When Zhan Meng rang the doorbell, Xia Yan was blow-drying her hair. She couldn't just skip using the hairdryer like before—now that she had a baby on the way, she had to pay attention to things she usually overlooked. After unplugging the hairdryer, she went to open the door.
Seeing Zhan Meng's furious expression, Xia Yan was completely baffled. Zhan Meng brushed past her without a word, strode straight into the living room, plopped down on the sofa, and slammed the six-pack of beer she was carrying onto the coffee table with a heavy thud.
"Who made you mad? Why are you so upset?"
"No one made me mad. I'm just in a terrible mood. If you're my friend, drink with me." Zhan Meng shot up from the sofa, grabbed a bottle, aimed the cap at her mouth, bit it open, and popped it off.
Xia Yan took the bottle as Zhan Meng, without hesitation, opened another the same way and raised it toward her. "Cheers. Drink as much as you want."
Xia Yan watched as Zhan Meng downed an entire bottle in one go. When she finished, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and set the bottle down on the coffee table with a clink. "Why aren't you drinking?"
"Zhan Meng, sorry, I'm pregnant. I can't..."
"Damn, why didn't you say so earlier? If I'd known you were pregnant, I wouldn't have asked you to drink." Zhan Meng said quickly, but her actions didn't slow down. She deftly grabbed another bottle, bit off the cap, and started chugging again.
After half a bottle, Zhan Meng frowned, took a breath, and looked at Xia Yan. "Don't drink. Give me the beer. Just sit there and watch, or call a friend over?"
A friend? The word "few" barely described the people around her.
"Are you thinking about that Lin, Lin Xujia again?" Zhan Meng shot Xia Yan a sidelong glance. "That woman's no pushover. I think it's a good thing you saw her true colors early. Forget it, I'll just drink alone. You have some water."
"By the way, the baby in your belly—it's Lu Zhengting's, right?"
The words hung in the air, and Xia Yan's forehead creased with exasperation as she gave Zhan Meng a helpless, wry smile.
"Oh, my bad. Of course, it's Lu Zhengting's. Look at me and my big mouth."
"I'm fine. But Zhan Meng, what happened to you? Why are you like this?"
"Me? Nothing happened. I'm just in a bad mood. Tell me, aren't men these days either brainless or blind? There's a gorgeous woman right in front of them, and they go chasing after trash instead."
"Huh? Are you talking about Ning Xi?"
"Ning Xi? Why would I talk about that idiot?" Zhan Meng rolled her eyes, refusing to admit she meant Ning Xi. She was fuming inside, wishing she could delete the scene she'd witnessed tonight from her memory.
"Idiot?"
"Yeah, Ning Xi's an idiot. Forget it, let's not talk about stuff that kills the mood. Keep drinking."
At first, Xia Yan thought Zhan Meng could hold her liquor well. But after three bottles, Zhan Meng gloriously passed out, eyes half-closed, slumped on the sofa. Xia Yan realized then that Zhan Meng not only had a low tolerance but also babbled nonsense when drunk.
With her eyes shut, Zhan Meng's mouth didn't stop. She kept cursing Ning Xi, but Xia Yan couldn't make heads or tails of it after listening for a while. Frustrated, she tried to help Zhan Meng to a room, only to find Zhan Meng wouldn't let anyone near her.
The clock on the wall showed ten. Zhan Meng was in no shape to go home on her own, and Xia Yan didn't feel comfortable letting her try. She grabbed a quilt and draped it over Zhan Meng, deciding to let her sleep on the sofa for the night.
After cleaning up the mess in the living room, Xia Yan felt a dull ache in her lower back. Rubbing it, she returned to her room. To keep an ear out for Zhan Meng during the night, she left the door open as she went to sleep.
As the night deepened, the apartment fell silent except for Zhan Meng's uneven breathing. Lying in bed, Xia Yan felt an indescribable sensation. She placed her hand on her belly, trying to sense the tiny life inside. It was a strange, wonderful feeling.
Carrying a new life within her felt both miraculous and thrilling.
As drowsiness crept in, Xia Yan drifted into a dream. In it, she seemed to be in a blank space, surrounded by white light. She couldn't see a thing or hear a sound.
Suddenly, her eyes widened. A little girl in a floral dress with two pigtails ran toward her. The girl looked happy and seemed to like her. Xia Yan stared down, stunned, as the girl hugged her leg. Her lips moved, and the girl called out, "Mommy."
