"Even if she were just an ordinary friend, I still wouldn't let her take risks—that's my bottom line." Ning Xi spoke with utmost seriousness, but Lu Zhengting's response was rather perfunctory.
If Ning Nan were here, not criticizing would already be generous toward Ning Xi. They'd grown up together, and none of them had ever seen Ning Xi be gentle with a woman.
"I've already decided on this. Your objection is invalid." Lu Zhengting enunciated each word, then calmly closed the folder. "You should go back to your room."
"No way. I'm staying right here tonight."
Lu Zhengting shot Ning Xi a sidelong glance, expressionless. "Then stay in the living room."
With that, he turned and walked back to his room without hesitation, ignoring Ning Xi's reluctant gaze. He raised his hand and closed the door behind him, leaving Ning Xi alone in the living room, bewildered.
Inside the room, Lu Zhengting lay alone on the bed, Xia Yan's sleeping form surfacing in his mind. The corner of his mouth unconsciously curved into a graceful arc.
Xia Yan had a habit: whenever she entered an unfamiliar environment, she needed a few days to adjust. He was sure this time was no exception.
Was that woman thinking of him? How dare she leave Jiang City behind his back? Did she really think he had no way to deal with her?
At that very moment, the woman he was yearning for was indeed lying in bed, unable to sleep. Why? Because she couldn't figure out why Old Master Xiao looked at her with such intensity, such warmth, even such affection.
It was as if he were seeing someone else through her.
Xia Yan felt her mind wasn't sharp enough right now. She was certain she'd never met Old Master Xiao before. As for her mother, Xiao Lanzhi, she had never mentioned anything about Yuzhou.
"Ah," Xia Yan sighed in frustration. What was all this about? She'd only wanted to visit the place where her mother grew up, never expecting it to stir up so much trouble. And most importantly, Lu Zhengting was now in Yuzhou.
Zhan Meng had told her that. In this regard, Xia Yan trusted her completely.
She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. What weighed most heavily on her mind was Lu Zhengting. Only this man could make her so anxious. She'd thought that leaving him and not seeing him would ease the ache in her heart, but instead, it only made it worse.
Lu Zhengting must be furious now. Since he couldn't find her, he was probably venting his anger at his subordinates...
Countless images of Lu Zhengting flooded Xia Yan's mind uncontrollably—him angry, him serious. She wasn't sure if the word "sad" applied to him...
From the day she met Lu Zhengting, she had always carefully pretended never to have fallen for him. But this man was simply too outstanding. Through their days and nights together, she had become increasingly certain that he was the one in her heart.
Recalling the past, sweet and painful memories were equally mixed. One smile, one tear—Xia Yan felt an overwhelming urge to be by Lu Zhengting's side.
Suddenly, Xia Minghui's words echoed in her ears: Lu Weiyuan was the one who killed Xu Guang.
Xia Yan clenched her teeth, her chest throbbing with pain. Her face crumpled as the agony spread through her body. She gripped the blanket tightly, refusing to let tears fall from her eyes.
In the dead of night, no one paid her any mind. The wind gradually softened. An hour ago, the sky had been clear, but now a small patch of dark clouds began to gather slowly over the city. The half-moon glowed with feathery light...
A light drizzle fell carelessly on the windowsill outside. Xia Yan closed her eyes and, at some point, drifted off to sleep.
In a daze, she twitched her nose. It seemed a familiar scent lingered in the air. She pulled the blanket and turned over. A figure crouched on the floor was hidden by the darkness.
He watched Xia Yan's trembling eyelashes. His long, fair fingers slowly reached toward her cheek. In just half a month away from him, she had already lost weight. She really didn't know how to take care of herself.
Lu Zhengting stared intently at Xia Yan's sleeping face until dawn was about to break. Only then did he reluctantly leave the room. Back at the hotel, he opened the door to find Ning Xi standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, his eyes gleaming as he watched him.
"Went to see little sister-in-law?" Ning Xi said with a mischievous grin.
"When did you get up?"
"About half an hour after you left."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting raised his hand to unbutton his collar. His gaze fell on the city outside the window, still asleep. The streetlights on both sides of the road were still on. A fine drizzle fell, wetting the glass. Droplets gathered and slid down slowly, tracing thin lines...
Seeing Lu Zhengting silent, Ning Xi shrugged. "How's little sister-in-law now?"
"Why are you so concerned about your little sister-in-law?" Lu Zhengting said coldly.
"You heard me say 'little sister-in-law.' Are you really jealous over that? Honestly, she's not my type." Though he knew Lu Zhengting was a walking vat of jealousy, he hadn't expected him to be so serious about it in this situation.
