Seeing this, Ke Yaru gracefully stood up, looking directly at Xia Yan, and said casually, "Miss Xia, are you leaving?"
"Yeah, I have something to take care of, so I need to leave first." Xia Yan picked up her bag from the sofa, said goodbye, and headed toward the entrance.
"I'll see you out." Ke Yaru quickly followed, walking behind Xia Yan. Once they were out the villa's main gate, she clicked her heels as she stepped in front of Xia Yan, blocking her path, her smile vanishing.
Xia Yan, caught off guard, stared at Ke Yaru suspiciously. "What are you doing?"
"Xia Yan? Don't think that just because Xiaohan likes you, Zhengting will too..."
"What did you say?" Xia Yan interrupted her mid-sentence, unable to hold back. What did she mean by "don't think that just because Xiaohan likes you, Lu Zhengting will like you"? She didn't even like Lu Zhengting.
"Playing dumb? Aren't you getting close to Xiaohan just to get to Zhengting? I've seen plenty of women like you with ulterior motives. But precisely because I've seen so many, don't think you'll succeed. I'm warning you, stay away from Xiaohan."
"Are you crazy? Cornering me with this?" Xia Yan frowned. Between her and Lu Zhengting, it was as pure as the white clouds in the sky. Why did some boring people always have to misunderstand? She thought for a moment and then added, "The truth is, my getting close to Xiaohan has nothing to do with Mr. Lu..."
"Enough, I've seen plenty of women like you. A mere Xia family dares to dream of latching onto the Lu family tree?"
Xia Yan searched her memory. She only knew that the woman was called Miss Ke by the housekeeper. Pausing, she took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and said, "Miss Ke, Mr. Lu and I are just simple friends, not the kind of relationship you're imagining. As for how I met Xiaohan, it was pure coincidence. If you insist on thinking I have ulterior motives, then go ahead."
"Xia Yan, I advise you to stay far away from Lu Zhengting!"
"Yeah, you don't need to tell me that. I'll do it anyway, since it's something I'd welcome." Xia Yan smiled faintly. "If you have nothing else to say, I'll be on my way."
"Xia Yan, you..."
"I think you've said all you needed to." Xia Yan waved her hand to cut her off, turned around, and left the Lu residence directly.
As a high-end mansion, the Lu residence naturally had its advanced security technology. Every word spoken at the villa's entrance was recorded without omission.
Ke Yaru watched Xia Yan's disappearing figure. She couldn't underestimate this Xia Yan—she had even won Xiaohan's favor. It seemed she wouldn't be easy to deal with.
******
No. 9 Mansion.
Lu Zhengting sat upright on the sofa nearby. Everyone in this private room was a big shot whose mere footstep could shake Jiang City.
No. 9 Mansion combined entertainment and dining, but it was most famous for its entertainment. Every night, it turned into a scene of vibrant allure, and the top floor even had a gambling den.
No. 9 Mansion's position in Jiang City was unshakable, much like its owner, Xu Su, the only son of the Xu family. In Jiang City, the Xu and Lu families were the most powerful. Xu Su's name gave off a refined impression, but in reality, his personality was even colder than Lu Zhengting's, and his actions left no room for mercy.
The two sat in silence, drinking whenever they had nothing to say. Xu Su disliked women; wherever women were present, the temperature in the air seemed to drop sharply. Lu Zhengting wasn't particularly attached to women either, so the two men just sat quietly drinking, which felt oddly strange at times.
"Is Ning Nan not here yet?"
Lu Zhengting swirled the red wine in his glass and said flatly, "That guy is always the last to arrive."
The mentioned Ning Nan arrived late but made a grand entrance. He had an arm around each of two voluptuous women as he strolled slowly into the room. Before he could sit down, he caught Xu Su's cold, piercing gaze sweeping toward him like a sword. He couldn't help but shiver and instinctively patted the women's shoulders. "You two, leave."
Having finally found a potential benefactor, why would the two women want to leave?
Their faces barely showed a hint of coquettishness for a second before Xu Su's icy expression forced them back, and they silently left the room.
Lu Zhengting raised his glass toward Ning Nan, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. "Young Master Ning, is this fun every time?"
As soon as he spoke, Ning Nan squinted and sneaked a glance at Xu Su, who sat upright, silent, and exuding an air of "keep away." This guy always had that expression whenever he brought women around, scaring off countless romantic opportunities.
Ning Nan strode over to Lu Zhengting, plopped down, picked up a glass of wine already poured, and brought it to his nose to sniff. "Good wine, but sitting like this is so boring."
Hearing this, Xu Su crossed his arms, glanced disdainfully at the complaining Ning Nan, and said to Lu Zhengting casually, "I heard you have a girlfriend?"
