Driving was risky for Xia Yan, but this time it was as if she had a lucky streak—she drove all the way back to her apartment smoothly and safely. The first thing she did upon returning was shower and wash her hair, as the smell of alcohol and the bar clung to her unpleasantly.
When she came out of the bathroom, she saw a man with a gloomy expression sitting in the living room, and she froze on the spot.
"You, you, how did you get here? Aren't you supposed to be in England right now?"
"I finished early, so I came back ahead of schedule."
Xia Yan let out an "oh," then lowered her head, using a dry towel to wipe her wet hair, ignoring whatever purpose Lu Zhengting had for being there, just going about her own business. Luckily, she had hesitated after her shower and decided to put on underwear, or else it would have been awkward now.
Lu Zhengting's gaze was so intense that Xia Yan couldn't ignore it at all. She didn't know whether to sit or stand, her hairs standing on end. In the cramped living room, in front of them were a round coffee table and a TV...
Xia Yan was the first to lose her composure, stopping her movements and asking casually, "What brings you here?"
"Why the breakup? Why the drinking?"
"I find this question boring, and I don't want to answer it." Xia Yan put down the towel, her eyes lowered, speaking flatly.
"You're the first!"
"I know. I don't mind if you're the one to say we're breaking up."
"Damn it! I mind!"
This was one of the rare times Xia Yan had heard Lu Zhengting curse. She was startled, as if frightened by him.
"Lu Zhengting, relationships are like this—if you get along, you stay together; if you don't, you part ways."
"Then tell me, where exactly don't we get along?"
"In many ways."
"That reason is too flimsy."
Hearing this, Xia Yan was annoyed by Lu Zhengting's relentless probing. She flung the towel in her hand forcefully. "Reasons? You hitting me without cause—does that count? What about you and Ke Yaru—does that count!"
As soon as Xia Yan brought up the time he had lost control and struck her, Lu Zhengting's confidence seemed to halve, but when she mentioned Ke Yaru, he retorted, "There's nothing between her and me. It's you and Ye Yunchen I'm concerned about."
"Really nothing?" Xia Yan said with a cold laugh.
"Of course."
"Lu Zhengting, you're such a jerk!" Xia Yan snapped. She wanted to pull out her phone and show him the photos Ke Yaru had sent her, but then, thinking of something, she held back.
"What are you even making a fuss about!"
"I don't want to make a fuss about anything. I just want a peaceful breakup." Xia Yan said coldly, though the reality was the opposite. Her mind had already wandered through space, and she struggled to keep herself from picturing him and Ke Yaru sleeping together, but the image kept surfacing.
"Just go. I really don't want to see you right now."
Lu Zhengting was furious. He had used up nearly thirty years' worth of patience on Xia Yan today, forcing himself to stay calm. But when he saw the serious look on her face, the nameless anger in his heart flared up instantly.
"Say that again." Lu Zhengting's deep voice carried a chill, like raindrops from a cold winter, inexplicably intimidating.
Xia Yan was no exception. She was genuinely frightened by Lu Zhengting's demeanor. His expression was icy, and his deep eyes shot out a sharp, terrifying gaze, like a piercing sword straight to the heart, while his whole body exuded an aura that warned others to keep their distance.
Xia Yan snapped out of it and tried to speak again, but Lu Zhengting shot her a look, and she froze.
"Have I been too lenient with you?"
"What did you say?"
"Didn't I tell you not to leave the apartment without my permission?"
"And I said my legs are mine. Where I go has nothing to do with you. Besides, I've already broken up with you."
"Break up? I haven't agreed."
"I don't need your agreement!"
Lu Zhengting snorted. "Want to break up? You're overthinking it."
"Is this fun for you?"
"Whether it's fun is up to me. Whether we break up is also up to me. Got it?"
"I, don't, get, it!" Xia Yan glared at Lu Zhengting, enunciating each word.
"Then it's not too late to get it now."
"Don't push it..."
Lu Zhengting shot Xia Yan a cold glance, then walked past her and left the apartment. Seeing this, Xia Yan chased after him without thinking, demanding angrily, "What exactly do you mean!"
"Move." Lu Zhengting felt a headache coming on, that familiar loss of control over his emotions creeping back. He was leaving now to avoid a repeat of what had happened last time.
But Xia Yan didn't know that. When Lu Zhengting didn't respond, she blocked his way in frustration. "What do you want to do?"
"Move."
"No!"
Lu Zhengting pursed his lips, his expression darkening. "I said move."
"Lu Zhengting, you..."
Before Xia Yan could finish, Lu Zhengting shoved her to the ground with a sudden motion. Her elbow scraped against the floor, instantly leaving several scratches, the surrounding skin reddened. She winced, looking up at him in disbelief.
