"Lu Zhengting." Xia Yan blinked, her voice weak as she called his name. She still remembered what happened before she passed out. Even when she lost consciousness, she hadn't completely lost awareness and could still hear what was going on around her.
But none of that mattered most to her now.
Lu Zhengting emerged from the darkness. His hair was slightly disheveled, different from his usual appearance. His clothes were wrinkled, making him look exhausted, and when he looked at her, his eyes seemed tinged with weariness.
Xia Yan froze for a moment. Reaching her hand out from under the covers, she realized her wounds had been bandaged. The wrapping was clearly done by a professional doctor. She suddenly remembered the last time she returned to the Xia family and had a conflict with Xia Siyue, resulting in her hand being burned. Back then, Lu Zhengting had bandaged her wounds.
Pulling herself back from her thoughts, Xia Yan moved her arm and carefully patted the edge of the bed. Feeling the mattress sink inward, she was silent for a long time. Taking advantage of the dim light, knowing Lu Zhengting couldn't see her expression, she asked calmly, "Lu Zhengting, how's your investigation into my father's matter going? Any results?"
"Not yet."
"Is that so?" Xia Yan coughed lightly, seeming to aggravate her wound as she sucked in a sharp breath. "What about the car accident? Any results?"
Xia Yan suddenly laughed, muttering to herself, "Still no results, right?"
Hearing her tone, Lu Zhengting felt something was off about Xia Yan. He narrowed his eyes and reached out his slender fingers toward her forehead to stroke her hair. Sensing his movement, Xia Yan instinctively turned her head away.
"Lu Zhengting, with your status and position, does investigating these things really take this long?" Xia Yan paused, then added nonchalantly, "Or have you already had the answers but just don't want to tell me?"
"Did someone say something to you?"
"Does that matter?" Hearing his words, Xia Yan slowly closed her eyes. In her mind, the photos from the documents Xia Minghui had given her surfaced—Xu Guang's disfigured face made her whole body go cold. Especially now, with Lu Zhengting beside her, this deliberate chill made her feel suffocated.
Lu Zhengting couldn't see Xia Yan's expression but sensed something was wrong. Just as he was about to turn on the light, Xia Yan immediately stopped him. "Don't turn on the light."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting froze. He could hear the suppressed sobs in her voice. In an instant, his expression changed drastically. Ignoring her refusal, he turned on the light.
As the room suddenly lit up, Xia Yan hadn't had time to wipe away the tears streaming from her eyes. She took a deep breath, slightly opening her eyes to look at Lu Zhengting staring at her, and asked weakly, "Can you leave here?"
"No. Did you get mistreated at the Xia family?"
"No."
"Then what's going on? Why are you crying?" Lu Zhengting pressed on. He had always found women's tears annoying, but seeing Xia Yan cry now, he felt more heartache than irritation.
Seeing Xia Yan suppressing her sobs and staying silent, Lu Zhengting felt he was using a lifetime's worth of patience to comfort her. Yet the gentler his tone became, the more dejected Xia Yan grew.
"Why? Why does it have to be like this?"
Lu Zhengting pulled Xia Yan into his arms, one hand around her waist, the other gently stroking her head. Softening his voice, he asked, "What exactly happened?"
Xia Yan just kept crying, from suppressed sobs to loud wails. She seemed to be releasing everything that had happened to her recently—the sudden car accident, losing the child, Ke Yaru's provocations, the end of her friendship with Lin Xujia...
All these events had at some point made her feel like the whole world had turned dark. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face, with no one to save her. She could only save herself, but that was too hard.
Holding onto Lu Zhengting, she cried bitterly and angrily. Perhaps because she had been bottling up her emotions for too long, she started gasping between sobs, then suddenly raised her hand and pounded furiously on Lu Zhengting's chest.
"Why did I only find out now? Why didn't you tell me? Why did you hide it from me? Why? Lu Zhengting, you're so selfish."
"What are you talking about? What do you know?" Lu Zhengting had a bad feeling.
"My father didn't die in a car accident! But you told me he did. What exactly are you up to?" Xia Yan sobbed as she demanded angrily.
"..."
"Say something! What does your silence mean? Is it an admission?" Xia Yan stared at Lu Zhengting with tear-filled eyes.
"What did Xia Minghui tell you?" Lu Zhengting asked, his expression unchanged.
"Answer my question first. Did my father die because the warehouse suddenly caught fire?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting's deep eyes locked onto Xia Yan. "Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me? The warehouse fire wasn't an accident, was it? You already know who the killer is, don't you?" Xia Yan fired off several questions, unwilling to let any expression on Lu Zhengting's face slip by.
"I can only tell you that the warehouse fire indeed wasn't an accident, but I really don't know who the killer is yet."
