"I won't disturb you. I'm going to go see my little nephew." Ning Xi stood up from the sofa, shook out his legs, his face beaming like spring.
Ning Xi walked through the company as if it were his own home, making his way to Xia Yan's office with practiced ease. He gave a symbolic knock on the door, and as he pushed it open, he saw Xia Yan sitting in her chair, lost in thought.
"Little sister-in-law?"
Ning Xi called out a few times before Xia Yan snapped back to reality. Startled to see Ning Xi so close, she leaned back in surprise, but the chair's wheels suddenly rolled backward with her movement. Panicking, she grabbed the armrest with one hand and protected her belly with the other.
Just as the chair was about to hit the floor-to-ceiling window, Ning Xi quickly grabbed the other armrest and used his long legs to hook under the seat cushion, pulling it back with force. This fully showcased the advantage of his long legs.
Xia Yan, still shaken, patted her chest and took a deep breath, staring at the suddenly appearing Ning Xi. "How did you end up here? Aren't you with Zhan Meng?"
"Aren't I here to see my little nephew?"
"Is Zhan Meng here too?"
"Little sister-in-law, here I am, a living person standing right in front of you, and all you can think about is asking about Zhan Meng."
"Don't be like that. If Lu Zhengting sees this, I reckon you'll get beaten up."
Hearing this, Ning Xi frowned and thought it over. It did seem to make sense—Lu Zhengting's possessive streak was no joke and not something just anyone could challenge. With that in mind, he immediately struck a very manly, proper pose.
Xia Yan was amused by Ning Xi's antics. As she looked up, her gaze inadvertently caught sight of what looked like a hickey near the base of Ning Xi's neck, just below his collarbone. A mischievous smile curled at the corners of her mouth, and she fixed her eyes on Ning Xi without blinking, staring until he felt creeped out.
Ning Xi now looked like a wronged wife, carefully adjusting his collar before finally beating a hasty retreat. Xia Yan chuckled a few times, and after confirming Ning Xi had truly left the office, she spaced out for a bit before starting work.
All morning, Xia Yan was distracted, feeling like something was about to happen.
As soon as Ning Xi stepped out of the Lu Group building, his phone buzzed. It was a call from Ning Bei.
Without saying anything else, Ning Bei just dropped a line: "He's at your villa right now."
"You say you're where?"
"Jiang City. On your living room couch."
Ning Xi hung up with a snap, walked to the parking lot, got in his car, and drove home. That kid Ning Bei had come to Jiang City without a word—he had no idea what he was up to.
Rushing home at top speed, Ning Xi found Ning Bei lounging like a big shot, legs crossed, eyes half-closed, looking carefree and at ease.
"Third brother, where's your hidden beauty?"
"Did you come all the way here first thing in the morning just to see if I have a hidden beauty?"
"Exactly. As your last comrade in arms, how could I watch you leave me behind?"
"Little brother, who told you I have a hidden beauty?" Ning Xi thought for a moment, then quickly said, "Lu Zhengting!"
Ning Bei nodded, still fixated on where this hidden beauty was.
A hidden beauty? Zhan Meng?
That evening, since Ning Bei had suddenly arrived in Jiang City, Ning Xi decisively took him to the Heavenly Realm to experience the city's glitz and glamour. The most important thing was that the Heavenly Realm's secret boss was Xu Su.
Ning Nan and Xu Su had disappeared together for a month or two. Now, Xu Su was busy, and Ning Nan had gone back to North City to continue his carefree life in the entertainment industry. Xu Su naturally had to follow, so Ning Bei took the chance to hand the company over to Ning Nan. His plan was that Xu Su couldn't stand seeing Ning Nan tired, so she'd take charge.
Indirectly handing the company to Xu Su was something he was comfortable with, especially since he'd be staying in Jiang City for two or three days anyway.
Since Xia Yan was pregnant, the men present were strictly forbidden from smoking or drinking.
This wasn't the first time Xia Yan had seen Ning Bei's generosity. This time, his gift to her was no less than last time, though it was a welcome gift for the baby in her belly.
Maybe because of the pregnancy, Xia Yan had inexplicably fallen into a sleepy mode lately, feeling like she couldn't get enough sleep even in twenty-four hours. Lu Zhengting sat there like a statue for a while before taking Xia Yan and leaving. As for the two single brothers, they were like wild horses let loose, ready to roam.
Leaving the private room, the two entered the first-floor lobby. The psychedelic lights created a hazy visual effect, briefly flickering over everyone's faces and bodies before quickly shifting. Ning Bei was used to such places from his business dealings in North City, so he was familiar with the scene.
The Heavenly Realm happened to have an event tonight: a masquerade ball. As per the staff's request, anyone participating had to wear a mask of their choice.