Lu Zhengting quickly crouched down to help her up, but Xia Yan let out a cold laugh, glanced at her scraped elbow, and then looked at him indifferently. "Don't bother. If you want to leave, just go."
Xia Yan was calm, her tone steady. She slowly used her uninjured hand to push herself up, rising slowly, her gaze never returning to Lu Zhengting.
Seeing this, Lu Zhengting was silent for a few seconds before quietly leaving, as silently as he had arrived. Xia Yan sat dazed in the living room. The window wasn't fully closed, and a cold draft occasionally seeped in, making her shiver involuntarily.
She wrapped her arms around herself. Crying no longer sufficed to express what she felt inside. She didn't cry, laugh, or throw a tantrum—just sat there quietly, doing nothing.
A sharp pain shot through her back. Xia Yan merely furrowed her brow slightly. When she had fallen, she hadn't noticed something nearby, and her back had slammed right into it.
Xia Yan couldn't care less about the physical pain now. From the way Lu Zhengting had spoken, she knew this was only the beginning of endless trouble. She truly didn't understand what she meant to him.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhengting had more pressing concerns. The moment he had instinctively shoved Xia Yan away, he realized he had lost control of his emotions more than once, especially with her—it was most pronounced.
He sat in the car. He had traveled from Jiangcheng to England without rest, diving straight into work. When he finally had a chance to rest, he heard about Xia Yan wanting to break up and immediately flew back to Jiangcheng. In the past few days, his total rest time hadn't even reached ten hours.
The secretary in the passenger seat glanced at Lu Zhengting's condition out of the corner of his eye and wisely kept quiet.
Seeing this, Lu Zhengting squinted and asked hoarsely, "Something?"
"It's Manager Ke. She called, saying she doesn't know where you are."
Lu Zhengting grunted in acknowledgment. The secretary's voice grew quieter, afraid of provoking Lu Zhengting. From the moment he got in the car, his furrowed brow hadn't relaxed, and he exuded a fierce aura.
He didn't go back to the villa but ordered the driver to head straight to the company. He urgently needed to figure something out.
In the office, Ning Xi rushed over after receiving Lu Zhengting's call. As he sat down, he couldn't resist gossiping. "Came back specially to see the little sister-in-law?"
Lu Zhengting shot him a look and roughly explained his situation. As soon as he finished, Ning Xi exclaimed in surprise, "No way! I said the little sister-in-law would drown her sorrows in drink. Oh, and I'll throw in a free piece of info."
"What info?"
"The little sister-in-law met Yang Jinkuan."
"When?"
"The day you left Jiangcheng."
"First, help me look into what I just told you."
"Sure, I'll let you know as soon as I find anything." Ning Xi said seriously, then added as if something occurred to him, "Have you considered that you might just be jealous and couldn't control your emotions?"
"..." Lu Zhengting shot Ning Xi a cold look for him to interpret.
"Fine, fine, pretend I didn't say anything."
Ning Xi crossed his legs, occasionally bouncing one, then suddenly said, "Xia Yan is investigating the car accident."
"I know."
"And you're still so calm? If I'm not mistaken, if she keeps digging into this accident, she'll end up investigating Xu Guang's death."
Lu Zhengting had always been reluctant to let Xia Yan know what had happened to Xu Guang back then, because he had only recently learned that the incident, though not directly related to the Lu family, was indirectly connected. Xia Yan, having witnessed the accident and been severely traumatized, had forgotten many things.
Ning Xi took a sip of the coffee the secretary had brewed, smirked, and said, "Your secretary makes a decent cup of coffee."
"You like it?"
"What's there to like or dislike? I'm just saying his coffee-making skills are good."
Ning Xi sat for a while, found Lu Zhengting too dull and boring, and left.
******
England.
Ke Yaru called and learned that Lu Zhengting had already returned to Jiangcheng, leaving her to handle the cleanup. She crammed several days' worth of work into one or two, planning to finish as quickly as possible and head back to Jiangcheng. She didn't know why Lu Zhengting had suddenly rushed back, and it made her uneasy.
Her woman's intuition told her it had to be about Xia Yan again.
Every time it involved Xia Yan, Lu Zhengting acted this way.
Ke Yaru stood by the window, coffee cup in hand, when she heard her phone ringing on the desk. She picked it up, and seeing the caller, seemed displeased, answering coldly, "What is it?"
"Lu Zhengting is back in Jiangcheng."
"I know. I don't need you to remind me."
"Ke Yaru, I seriously doubt your place in Lu Zhengting's heart."
"Ye Yunchen, stay out of my business."
"Heh..." Ye Yunchen let out a low laugh, then abruptly changed the subject. "Did you use that thing or not?"
"I did. But I'm warning you—if anything happens to Lu Zhengting, I won't let you off."