Seeing Lu Zhengting dodge his punch and take Xia Yan away from him, he instantly became extremely furious. His punches grew faster and faster, yet in Lu Zhengting's eyes, none of this seemed to pose any threat.
Lu Zhengting handled it calmly and composedly. Xia Yan stood at the bridgehead, and Ye Yunchen hadn't gained any advantage.
Xia Yan took a deep breath. Just as Lu Zhengting seemed to lose patience with Ye Yunchen and was about to counterattack, Xia Yan frowned, strode between the two of them, and blocked Lu Zhengting's fist mid-air.
Lu Zhengting's expression darkened, while Ye Yunchen's face brightened from gloom.
Xia Yan faced Lu Zhengting, knowing exactly what she was doing. She grabbed his wrist and said quietly, "Let's go."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting furrowed his brows tightly, glanced toward Ye Yunchen, curled his lips into a cold smirk, took Xia Yan's hand, and led her away expressionlessly before his eyes.
"Xia Yan..." Ye Yunchen called out loudly to her as he watched their retreating figures. In the earlier scuffle with Lu Zhengting, he had clearly realized that Lu Zhengting was just toying with him—he was no match for him.
Xia Yan heard him but didn't turn back. She couldn't quite define her feelings for Ye Yunchen. To her, the most precious thing between them was their friendship, but one of them had let that feeling sour.
From the misty bridge back to the car, the distance wasn't far—just a ten-minute walk. Lu Zhengting's expression was grim, and Xia Yan was lost in her own thoughts. They walked one behind the other, drawing the attention of many passersby, especially women.
Most of the gazes came from the women they passed, all uniformly fixed on Lu Zhengting. Xia Yan was sure that if she weren't holding his hand, these women wouldn't hesitate to stop him and ask for his contact information.
Through the shaded path, they returned to the car. The driver and bodyguards Xia Yan had arranged to wait in the car were nowhere to be seen. She pursed her lips, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her hand, and instinctively turned her gaze to Lu Zhengting.
Lu Zhengting showed no reaction, still cold-eyed, not looking at her. His deep pupils made it impossible for Xia Yan to guess what he was thinking. Silence stretched on, and the atmosphere in the car grew increasingly eerie, carrying an invisible pressure that made it hard for Xia Yan to breathe.
Time ticked by. Xia Yan felt she should say something to break the awkward silence.
"Why are you here?"
Lu Zhengting didn't answer immediately. Instead, his mind flashed back to an hour ago, when he was still chairing a meeting at the company.
When he got the call from the bodyguard, he learned that Xia Yan had met Zhan Meng first, but knowing she was meeting Ye Yunchen made him lose his composure. He immediately abandoned everyone in the meeting room and rushed to Jiang University, only to witness Ye Yunchen tightly embracing Xia Yan.
Collecting his thoughts, Lu Zhengting glanced at Xia Yan and countered, "Why are you here?"
"Ye Yunchen called me and asked to meet," Xia Yan replied honestly.
"Why did you agree to meet him?"
"Because I..."
"Because what?" His tone made Xia Yan uncomfortable, stirring a sharp pang in her heart.
"Because I thought it was necessary to meet, so I came."
"What do you mean by 'necessary to meet'?"
Feeling uneasy, Xia Yan's gaze toward Lu Zhengting unconsciously turned cold. "I just met him briefly. I thought he might know something about the car accident."
"Are you investigating the car accident?"
"I... sort of. Lu Zhengting, don't get angry yet—" Before she could finish, Lu Zhengting's face suddenly darkened, and his stare turned icy.
"Xia Yan, are you questioning my ability or doubting me? Or are you regretting your choice now? Do you think being with me is too dangerous, so you want to go back to him?"
His words came out slowly, each one laced with coldness. His low voice echoed in Xia Yan's ears, making her shiver. She opened her mouth but then fell silent, as if something had occurred to her.
"Hit the nail on the head?"
"No. I've never regretted being with you," Xia Yan said firmly.
Her words didn't seem to ease Lu Zhengting's furrowed brows. Instead, his suspicious gaze lingered on her. For the first time, Xia Yan saw doubt in his eyes, catching her off guard.
Lu Zhengting pressed his lips together, not responding to her words, as if he had heard them or not. His irritation made him want to hit something. For some reason, the image of Ye Yunchen and Xia Yan embracing made his fists clench involuntarily.
