Lu Zhengting's Adam's apple suddenly moved. Xia Yan instinctively followed his motion and swallowed, catching a glimpse of the slight curl at the corner of his mouth. She instantly realized what she had just done. Her face flushed, and she gave an awkward smile before shifting her gaze forward, staring straight ahead.
"Xiaohan listens to you well." Lu Zhengting's deep, husky voice suddenly rang out. That fleeting smile from before felt like Xia Yan's illusion—a passing streetlamp, its faint light casting a hazy visual effect over him.
Xia Yan was stunned. She had noticed recently that Xiaohan seemed to cling to her a lot.
Lu Zhengting said nothing more after that, and Xia Yan waited for him to continue. After turning left down this road, they would reach the gate of Jiangcheng University. Once the car came to a stop, Xia Yan unbuckled her seatbelt and thanked Lu Zhengting. When she tried to open the door, she realized he hadn't unlocked it—she couldn't get out at all.
"Mr. Lu, did you forget to unlock the door?"
"Did I?" Lu Zhengting asked in return.
Hearing this, Xia Yan shot a suspicious glance at his serious expression, then tried the handle again. A flicker of anger rose in her as she stared at him. "I'm sure you really did forget to unlock it!"
At her irritated tone, Lu Zhengting found it amusing. Thinking about how this girl looked at him with such disdain, it annoyed him to no end. Now, seeing her unable to stand him yet powerless to do anything about it, he felt pleased.
"The man at the coffee shop this afternoon—is he your friend?"
Xia Yan was wondering if Lu Zhengting had lost his mind. When he brought up the coffee shop, she stared at him intently. "Why are you asking?"
"Or is he your boyfriend?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Brother Ye and I are just good friends." The words slipped out of Xia Yan's mouth, and Lu Zhengting felt satisfied.
The corners of his lips curved slightly, his eyes sparkling like stars—bright and deep. Stared at unblinkingly by such eyes, Xia Yan's heart suddenly began to pound, racing at an alarming speed.
Xia Yan blinked rapidly, stammering, "You, don't, don't look at me like that."
"Then how should I look at you? Hmm?"
"I mean, open the door. I need to get back to school." Xia Yan suppressed her racing heart and spoke quickly. She felt she was in dangerous territory now. Lu Zhengting's charm wasn't just in his status in Jiangcheng; it was also in his innate aura, like a king looking down on all beings, lofty enough to make everyone want to worship him. Add to that his handsome, sharp features, and it was enough to tempt any woman.
Everyone likes beautiful things and people, and Xia Yan was no exception.
Lu Zhengting seemed to sense her embarrassment and became even more nonchalant. Jiangcheng University's latest curfew was midnight; after that, she couldn't get back to the dorm. Though there were still about two hours until curfew, Xia Yan didn't want to be alone with Lu Zhengting right now.
"You're nervous?" Lu Zhengting said lightly.
"You're boring!" Xia Yan retorted angrily.
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting chuckled. A Maybach parked at the school gate was bound to draw attention—both men and women would curiously glance over. Xia Yan felt she was on the verge of losing it. She really couldn't understand what Lu Zhengting was trying to do now. "What exactly do you want?" She noticed Lin Xujia and Ye Yunchen walking side by side toward them from the other direction, and an inexplicable irritation welled up inside her.
"I don't want anything."
Compared to Lu Zhengting's calm composure, Xia Yan's words carried a hint of anger. His expressionless face turned to her, who was about to lose her cool, and he added, "If I remember correctly, those two are your friends."
Lu Zhengting didn't phrase it as a question; he stated it with certainty. Xia Yan rolled her eyes. "That doesn't seem to be any of your business, does it, Mr. Lu?"
Lu Zhengting nodded. A click sounded, and Xia Yan knew the door was unlocked. She grabbed her bag and, without looking back, opened the door and got out. Though Ye Yunchen and Lin Xujia had already entered the school and there weren't many people at the gate, she still hurried inside quickly.
Back in the dorm, Lin Xujia rushed up to her, grinning. "I thought you weren't coming back to the dorm tonight."
"How could that be?"
Sensing the anger radiating from Xia Yan, Lin Xujia pulled out a nearby chair, plopped down, and tugged at Xia Yan. Glancing at the other two roommates, she lowered her voice. "Did you and Mr. Lu have a fight?"
"No." Xia Yan gave Lin Xujia a flat look, brushed her hand off her arm, and lazily pulled out another chair. Her mind was on what Lu Zhengting had done tonight and why. She couldn't figure him out at all, but that only made her define him as more dangerous—he had been marked as an extremely high-risk person in her book.