As soon as Lu Zhengting finished speaking, Xia Yan ignored her wounds and suddenly stood up from the bed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Why? Why are you still lying to me?"
"Xia Yan, calm down."
"How can I calm down? Do you have any idea how I felt the moment I found out who killed my father? I really hate myself right now. I could have loved anyone, but I had to fall for you!" Xia Yan screamed hysterically, her emotions extremely agitated.
Now, every time she opened or closed her eyes, she saw Xu Guang's dead face and Xiao Lanzhi's reaction when she saw Lu Zhengting. All of this was like a knife, cutting into her piece by piece.
It hurt. It really hurt.
"Lu Zhengting, I'm not joking this time. I'm serious. Let's really break up."
"Are you crazy? I said it's impossible."
"No matter whether you agree or not this time, I will break up with you."
"Xia Yan, stop messing around."
"I'm not messing around. I'm very clear-headed right now, really clear-headed." Xia Yan looked away, avoiding Lu Zhengting's gaze, forcing herself to stay calm.
"I said it's impossible."
"Lu Zhengting, every time I see you, I think of my father being burned alive in that fire. I can even see him struggling in pain. Do you understand? I really, truly can't figure out how to face you with a calm heart—you, the son of my father's murderer."
"What did you say?"
"Isn't this exactly what you've been trying to hide from me?"
Lu Zhengting had only guessed the beginning—that Xia Minghui calling Xia Yan away wouldn't lead to anything good—but he never expected Xia Minghui to pull this move.
Seeing Xia Yan's agitated state now, he knew that no matter what he said, it would be useless. Xia Yan had already made up her mind, and since Xia Minghui had planned this, he must have prepared thoroughly.
"Lu Zhengting, leave. I don't want to see you right now, and I don't know how to face you."
As soon as Xia Yan finished speaking, Lu Zhengting stared at her silently for a long time before finally turning and leaving the room.
With Lu Zhengting gone, the whole room suddenly felt empty to Xia Yan. As if losing her balance, she collapsed weakly onto the bed, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at the direction he had left. Her heart felt hollow, and the spot over her chest throbbed with pain.
The light was too harsh. Xia Yan closed her eyes. She desperately wanted Lu Zhengting to be by her side right now, but she couldn't help knowing he was Lu Weiyuan's son. She couldn't rely on him or miss him the way she had when she was ignorant.
Xia Yan curled up, lying on the bed. The quiet room faintly echoed with her crying. The sorrowful, despairing sound seemed to make even the night feel pity.
Night had fallen suddenly, leaving those who longed for light feeling powerless. The night wind blew gently, rustling the newly grown leaves. The sky was covered by darkness, and the full moon emitted a faint red glow, casting a hazy light over everything, like trying to catch the moon in the fog.
The people walking on the streets all seemed to be in good spirits, smiling and laughing. But how many of them were truly happy?
Jiang City was enveloped in night. The dazzling neon lights illuminated the city's darkness. The lights from thousands of homes gave the lonely city a human touch, shedding the daytime rush and tension, gradually becoming quiet and gentle.
Lu Zhengting drove through the city's corners. The streetlights were orange, giving off a warm feeling. He had never bothered to notice things outside his focus, but this time, he calmed his mind.
Pulling the car over to the side of the road, he checked the time and called Ning Xi, arranging to meet at the Heavenly Realm.
Ning Xi was also troubled by Zhan Meng's situation. As soon as he got Lu Zhengting's call, he agreed without a second thought.
When they met at the Heavenly Realm, both looked terrible. Ning Xi was a bit puzzled. Logically, dealing with a difficult woman like Zhan Meng was what caused anxiety. Someone like Xia Yan, who seemed easygoing, shouldn't be a problem. He wondered what they were fighting about now.
"Fighting with the little sister-in-law again? That doesn't make sense. Didn't the medicine temporarily suppress the effects?"
After the waiter brought the wine and poured it, Ning Xi picked up his glass, sniffed it, and glanced at Lu Zhengting, whose expression was even worse than his own. "Was the medicine useless?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting narrowed his eyes, picked up his glass, and downed it in one gulp. "Xia Minghui told Xia Yan that the person who killed her father is my father."
"Xia Yan believed it?"
"She believed it."
"So now, in her eyes, you're the son of her father's murderer?"
As soon as Ning Xi finished speaking, before he could put down his glass, he caught a glimpse of the sinister look Lu Zhengting shot at him. He quickly raised his hand to wave it off. Compared to Lu Zhengting's situation, his own troubles with Zhan Meng were nothing.
"Are you still unwilling to tell Xia Yan the truth?" Ning Xi asked. Seeing Lu Zhengting's silence, he sighed.