He started the engine, and the car roared to life, shooting forward instantly. Luckily, Xia Yan had buckled her seatbelt as soon as she got in, or she would have been hurt by his sudden move.
The car sped down the road, buildings and vehicles blurring past. Xia Yan couldn't make out anything. She didn't know the speed, but she felt like she was drifting.
Running countless red lights, sirens blared behind them. Xia Yan glanced in the rearview mirror and saw several police cars not far behind, with someone leaning out a window signaling them to stop.
She turned to look at Lu Zhengting, who remained unfazed. She wasn't particularly shaken either—she had seen this kind of scene since she first met him, and none of his associates were easy to deal with.
Ning Nan and Xu Su had once blocked an overpass during a fight. Ning Xi, in a hurry another time, had played a game of drift with the police, running red lights, and they all stayed calm when the tickets came.
After shaking off the trailing police cars, the sirens faded. Xia Yan checked the rearview mirror again and saw no more police cars, but Lu Zhengting's speed was too fast. Her stomach churned, making her feel terribly nauseous.
The car pulled into a parking lot. Xia Yan got out, leaned against the wall, and dry-heaved a few times. When she looked up, Lu Zhengting was already standing by the elevator, his expression impatient.
Wiping her mouth, her face pale and lips colorless, she pressed a hand to her stomach and walked slowly to Lu Zhengting.
With a "ding," the elevator arrived, its doors sliding open to reveal an empty car. Lu Zhengting stepped in first. Xia Yan hesitated, then followed.
Back home, Xia Yan couldn't stand Lu Zhengting's current demeanor—silent, cold, and terrifying. At the entrance, she blocked his path, standing straight in front of him, and asked, "What's wrong with you? You've been like this since we got in the car."
After a moment, Lu Zhengting just gave her a cold, sidelong glance and remained silent.
Used to his gentle side, seeing him so icy again startled Xia Yan. She couldn't fathom what he was thinking—it felt like going back to when they first met. She snapped out of it, lowered her hand, and walked silently to the living room.
******
Photos of Xia Yan meeting Ye Yunchen alone quickly reached Ke Yaru's hands. She was somewhat surprised, never expecting Xia Yan to meet him, but she was pleased—it came at just the right time.
Ke Yaru flipped through the photos one by one. When she saw the image of Xia Yan and Ye Yunchen embracing, a cold smirk curled on her lips. She set that photo aside. Her smile froze the moment she saw Lu Zhengting appear in the later shots.
She knew Lu Zhengting had left the meeting abruptly, but she hadn't expected it to be because of Xia Yan. Her eyes widened as she stared at the photos of Lu Zhengting and Ye Yunchen scuffling.
Perfect. Changing himself over and over for Xia Yan—Ke Yaru nearly tore the photos in anger.
With hatred, she organized the photos, looked up coldly at the person sitting across from her, and ordered, "Make sure she sees the ones I've set aside."
If Jiang Xiuming found out that Lu Zhengting had fought another man over a woman, would she despise this woman who influenced him even more?
"No problem."
Ke Yaru hummed in acknowledgment, then suddenly remembered something. "Did you get that video done last time I asked?"
"That's a bit tricky."
"If it were easy, I wouldn't have come to you. Get it done as soon as possible."
"At least a month."
"A month? Fine, I'll give you a month. I hope the result won't disappoint me."
"Of course not."
Ke Yaru glanced at the man before her, sneering. When she caught the lustful look in his eyes, she felt a wave of disgust. If he weren't useful to her, she wouldn't even bother with such a man.
Lu Corporation.
Ke Yaru returned to the company before Lu Zhengting got back. In her office, the images from the photos kept replaying in her mind. She narrowed her eyes, stood by the floor-to-ceiling window with her arms crossed, looking down at the ant-like figures below.
She smirked coldly. Even if Xia Yan had Lu Zhengting's favor, so what? In her eyes, Xia Yan was no different from those ants. She was the only one worthy of Lu Zhengting, the only one fit to stand at such heights and fight alongside him.
A knock at the door broke Ke Yaru's reverie. Her assistant came in to inform her that Lu Zhengting had returned.
Ke Yaru straightened her clothes. She always had to present her best self to Lu Zhengting.