Lu Zhengting left the villa late at night and drove back to Xia Yan's apartment alone. He had a spare key, so he didn't need to go through her. Tiptoeing into the living room, he fumbled through the dark toward the bedroom. Then, in an instant, he heard a faint noise from the living room.
Zhan Meng kicked off the quilt. Before Lu Zhengting could react, her foot knocked a beer bottle off the coffee table. It shattered with a crack, the smell of alcohol spreading through the air.
Xia Yan was a light sleeper. At the sound, she snapped awake, turned on the bedside lamp, threw off the covers, and hurried to the living room.
*Click.*
The living room light flicked on. Seeing Lu Zhengting suddenly there, Xia Yan's mouth fell open wide enough to fit an egg. She blinked hard, making sure it wasn't a hallucination, before asking, "What are you doing here? At this hour, shouldn't you be at the villa?"
Lu Zhengting half-covered his eyes. "Why is she here?"
"Zhan Meng?"
Catching the lingering smell of alcohol, Lu Zhengting shot a disdainful glance at Zhan Meng, sprawled out on the sofa. This woman had come to drink with Xia Yan and was sleeping here—unacceptable. He paused, took a deep breath, and without a second thought, called Ning Xi.
At that moment, Ning Xi was on his way back from a business dinner. He lounged in the back seat, knowing full well those people had tried to get him drunk. They'd failed with a seduction tactic and were now trying a sneakier move to trap him.
He squinted, loosening his tie with long, slender fingers. When his phone rang, he answered lazily. "What's up, calling so late?"
"Come get your woman."
"What woman? I don't have one. And even if I did, she wouldn't be at your place." Ning Xi chuckled.
"Thirty minutes. If you're not here, I'm throwing her out."
"Fine, go ahead." Ning Xi hung up, muttering under his breath about how annoying Lu Zhengting was. Pocketing his phone, Zhan Meng's face suddenly popped into his mind. Replaying Lu Zhengting's words, he perked up and ordered the driver to head to Xia Yan's apartment.
When Ning Xi arrived, he was dumbfounded by the scene: Zhan Meng sprawled on the sofa, Lu Zhengting looking disgusted and impatient, and Xia Yan sleepy-eyed. "So, what's going on? Why does it smell like booze? Did you three drink?"
Xia Yan yawned. "It's Zhan Meng. She seems upset."
"Her? Upset? Little sis-in-law, you're joking, right?"
"Take it as a joke if you want, but I'm serious." Xia Yan yawned again. Lu Zhengting shot Ning Xi a stern look.
"Get her out of here, now."
Ning Xi's gaze flicked between Xia Yan and Lu Zhengting—one in pajamas, the other in casual wear. Lu Zhengting had clearly come here in the middle of the night.
*See but don't expose.* That was Ning Xi's motto.
He obeyed, walked over to Zhan Meng, and roughly scooped her up in a princess carry. Heading for the door, he paused at the entrance and shot the couple a sly grin.
Xia Yan was too tired to deal with Lu Zhengting. After they left, she quickly shut her eyes, stumbled back to her room, hooked the door shut with her foot, and collapsed onto the bed to sleep.
Lu Zhengting was amused by her smooth, decisive moves. Smiling, he casually followed her into the room.
Meanwhile, Zhan Meng had no idea she'd been moved. Ning Xi laid her across the back seat, her head resting on his thigh. He shook his arms, grumbling to himself. *She looks thin, but she's heavier than I thought.*
Zhan Meng found the "pillow" comfortable and shifted, nearly rolling off the seat. Ning Xi grabbed her arm just in time and sighed. *She's a handful awake, and even more trouble asleep.*
"Ow..." Ning Xi winced sharply.
The driver turned to see Ning Xi's reddening face. "Third Young Master, what's wrong?"
"From now on, don't turn around unless I say so."
Ning Xi quickly grabbed the offending hand and hissed through gritted teeth at Zhan Meng, who had no clue what she'd done. "Are you trying to make me sterile?"
Silence answered him, mixed with the awkward tension of warm and cool air colliding.
Zhan Meng, still unaware of what she was holding, squeezed it sleepily. It was soft. Confused, she squeezed again. It wasn't soft anymore, but her hand seemed stuck. She struggled a bit, annoyed, and pinched it once more.
*Gulp.* "Oh, you little demon, trying to bite me? I'll kill you!"
Hearing this, cold sweat beaded on Ning Xi's forehead. His face twisted as he held Zhan Meng's hand still, afraid she'd repeat her earlier move unknowingly. Now he was worried about the desire she'd stirred up in him—what was he supposed to do about that?