Xia Yan? Ke Yaru never imagined that the person calling Lu Zhengting would be her, nor did she expect that Lu Zhengting would actually pause a meeting because of her call.
Secretary Zhou lowered her eyes and stole a glance at Ke Yaru. "President Ke, I'll go organize the documents now."
Ke Yaru nodded silently. Her mind was now filled only with the image of Xia Yan—an utterly ordinary woman. Could she possibly surpass the years Ke Yaru had spent by Lu Zhengting's side? She didn't believe it! Her focused gaze fixed on Lu Zhengting's office, her eyes brimming with love. Perhaps only at moments like this did she dare to lay her feelings completely bare.
Everyone in the company knew about her feelings for him, except for him alone.
Xia Yan sat in the classroom, utterly listless, lazily sprawled across her desk. Their regular classes had all ended, and now a specialized career instructor was explaining the precautions for internships. She lifted her eyes slightly to glance in Lin Xujia's direction. She was sitting with other classmates, and Xia Yan felt a headache coming on.
The bell rang, and Xia Yan quickly packed up her books. Seeing Lin Xujia about to leave the classroom with the others, she hurried after her, only to unexpectedly find Xia Siyue at the classroom door.
Xia Siyue stretched out her hand to block her path, slowly lifting her lowered head, and sneered at Xia Yan. "Xia Yan, do you think that latching onto Lu Zhengting means you've soared to the heavens?"
"What are you trying to say?" Xia Yan hugged a stack of books. Lin Xujia's figure had already disappeared down the stairwell. Seeing this, she frowned displeasedly at Xia Siyue, who was blocking her way. Hearing those words from her own mouth felt oddly awkward.
Wasn't that the same question Lu Zhengting had thrown back at her yesterday?
Xia Yan's casual attitude irritated Xia Siyue. She snorted coldly at Xia Yan. "You probably don't know yet, but everyone at school already knows about your dirty secrets."
"Xia Siyue, explain yourself. What do you mean by my dirty secrets?"
"Heh, my dear sister, it seems you really don't know. I suggest you check the school forum. Tsk tsk, the content is so juicy I couldn't help but applaud." Xia Siyue finished with a cold laugh, then spotted Mu Chengfeng walking out of a nearby classroom. She shot a mocking glance at Xia Yan before cheerfully walking over to Mu Chengfeng, taking his arm, and brushing past her.
Xia Yan frowned. When Mu Chengfeng passed by, she clearly sensed the mockery in his eyes. On her way back to the dorm, she could feel people pointing and whispering. Pressing her lips together, she instinctively quickened her pace. The first thing she did upon returning to the dorm was open her computer and log into the school forum.
On the forum's homepage, there was a pinned post titled "Female Student at Jiang University Suspected of Being Kept." Xia Yan expressionlessly clicked on it. The poster was anonymous. The first page showed an old photo of Lu Zhengting dropping her off at school, her getting out of a Maybach. Though it only captured her profile, anyone who knew her could vaguely make out it was her.
Xia Yan gripped the mouse tightly. Reading the comments below the post, she was so furious she nearly exploded. With a bang, she slammed the mouse onto the desk. The post was mostly photos, and the commenters acted as if they knew her intimately, as if they were the protagonists themselves. "All nonsense! These people have way too much free time!" she shouted at the screen.
Flipping to the later pages, Xia Siyue's ID suddenly appeared. At school, everyone knew their relationship as sisters. Even if some weren't sure the subject was Xia Yan, Xia Siyue's deliberately vague comments sealed it—Xia Yan was definitely the one.
The post remained pinned on the forum. Xia Yan wanted to find out who was behind it, but she had no leads. None of the photos were doctored. The few people who spoke up for her were swarmed by onlookers attacking their blogs. If she ever found out who did this, she'd lose control and beat them senseless.
When Lin Xujia returned, she saw Xia Yan sitting in her chair, fuming. Glancing at the computer screen, she smirked briefly, then put on a serious expression and patted Xia Yan's shoulder.
"Xia Yan, are you okay?"
Hearing this, Xia Yan turned to look at Lin Xujia, her emotions tangled. "Are you still angry?"
"Xia Yan, if I said I wasn't angry, you probably wouldn't believe me. Forget it, maybe I really lack the qualifications. Let's not talk about that. Do you know about the forum post?" Lin Xujia said casually.
"You know about the forum too?"
"Yeah, I found out around noon."