"Pfft..." Ning Nan spat out the wine in his mouth the moment he heard that, staring incredulously at the expressionless Lu Zhengting. Rumors were circulating in their circle that he had a secret girlfriend, though no one knew who. Now that Xu Su had brought it up, he wasn't about to let Lu Zhengting off easily.
It would be a perfect way to kill the boredom.
At this, Lu Zhengting frowned slightly and shot a glance at Xu Su. Even if he wanted to change the subject, dragging him into it wasn't exactly fair, was it?
Xu Su took a sip of his wine, thinking that only topics related to Lu Zhengting could pique Ning Nan's interest.
Lu Zhengting looked at Ning Nan's gossipy expression and felt a headache coming on.
"Come on, spill it," Ning Nan said with a grin, then paused. "Or better yet, don't tell me—just call her over so we can see for ourselves, wouldn't that be even better?"
He'd love to call Xia Yan over, but that girl's temper wasn't as gentle as she appeared. Thinking about it, he realized he'd seen much less of Xia Yan over the past month. Every time he returned to the Lu residence, she was already gone.
If he couldn't see that Xia Yan was deliberately avoiding him, he wouldn't be Lu Zhengting.
Seeing Lu Zhengting's expression soften, Ning Nan pressed his advantage. "Hurry up, it's still early. Have her come over, just let us meet her, get familiar."
With that, Lu Zhengting didn't hesitate and directly called Xia Yan.
After leaving the Lu residence, Xia Yan walked a stretch before hailing an empty cab. Now sitting in the car, she kept muttering to herself, making the driver glance at her several times.
She just couldn't figure it out—what part of her and Lu Zhengting looked like a couple? Everyone kept saying they had that kind of relationship.
And on top of that, she had to endure warnings from his girlfriend!
How ridiculous!
"Miss, your phone is ringing."
Hearing this, Xia Yan snapped out of it and pulled her phone from her bag. Seeing the name on the screen, she fumed. The troublemaker boss dared to call her now?! Without a second thought, she hit "decline."
Tossing the phone back into her bag, Xia Yan glared angrily out the window.
"Little lady, had a fight with your boyfriend?"
"No."
"Ah, fights are just something a boyfriend can smooth over. Couples always have rough patches—it's no big deal. Give a little, and it's smooth sailing..." The driver chuckled. "Miss, your phone's ringing again."
Annoyed, Xia Yan pulled out her phone and declined the call again.
"You're a stubborn one, but youth is great. My wife used to be just like you—when she got mad, I'd have to coax her for ages before she forgave me."
Faced with the driver's endless chatter, Xia Yan could only rub her temples in frustration. It wasn't a fight with her boyfriend! But she couldn't be bothered to explain—even if she did, the driver wouldn't believe her and would just think she was being shy...
"He's called several times. I'd say just pick up—clear up any misunderstandings face to face."
Xia Yan's face darkened. Driver, can you focus on the road instead?
When Lu Zhengting's fifth call came through, Xia Yan gripped her phone, steeled herself, and answered. "Mr. Lu, what do you want?"
"Where are you?"
"That's my privacy," Xia Yan said bluntly.
"Where are you?" Lu Zhengting asked again. Ning Nan, sitting close to him, was already enjoying the show, waiting for him to summon Xia Yan.
In Ning Nan's eyes, no woman had ever dared to refuse Lu Zhengting's request. Hearing the sharp tone on the phone, he shot Lu Zhengting a teasing, smug look. He liked this woman—she had personality, daring to go against Lu Zhengting. She might even be worth befriending as a buddy.
"Mr. Lu, what's the matter? If not, I'm hanging up," Xia Yan said impatiently. The driver beside her quietly reminded her not to be too angry and to stay calm...
Dude, just focus on driving, okay?
Xia Yan seriously wondered if she'd hailed a fake cab today with a fake driver.
"No. 9 Mansion."
"No. 9 what?"
"No. 9 Mansion."
"What mansion?"
"Xia Yan. I'm waiting for you at No. 9 Mansion."
"Can't find it," Xia Yan said flatly, as if she couldn't care less about Lu Zhengting's words. With that, she hung up decisively.
Lu Zhengting, now hung up on, instantly turned grim. Catching Ning Nan's amused look, he punched him in the arm—it didn't hurt Ning Nan, but it seemed serious to Xu Su.
"Your girlfriend's got too much personality."
"Get lost."
"Fall down, get back up. Come on, is her phone's location on?" Ning Nan pulled out his phone. Today, he was determined to see this woman who could make Lu Zhengting lose his cool. "Give me her number."
Lu Zhengting now desperately wanted to see that clueless woman show up in front of him with a shocked expression.
He gave Ning Nan Xia Yan's number. Within five minutes, Ning Nan grinned wickedly and said, "She's on Yingbin Avenue right now, but her position's moving—she's probably in a car."
Lu Zhengting grunted, signaling him to continue.
With that, Ning Nan smiled. This was way too easy. He lazily made a call.