a lot of things. I don't know which one you're referring to."
"The words you said in front of the reporters that day."
"Oh, those words?" Lin Xujia suddenly lowered her head, playing with her fingers, letting out a low laugh. "Of course, those words were true. I did lose a child in my belly. Xia Yan, are you confused? Why am I still with him now, right?"
Xia Yan frowned but didn't respond to Lin Xujia's words. She was indeed puzzled about why, but she believed Lin Xujia would tell her voluntarily.
Sure enough, Lin Xujia stopped fidgeting with her fingers, crossed her hands casually on the table, her gaze unclear whether fixed on Xia Yan or the teacup in front of her. "Xia Yan, I told you long ago, I'm not you. I don't have your good fortune to be with the one I love."
After saying this, Lin Xujia paused for a long time, as if recalling something. "You know, I liked Yunchen from the first time we met. Before I could tell him, I found out that the person he liked was actually you. Do you understand how I felt when I learned that?"
Xia Yan stared intently at Lin Xujia, listening quietly.
"You should never understand how I felt back then. Xia Yan, what's so good about you? Why are they all eager to protect you? Forget it, these words don't matter now. After that incident with the reporters, I thought we'd never have a chance to sit and talk calmly again."
"Indeed, those words don't matter now. Xiaojia, you like Brother Ye and are willing to do anything for him. In this matter, I think I've never had the right to interfere. So let me ask you now, besides knowing about everything Ye Yunchen did, did you participate?"
"Yes."
"That was a straightforward answer."
"Since you already know everything, why would I lie to you?"
"You've lied to me plenty. Do you have any regret about causing the current situation of the Lin family?"
"Regret? Xia Yan, I'm not you. Since I did it, I never thought of denying it. In this matter, I will never regret it."
"If Uncle Lin wakes up one day, do you still think..."
"Yes, I still won't change what I'm saying now. I'm just giving back what they owed me."
"And Lin Youran?"
"Speaking of her, that really can't be blamed on me. Who told her to be stupid? She had to come looking for trouble that day. If she hadn't courted disaster, she wouldn't have been the one in trouble that day."
"Because the one who should have been in trouble that day was me, right?" Xia Yan said coldly.
Lin Xujia was stunned. "Yes, and no." "What do you mean?"
"Because of Lu Zhengting. Do you know why Lu Zhengting let me off after the Lin family's downfall? Because he was repaying a favor for you."
"Repaying a favor for me?"
Lin Xujia had no intention of continuing the conversation with Xia Yan. She deliberately spoke only half the truth, not wanting Xia Yan to know that even if she hadn't tipped off Lu Zhengting that day, Xia Yan still wouldn't have been in trouble, because Lu Zhengting already knew everything.
As for why Lu Zhengting, knowing the reason, still let her off, she figured it was because he didn't want Xia Yan to know the details.
Xia Yan stared unblinkingly at Lin Xujia, trying to find a flaw in her expression, but only saw a very calm demeanor.
"Xia Yan, you know the current situation. You and I, Ye Yunchen and Lu Zhengting, we're all on opposite sides. So we'd better not meet in private anymore. I don't think you want to give others something to talk about."
Lin Xujia picked up her bag, abruptly stood up, glanced expressionlessly at Xia Yan, and added, "Xia Yan, sometimes when I see you looking so detached and indifferent, I really hate it."
Xia Yan had nothing to say, only watching Lin Xujia leave the café. She sighed, withdrew her gaze to stare at the settled juice in her cup, stirred it with the straw a few times, then leaned back suddenly, her mood exceptionally complicated.
When Lu Zhengting came looking, he saw Xia Yan lying back in the chair with her eyes half-closed, her hair a bit messy, and two untouched drinks on the table. He narrowed his eyes and walked steadily toward her.
The light overhead was blocked, and darkness fell before Xia Yan's eyes. She opened her eyes slightly, and Lu Zhengting's face appeared in her view, covering everything around. Without thinking, Xia Yan adjusted her sitting position.
"How did you know I was here?"
"Lin Xujia told me."
Hearing this, Xia Yan let out a weak "oh," paused, then caught sight of the handsome Lu Zhengting sitting across from her. Jolted awake, she perked up, slapped her cheeks a few times, and said, "Let's not sit here anymore. Want to go shopping? Or find a restaurant to eat? Or watch a movie?"