Their cold war had only lasted one night. Now, when she felt suffocated and couldn't express her feelings, Lin Xujia showing up moved her.
"Xia Yan, do you know who's behind it?"
"No, the poster is anonymous and never replies to comments."
"Don't worry, the truth will come out."
Xia Yan stared blankly at the screen. "I believe the innocent will be cleared. Lu Zhengting and I are just simple friends. I admit to those photos—it was just late, and he was simply giving me a ride back to school. I never expected their imaginations to run wild."
Lin Xujia was going home tonight, leaving only Xia Yan and two other girls in the dorm. Xia Yan didn't like reading much, but she always used books to kill time. The book she was reading now was called *Paradise Lost*, which she'd bought after browsing a bookstore out of boredom. Half a month had passed, and she'd barely read half of it.
She curled up in bed with the book, engrossed. The other two girls, wearing face masks, leaned back in their chairs with laptops, binge-watching a Korean drama—the hottest one lately. But Xia Yan rarely watched Korean dramas because, in her mind, the heroines were always Mary Sues, proving that smiling girls have good luck and always meet the male lead at the perfect time.
Xia Yan put in her earphones, playing the latest single from a singer she'd recently grown fond of. Finishing *Paradise Lost* left her feeling heavy, but the cheerful song made her girlish heart flutter with excitement.
"Keke, have you seen the forum post?"
"You mean..."
"Yeah, I never thought she'd be like that. She seems so innocent on the surface, but who knew she'd be so different behind closed doors."
"Keke, keep your voice down. Forget it, it's her business, not ours. Let's drop it. We're all in the same dorm."
"Pfft, with all this drama, sharing a dorm with her is embarrassing. Don't worry, she's got earphones on; she can't hear."
"Zhou Qing, even though I have earphones, I'm not deaf. If you're so embarrassed, I don't mind if you move out." Xia Yan had just hit pause, catching every word.
"Xia Yan, Zhou Qing didn't mean it that way. We were out of line, gossiping behind your back."
"Keke, what are you saying?" Zhou Qing elbowed Keke, raised an eyebrow at Xia Yan, and sneered. "Oh, the young lady of the Xia family usually ignores us little people, doesn't she? Being kept and still acting so righteous—first time I've seen that."
"I don't know how many times you've seen it, but Zhou Qing, before I lose my temper, get lost and stay cool somewhere!" Xia Yan said coldly.
"Xia Yan, who do you think you are? How many people have kept you? What, you think I'm scared you'll hit me?" Zhou Qing planted her hands on her hips, sneering at Xia Yan.
Hearing this, Xia Yan neatly set her book aside, stood up abruptly from the bed, jumped down, and landed steadily in front of Zhou Qing. Her eyes were sharp and unfamiliar as she stared unblinkingly at Zhou Qing. "You think I wouldn't dare?"
"Would you?" Zhou Qing's confidence wavered. As Xia Yan stepped closer, she instinctively backed away.
Xia Yan's raised hand froze mid-air. Keke nervously grabbed her wrist and said quickly, "Xia Yan, we're all in the same dorm. Graduation's almost here. No need to make things this tense, right?"
Lin Ke was a gentle girl, someone who never wanted conflict. Xia Yan had once described her with the phrase "woman like water." Lin Ke was a good student, always focused on her studies, never gossiping behind anyone's back. In Xia Yan's eyes, someone like Lin Ke being best friends with Zhou Qing was as bizarre as Mars colliding with Earth.
Hearing Xia Yan's cold laugh, Zhou Qing opened her tightly shut eyes, her expression sour as she looked at Xia Yan, as if about to say more, but Lin Ke tugged at her clothes and shook her head discreetly.
Xia Yan lowered her hand, cast a cold glance at Zhou Qing, and returned to bed. Her reading mood was completely ruined. She put on her earphones, threw on a thin knitted cardigan, and left the dorm.
The dorm was stifling. Xia Yan walked out on her own to the school's artificial lake. The lake had a beautiful name: Mist Bridge. Legend had it that when the lake was first built, a sudden thick fog enveloped it, shrouding the pavilion at its center like a veil. The goldfish in the lake leaped out of the water, and when a ray of light broke through the clouds, their scales sparkled brilliantly.
Xia Yan strolled casually along the shaded path by the lake. The wild grass under the trees on both sides thrived. A crescent moon rose on the horizon. Her phone's music player looped a single song. A gentle evening breeze stirred ripples on the lake, reflecting the moon's shape.
She stood under a tree, forming a beautiful scene.