Lin Xujia stared at her in disbelief. "You're not lying? If you didn't fight with Mr. Lu, why are you so angry?"
"PMS symptoms." Xia Yan tugged at her hair in frustration. This wasn't a lie to fool Lin Xujia—her period was indeed due in a few days.
Bored with the lack of response, Lin Xujia grabbed her pajamas and headed to the bathroom. Besides the two of them, the dorm had students from other departments. Xia Yan had never been very sociable, so her relationship with the other two girls wasn't great.
All night, Xia Yan couldn't sleep well. Her dreams kept shifting scenes, the only constant being Lu Zhengting's cold face. In the middle of the night, she suddenly opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. She had dreamed that Lu Zhengting confessed to her!
It was a horrifying image.
Xia Yan patted her chest, still shaken, and pulled the blanket tighter. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if she ever faced that in reality. Then she thought, Lu Zhengting liking her would probably be a joke in everyone's eyes. With that thought, she drifted back into a dazed sleep.
Finally, she had no more terrifying dreams and slept until dawn.
After class at noon, she got a call from the Xia family asking her to come home. She thought for a moment and realized that if the Xia family was calling her, she had to show up. She went back to the dorm, packed a few things, and headed to the Xia residence.
At the Xia house.
When Xia Yan appeared in the living room, the old Madam Xia's stiff, stern face immediately softened into a kind smile. Leaning on her cane, she slowly stood up from the sofa. "Xia Yan is back."
"Madam, is there something you need me for?" Xia Yan pretended not to see the smile on the old lady's face and said flatly.
"It's just that you haven't been home in so long. Today, I had the kitchen make some of your favorite dishes. You'll have to eat a lot later."
Hearing this, Xia Yan felt something was off. She eyed the unusually warm old lady suspiciously. Everyone knew she rarely came back to the Xia house, and the family was used to it by now. Bringing it up now left her confused and baffled.
"Madam, if there's nothing else, I'll head to the hospital."
"Xia Yan, I told you to stay for dinner." The old Madam's smile faded, replaced by a hint of anger.
Xia Siyue, who had followed in behind, saw the tension between them as soon as she entered. After a moment's thought, she approached the old lady and said sweetly, "Grandma, what's wrong? Xia Yan is Lu Zhengting's woman now."
"Shut up!" The old Madam snapped at Xia Siyue.
"Grandma?" Xia Siyue stared at her in disbelief, her face flushing red. In Xia Yan's eyes, it was probably from anger, since the old lady had scolded her in front of everyone.
The old Madam gave Xia Siyue a pained look. Yang Jinkuan had been having a rough time lately—many of his assets had been inexplicably seized. If there wasn't someone behind it, given Yang Jinkuan's reputation, things wouldn't have come to this. He had many enemies, but the only one who could make him pay was Lu Zhengting; anyone else was unlikely.
As soon as the old Madam heard the news, she called Xia Yan immediately. The grudge between Lu Zhengting and Yang Jinkuan started because of Xia Yan. Now that Xia Yan had Lu Zhengting's protection, she was helpless. And Xia Siyue, oblivious to the situation, didn't read the room. The old Madam hadn't blamed her for what happened on Lin Xujia's birthday, but after learning about Yang Jinkuan's troubles, she still feared getting caught in the crossfire.
Xia Yan didn't know what the old Madam was thinking, but she guessed something had happened—something that threatened the Xia family or the old lady herself, and it involved her. Otherwise, why would the usually aloof old Madam be trying to win her over?
Seeing this, Xia Yan smirked coldly. After being scolded by the old Madam, Xia Siyue's resentment toward Xia Yan deepened. She didn't believe a man like Lu Zhengting would ever fancy a woman like Xia Yan. Pausing, she turned and glared viciously at Xia Yan, catching the lingering cold smile on her face. Thinking Xia Yan was laughing at her, she stormed over.
"Xia Yan, do you think you can be smug forever?"
"Smug?" Xia Yan murmured the word, lifting her head to glance at Xia Siyue. "Which eye of yours sees me being smug? Are you blind?"
"You—" Xia Siyue spun around and went back to the old Madam, tugging at her sleeve and whining, "Grandma, look at how Xia Yan talks to me. She doesn't see me as her sister at all. Sure enough, now that she's latched onto Lu Zhengting, she's a completely different person."
"Enough, let's go eat."
Xia Yan smiled, not even glancing at Xia Siyue, and turned to walk toward the dining room. Xia Minghui rarely came home for lunch. On the long rectangular table, the dishes were abundant and colorful, appetizing at first glance. But seeing all her favorite foods, Xia Yan suddenly lost her appetite.