In Jiangcheng, around eleven at night.
Xia Yan groggily heard her phone ringing, squinting her eyes like a blind person fumbling in the dark, randomly searching for her phone on the bed. The phone rang for a long time. Xia Yan frowned, a hint of impatience on her face, but she still couldn't find where her phone was.
Xia Yan wasn't answering her phone or replying to his texts now. The message Lu Zhengting sent her before his business trip had vanished into thin air, with no response.
Lu Zhengting sat on the sofa, his brows tightly furrowed. It was still evening in England, the sky not yet fully dark, the sunset glow reflecting off the clouds like a painting.
Finally, just as his expression grew more sinister, Xia Yan picked up the phone.
But for Lu Zhengting, it would have been better if Xia Yan hadn't answered.
Xia Yan turned over. Maybe it was because she wasn't used to the bed, but even when drunk, her sleep quality wasn't great. The phone was silent like the dead of night. She let out a nasal "hello," and when the other person still didn't speak, she grumbled irritably, "Calling in the middle of the night to disturb someone's sleep—are you crazy?"
As soon as she said that, Lu Zhengting paused, then coughed a few times. "It's me."
"Lu Zhengting?" Xia Yan half-opened her eyes, her mind clearing a bit at the familiar voice. She pulled the small blanket over herself. The room was pitch black, and she thought she was still in her apartment.
"Yeah, did I wake you?"
"Yeah, you did. So, is there something you need?" Xia Yan rubbed her aching head and spoke softly.
"Did you not see the text I sent you?" Lu Zhengting asked calmly, but if you looked closely, you'd notice he was actually a bit nervous. Because when he said that, a thought instantly crossed his mind: *Why do I sound like a resentful husband?*
Even something as simple as opening her eyes felt exhausting to Xia Yan, let alone carefully listening to what Lu Zhengting was saying. She was silent for so long that Lu Zhengting lost his patience.
"Xia Yan?"
"Hmm?" Xia Yan let out a soft moan, feeling her consciousness slowly returning to normal. She forced herself to stay alert, propping herself up on her elbows, sitting up against the headboard, and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Lu Zhengting, let's break up."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting was first stunned, then furious. His tone instantly turned icy cold, and even through the phone, Xia Yan could feel his current mood.
He must be shocked, then scared, then angry—after all, she was the one who proposed the breakup.
"Xia Yan, give me a reason."
"A reason? There are too many. I'm afraid if I start, I won't be able to stop."
Lu Zhengting frowned. Suddenly, he heard a notification sound from his computer—a sound specifically for Ning Xi. He slowly stood up from the sofa, walked into the study, and opened the computer. On the screen, there was only one sentence: *Xia Yan is drunk.*
Simple and direct, not quite Ning Xi's style. He checked the time—it had been sent an hour ago.
But right now, the thing he wanted to figure out most was why Xia Yan had suddenly proposed breaking up.
He shut down the computer. The call had been hung up by Xia Yan at some point. When he tried to call back, no one answered.
Without overthinking, he immediately asked his secretary to book a flight back to Jiangcheng.
******
The next day, Zhan Meng groggily woke up to find that she wasn't in her own room. And she recognized this room well—last time she woke up drunk, she was also in this same room.
But this time was different. When she woke up, Ning Xi wasn't lying beside her. She suspiciously reached out to touch the empty space next to her. It was cold, completely unlike someone had slept there.
How strange. When had Ning Xi become so well-behaved?
Zhan Meng threw off the covers, got out of bed, and walked outside. At the same time, she saw Xia Yan walking out of another room, looking just as confused. Xia Yan was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, but her hair had clearly been tidied, not messy like someone who had just woken up.
"Zhan Meng? Is this your place?" Xia Yan asked in a soft, hoarse voice—a sign of being hungover.
Zhan Meng's mouth twitched. She said bluntly, "This is Ning Xi's place. We got drunk last night, and I don't know why I woke up here either."
Hearing this, Xia Yan was a bit stunned. Was that all Zhan Meng had to say?
"You're both awake?"
Xia Yan turned her head and saw Ning Xi standing downstairs in a black loungewear set. He had the vibe of a friendly neighborhood guy, very sunny. With his handsome features, seeing his faint smile and hearing his voice as gentle as a spring breeze early in the morning made the two hungover women feel at ease.
After the three of them had breakfast, Ning Xi directly offered to drive Xia Yan back to her apartment. As for Zhan Meng, he had no plans for her. Ever since she caught him with another woman last time, Zhan Meng hadn't given him a good face. He figured this was a good chance to clear things up.
Xia Yan had long noticed the tension between Zhan Meng and Ning Xi, so she didn't want to waste Ning Xi's time. She borrowed a car from Ning Xi and drove herself back.
"You're going to drive yourself back? Can you find your way home?" Ning Xi raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Yeah, isn't there GPS?" Xia Yan smiled helplessly. Why did everyone know she was directionally challenged? She'd never had a good sense of direction since she was a kid, and it hadn't improved as she grew up.