Lu Zhengting raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ning Xi. He took off his coat, hung it on the nearby rack, adjusted his cuffs, and returned to a normal expression. "How's Xia Minghui doing?"
"What else? He's an old fox. He met with Yang Jinkuan. His plan isn't bad—he wants to use someone else's knife to kill."
"Xia Yan is at the Xiao residence now. Xia Minghui won't dare act rashly. He's so eager to find her because she's starting to believe his story."
"Yeah, it's your fault for keeping Xia Yan in the dark all the time. He seized the opportunity to exploit the gap."
Lu Zhengting shot Ning Xi a glare. "What about the investigation I asked you to do?"
"You always waste my talents. I'm at a disadvantage."
"The results."
"Just as you thought. Xia Corporation is indeed facing a financial crisis. And I found something else: before Xu Guang died, he split his company shares into two parts, leaving them to Xiao Lanzhi and her daughter. According to my investigation, Xia Minghui has already obtained Xiao Lanzhi's shares."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting frowned deeply. That explained everything. Under the current circumstances, the only path left was to create misunderstandings between himself and Xia Yan. As long as she stayed by his side, he would never get her shares.
"Don't tell Xia Yan about this for now."
"Not telling her again? Aren't you afraid she'll find out everything and..."
"Not for now." Lu Zhengting pondered for a moment, glanced at Ning Xi, and changed the subject. "Contact Zhan Meng."
"I can't find her." Ning Xi walked to the sofa and sat down helplessly, then put on a resigned expression. "Zhan Meng hasn't contacted me at all lately. I've tried reaching her, but she hasn't replied."
"I want Zhan Meng here by noon." Lu Zhengting raised his wrist to check the time. The sky outside was just barely light. It wasn't even six o'clock. He hadn't slept all night, and his eyes were sore.
Ning Xi stared in disbelief as Lu Zhengting walked straight back to his room. He couldn't bear to let his own woman suffer even a little, so he used other women instead!
Zhan Meng...
Ning Xi silently repeated her name in his mind. Xia Minghui wouldn't dare act rashly, but Yang Jinkuan would. And now they were in the shadows. If they weren't careful and Zhan Meng fell into Yang Jinkuan's hands, wouldn't that be worse than falling into Xia Minghui's?
For a moment, Ning Xi's expression shifted constantly. He let out a soft sigh. Just as he was hesitating, his phone suddenly rang.
Xia Minghui's men had already left Yuzhou. Yang Jinkuan's men had disappeared without a trace.
Ning Xi collapsed onto the sofa, squinting as he pondered the strangeness of it all.
******
Jiang City appeared calm on the surface, but beneath it, a chilling undercurrent seemed to surge. There was a feeling that something was about to happen.
Lu Zhengting had left Jiang City, and few knew his whereabouts. When Ke Yaru learned from Yang Jinkuan that Lu Zhengting was in Yuzhou, and because of Xia Yan, she couldn't help clenching her fist and slamming it hard on the table.
"Where is Xia Yan now?" Ke Yaru's cold, harsh voice slowly sounded over the phone. She pressed her lips together, her gaze fixed on the dark clouds outside.
"The Xiao residence."
"The Xiao residence? The Xiao family in Yuzhou? How did she end up there?"
Ke Yaru knew of the Xiao family in Yuzhou, but not well. She only knew that Old Master Xiao had handed over the family business to his son. Now she urgently needed to figure out why Xia Yan was there.
"Old Master Xiao brought her home."
"What does Old Master Xiao have to do with this? How are your people handling things? They can't even deal with one woman. She slipped away right under their noses in Yuzhou."
"Xiaoya."
"I told you not to call me that."
"Don't worry. I'll figure something out."
"Don't worry? If you can't help, tell me now. Save me the trouble of wasting time on pointless matters."
With that, Ke Yaru hung up quickly. Yang Jinkuan watched the phone screen slowly go dark, his expression sour. Suddenly, his gaze shifted to the subordinate standing before him. "She slipped away right under your noses. What use are you?"
"Boss, it's not the brothers' fault. I didn't expect Xiao Quan to show up out of nowhere."
"Right, why did Xiao Quan appear there? That old man never meddles. Why the sudden good Samaritan act?" Yang Jinkuan stared at the table, deep in thought.
"Boss, what about the brothers?"
"Death sentence commuted, but punishment remains. Handle it by the usual rules." After saying this, Yang Jinkuan dismissed him. He sat alone in his chair, his intense gaze falling on a photo frame beside the computer. The woman in the photo had delicate features, a slight smile, and eyes that curved like crescent moons.
She wore a pure white cotton dress. Her flowing, jet-black hair seemed to be lifted by a gentle breeze, accentuating her pristine, untarnished aura.