Lu Zhengting didn't follow her suggested steps. Instead, he took Xia Yan's hand and led her through various women's clothing stores. In terms of dressing, Xia Yan's style was the sophisticated young woman type. She usually stuck to a fixed style, making it hard to change suddenly.
However, with Lu Zhengting accompanying her and the sales assistants' double pressure, she tried various styles. The only funny moment was when she tried on a particularly cute, kawaii-style outfit in one store. When she came out of the fitting room, she saw Lu Zhengting's face instantly turn green.
She was quite satisfied, but Lu Zhengting was strongly opposed. That outfit made her look like a high school student, drastically reducing her age.
That women's clothing store was immediately blacklisted by Lu Zhengting.
After shopping for clothes, Lu Zhengting prepared a candlelit dinner at a restaurant on the sixth floor.
As soon as Xia Yan stepped into the restaurant, she turned to Lu Zhengting and gave him a thumbs-up. Given Lu Zhengting's style, he wouldn't want to share a restaurant with strangers, so it was definitely a private booking.
Lu Zhengting didn't guess what Xia Yan's gesture meant, so he simply took it as her compliment.
With melodious, heartfelt music, an intimate and warm atmosphere, the handsome man across from her, and her casual self—if Xia Yan had known Lu Zhengting would take her on a date, she would never have come out in a down jacket or without makeup.
This sweet date caught her off guard. Looking at Lu Zhengting in his suit and tie, then at herself—well, she wasn't a total slob, at least she had her looks.
After dinner, Xia Yan thought it would end, but there was still a movie.
It really matched what she'd said that afternoon—the date routine was complete: shopping, eating, and watching a movie.
When Xia Yan and Lu Zhengting reached the cinema entrance on the seventh floor, they saw a very young man in neat uniform approaching them. Xia Yan frowned, glanced at the unperturbed Lu Zhengting, and pouted.
"Mr. Lu, I'm the cinema manager. We've prepared everything as you instructed. Please follow me this way."
Hearing this, Xia Yan studied the speaker, surprised someone so young could be a manager. Then she thought, someone hosting Lu Zhengting would be at least a manager or higher.
Seeing Xia Yan still dazed, Lu Zhengting turned his head. "Hurry up and follow?"
Couldn't he speak a little more gently? Xia Yan lowered her eyes and silently followed, glancing sideways at a few women at the ticket counter who looked like they wanted to devour Lu Zhengting.
Headache. Having such an attractive boyfriend made her feel insecure.
The further they went, the fewer people Xia Yan saw. The dinner booking scene came to mind—had he also booked the whole cinema? If it was Lu Zhengting, he was capable of it.
In the vast screening room, there was no one else but them. She could sit anywhere she wanted. With a click, the lights suddenly went out, plunging the room into darkness, and the big screen began showing bright images.
It looked like it would be pretty good.
Xia Yan hugged the popcorn handed to her by the manager, eating with relish, occasionally making slight crunching sounds. She offered the popcorn to Lu Zhengting, smiling. "Don't you want some? This popcorn is really good."
Lu Zhengting pushed the popcorn away with disgust. Such a girly snack—what would a grown man like him look like eating it? Just like when Xia Yan had insisted he eat ice cream that afternoon, he found it utterly distasteful.
******
Northern City.
Since Ning Xi had gone to Jiangcheng, Ning Nan, who hadn't often stayed home before, was now even more rarely back in Northern City after getting together with Xu Su. This New Year, the four Ning brothers were finally together, naturally creating a harmonious atmosphere, especially since Xu Xiao had given birth and her personality had subtly changed.
Ning Xi had been smiling nonstop since receiving Lu Zhengting's call that afternoon, and Ning Nan was smiling just as much. Ning Dong glanced at the silent youngest, Ning Bei, and after exchanging looks, they both realized they were clueless.
Ning Dong kicked Ning Nan and asked sternly, "What are you laughing at?"
Before Ning Nan could answer, he kicked Ning Xi too. "And what are you laughing at?"
Ning Bei observed their expressions seriously and said, "I can understand why the third brother is laughing so stupidly like the second, but I really can't understand you."
"Lao Yao, are you saying I'm laughing as stupidly as the second brother?"