Ning Xi and Ning Bei each picked a mask they liked and stepped onto the dance floor. The crowd in the center grew thicker, and Ning Bei felt a bit overwhelmed. Just as he was about to pull Ning Xi out for some air, he noticed two masked women suddenly appear on the stage in front of them.
One of the women had a perfectly proportioned figure, wearing a crop top and performing a belly dance. Her headpiece and outfit hinted at an exotic flair, her slender arms swaying slowly in the air. She looked down at the audience with a queenly gaze, her mask covering half her face.
Ning Xi couldn't tear his eyes away from this suddenly appearing woman. For some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity, and he noticed that when her gaze landed on his side, her dance movements paused for a second.
"Third brother, don't tell me you've got your eye on her?"
"Yeah, I do." The more Ning Xi thought about it, the more something felt off. He wanted to confront this masked woman.
The woman on stage suddenly exited early, replaced by others, leaving the men in the audience, who had been stirred up, feeling disappointed. Many wanted to catch a glimpse of her face.
Ning Xi pushed through the crowd, heading straight for the backstage dressing room.
Zhan Meng and Feng Yuan, who had hastily left the stage, were now quickly changing clothes in the dressing room, not even bothering to remove their makeup. But when luck was on your side, nothing could stop it.
Zhan Meng carefully tugged Feng Yuan out of the dressing room, only to find Ning Xi leaning against the wall in the dim light, waiting for them to walk right into his trap. This was all based on their last encounter.
Ning Bei strolled over unhurriedly, looking around, and asked, "Third brother, do you know them?"
"No." Zhan Meng answered Ning Bei without thinking, lowering her voice, too guilty to look at Ning Xi.
Feng Yuan secretly glanced at Ning Bei. He had already taken off his mask. She felt like she had seen this person somewhere before, but couldn't quite remember.
Ning Xi smirked, arms crossed, quietly watching Zhan Meng struggle in vain. There was no way he'd forget that voice.
Zhan Meng's mind raced, trying to quickly shake off the two men in front of her. "Sir, I think you've mistaken me for someone else."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, sir, you clearly have an extraordinary presence. How could you possibly know us?"
"Well, that's true. It's rare for you to admit I have an extraordinary presence." As Ning Xi said this, he suddenly tightened his grip on Feng Yuan's hand, making her yelp.
Zhan Meng lifted her head slightly, fuming inside! She had just wanted to relax a bit—how did she end up running into Ning Xi again? Last night's events were still fresh in her mind, and she hadn't figured out how to face him yet.
Ning Xi cleared his throat a few times, hiding his amusement, and said, "Zhan Meng, what are you pretending for? Even if you're dressed like this, I'd still recognize you. Even if you weren't wearing a single stitch of clothing, I'd know it's you."
The last sentence was whispered into Zhan Meng's ear. He could clearly and strongly feel her anger now, because the moment he finished speaking, she raised her knee and drove it hard into his groin.
"Bastard! If you ever say something like that again, I'll make you taste that pain once more." Zhan Meng glared angrily at Ning Xi, who was pointing at her, then grabbed Feng Yuan's hand and ran outside.
Impulsive! That last remark had given away that she had been faking ignorance this morning.
Luckily, her mask hid her expression, or they would have seen her face was now bright red and burning hot, all because of Ning Xi's final words.
Ning Bei looked at his third brother with sympathy and pity, clicking his tongue. "That looks painful just watching."
"Little brother, are you really going to make sarcastic comments? Can't you come over and help me?"
"Third brother, seriously, you're into this kind of violent woman? How much do you enjoy being abused?"
"Shut up!" If Zhan Meng kept this up, kidney failure would become a real possibility. This woman kept using that move on his manhood—he had been way too careless.
Ning Bei glanced at him and added, "You can't take your eyes off a woman when you see one. Serves you right."
"Little brother." Ning Xi hesitated, looking up at Ning Bei. "You're not into men, are you?"
"Get lost! I like women!" He paused, then added, "But definitely not that kind of woman."
With a sister-in-law like Xu Xiao at home who was always hands-on, if he added another sister-in-law like that, how would he, as the youngest, survive? And given the Ning family's fine genes, the third brother was already on the path to being a henpecked husband, with no turning back.
Ning Xi went straight to Zhan Meng's place, but no one was there. As far as he knew, this was the only address he had for her, and there was no sign of her. Ning Bei dragged Ning Xi back to the villa—he was here to relax, not to run around after Ning Xi.
Zhan Meng, you can dodge me today, but not forever.
The Zhan Meng being thought about suddenly sneezed. Feng Yuan quickly handed her a tissue. "Cousin, what happened between you two? Why do I see you acting like a mouse seeing a cat when you run into him today?"
"What kind of talk is that? I'm a mouse?" Zhan Meng shot her a glare. She wasn't a mouse—she was a tiger!
"Cousin, even though I don't know exactly what went down between you, at least I'm sure of one thing."
"What's that?"
"I'm not telling you."