Ning Xi couldn't talk Xia Yan out of it, so he took her to the garage to pick out a car. Still, he arranged for a bodyguard to follow her—if anything happened to Xia Yan on his watch, Lu Zhengting would definitely kill him.
Xia Yan gave a faint smile, said goodbye to them, and drove off swiftly, leaving a cloud of exhaust in her wake...
Seeing Xia Yan disappear into the distance, Zhan Meng raised an eyebrow and glanced at the man standing beside her. She curled her lip dismissively. "I'm leaving."
"Stop right there!"
"Ning Xi, who are you ordering around? Who are you telling to stop? Why should I stop just because you say so? I'm leaving anyway!"
"Zhan Meng, are you being unreasonable?"
"Ha! Reasonable? I've never been reasonable. Is this your first day knowing me?" Zhan Meng laughed.
"You—"
"What 'you'? Ning Xi, I have nothing to say to you."
"I have something to say to you. Is that okay?" Ning Xi said, half-laughing, half-crying.
"That depends on whether I want to hear it, and whether what you're saying is just nonsense."
Ning Xi looked down at the smug Zhan Meng, then suddenly grabbed her wrist and dragged her straight back inside. Zhan Meng couldn't overpower Ning Xi and had to give in.
They stood facing each other. Zhan Meng, a bit annoyed, shook off his hand and snapped, "Ning Xi, are you crazy? Do you know that with your grip, you almost broke my hand?"
"When did you become so fragile?"
"I've always been this fragile. Haven't you heard that women are made of water?"
"You, made of water? I think you're made of steel!"
"Steel? Ning Xi, say that again! Who are you calling steel?!" Zhan Meng's eyes widened as she glared at him. She reached out to twist his ear, but it seemed like Ning Xi saw it coming.
He quickly stopped her, his face darkening.
Because he remembered last night at Tian Shang Ren Jian, when Zhan Meng had grabbed his ear in public, catching him off guard. His reputation had been effortlessly ruined by Zhan Meng.
He was sure that video had already been shared with the other three.
Ning Xi suddenly dropped his playful attitude and said seriously, "Zhan Meng, are you helping Xia Yan investigate something?"
"Oh, that's a sudden shift in topic. I can't quite keep up. What am I investigating for Xia Yan? Do tell."
"Don't play dumb with me. You can't keep investigating, understand?"
"No, I don't. I'll investigate if I want to. What's it to you?"
"Why are you so ungrateful?"
"I am ungrateful. So I'm going to keep investigating." Zhan Meng's anger turned to a smile. She winked at Ning Xi, showing her determination to continue.
"You can't get involved in this anymore."
"You don't get to decide that." Zhan Meng said flatly, throwing him a flirtatious glance.
Seeing this, Ning Xi's expression was grim, but he couldn't hide the fact that he was stirred by her teasing look. He reached out, placed his hand on her waist, and suddenly lifted her, forcing her closer to him.
"Damn it, are you a jerk? Can you give me some warning? You change the subject differently every time. Are you trying to experience something new?"
Zhan Meng curved her lips into a gentle smile, her face radiating a soft expression that made Ning Xi dizzy, unable to tell up from down. Her eyes sparkled like stars. She blinked one eye, seemingly not resisting his move.
"What are you trying to do?" Ning Xi raised an eyebrow, looking at the woman who had wrapped her arms around his neck, and smirked.
"Guess?"
"Oh?"
The moment Zhan Meng finished speaking, Ning Xi's face instantly scrunched up in pain. He let go of Zhan Meng, bent over, and clutched his crotch with both hands.
"Zhan Meng!"
"What?"
"You really went for it. But this affects your happiness too."
"Get lost. Happiness? Want me to show you a whole new feeling?"
"You woman—"
Zhan Meng glanced dismissively at Ning Xi, who was writhing in pain, then checked her watch. "This Feng Yuan, daring to be late!"
Speak of the devil, and he appears.
Feng Yuan walked in sneezing, glaring at Zhan Meng. "Cousin, you were cursing me in your head again, weren't you? Every time you do, I sneeze!"
"That magical? I don't sneeze—does that mean no one's cursing me?"
Feng Yuan saw Ning Xi's condition and immediately understood what had happened. Knowing that Zhan Meng never held back, she couldn't help but laugh. When she caught Ning Xi's glare, she quickly shut up.
"Feng Yuan, I'm not saying anything, but can you be on time next time? You're almost half an hour late."
"Alright, alright, I'll be on time next time. But cousin, are you sure there'll be a next time?"
Hearing this, Zhan Meng turned and glared at Feng Yuan. "Hurry up and go!"
"Coming, coming." Before leaving, Feng Yuan shot Ning Xi a sympathetic look. *Ah, too bad he had to run into Zhan Meng, this little demon.*