Xia Yan, having hung up on Lu Zhengting with a stubborn temper, felt refreshed as she gazed at the scenery flashing past the car window. After the driver answered a phone call, his gaze toward her turned somewhat strange. She glanced sideways abruptly but noticed nothing amiss. Her destination was Jiangcheng University, but now the car had turned into a tunnel, changing direction entirely—this road wasn't the way to Jiangcheng at all. Suspicion arose in Xia Yan's mind, and she couldn't believe she might have encountered one of those notorious perverted drivers she'd heard about online.
"This isn't the way to Jiangda. Where are you taking me?" Xia Yan struggled to stay calm, staring intently at the driver, who had been chatty earlier but now wore a stern expression. The alarm bells in her heart rang loudly. She stopped talking and quickly grabbed the door handle with both hands, twisting it forcefully—the door was locked tight!
"Where are you taking me? I want you to stop right now and let me out, or I'll call the police!"
"Miss, don't be nervous, I'm not a bad person," the driver said helplessly. The phone call just now had come from the head office, instructing him to take this passenger to No. 9 Mansion. Faced with Xia Yan treating him like a criminal, he felt a bitter frustration, unsure what kind of woman she really was...
The driver sped up, and under Xia Yan's tense and highly guarded state, he delivered her to the destination, No. 9 Mansion, as quickly as possible.
The car came to a smooth stop. Xia Yan looked at the driver in confusion. "What are you bringing me here for?"
"Miss, I'm sorry, I just got a call from the company telling me to drop you off here."
Before she could even pay him, she saw him speed off with a whoosh. Stunned, she watched the car disappear from sight, clutching her handbag as she slowly turned to look behind her. There, she saw four highly conspicuous characters: No. 9 Mansion.
Xia Yan stood dumbfounded by the roadside, watching a man suddenly appear at the entrance. He exuded a fierce aura, his expression dark and intimidating, dressed in black casual clothes as if hidden in the shadows—yet the darkness couldn't erase his commanding and noble presence.
Lu Zhengting walked step by step toward Xia Yan, a faint smile playing on his lips, eyes slightly narrowed. With each step he took, Xia Yan unconsciously stepped back. Her hands gripping her handbag tightened instinctively. Her expressionless yet defensive posture instantly amused Lu Zhengting.
"Xia Yan..." His voice, deep like a bass, slowly rang out. Her name on his lips carried a hint of lingering tenderness.
Xia Yan took a deep breath, glancing sideways behind her. Any further back, and she'd be on the busy road. She paused, stopped retreating, stood up straight, and stared directly at Lu Zhengting. "Was it you who had the driver bring me here?"
Lu Zhengting gave a noncommittal hum, as if it were only natural.
Hearing this, Xia Yan was furious! She moved to approach Lu Zhengting, but her foot slipped, and she lost her balance. Her body uncontrollably tilted backward, her arms flailing in the air. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a car speeding toward her. In that instant, her mind went blank.
Just as she thought she'd be hit by the car, a strong hand grabbed hers. She felt a forceful pull, and in a flash, her backward-leaning body lurched forward.
"Ah..."
Xia Yan fell into Lu Zhengting's embrace, her heart pounding as she leaned against his chest, gasping for air. Her disheveled hair clung to her face, covering most of it, and she felt a faint, soothing pat on her back.
"How much longer are you going to stay?"
"..." At that, Xia Yan realized she was still leaning against Lu Zhengting. She lowered her head and slowly stepped back. All this humiliation was his fault. She glared at him, teeth clenched. "I could have gone back to school peacefully, but instead, I was forced here and had to deal with all this nonsense."
"Ah Ting, why don't you bring your sister-in-law in?" Ning Nan, leaning lazily against the wall by the door, called out to Lu Zhengting with a roguish grin.
Hearing that, Xia Yan's displeasure grew as she shifted her gaze to Ning Nan. This man was more alluring than a woman—if he dressed in women's clothes, he'd outshine any female! But did he just call him Ah Ting? She glanced suspiciously at Lu Zhengting and straightened her hair.
"Don't play these boring games late at night, President Lu. I need to get back to school."
"Hey, sister-in-law, don't leave..."
"Who's your sister-in-law?" Xia Yan was now certain that the man was referring to her with that term. She was in a bad mood and found everything annoying, especially since today's events were a once-in-a-lifetime ordeal for her.
Ning Nan rubbed his nose, flashed a charming smile, and instead of getting angry, he threw a flirtatious glance at Xia Yan.
At that, Xia Yan's skin crawled with goosebumps. She involuntarily shuddered. What kind of people were these?!
Better to leave quickly.
Spotting an empty cab approaching, Xia Yan quickly waved her hand. But before the taxi could stop in front of her, Lu Zhengting, who was closest, closed in, smoothly wrapped his arm around her waist, and hoisted her over his shoulder.
Along the way, Xia Yan felt her stomach churning against Lu Zhengting's shoulder, nearly making her sick from the jostling. Her flailing hands and feet were nothing but a tickle to him, posing no threat.
Ning Nan followed behind, enjoying the show. As they neared the private room, he quickened his pace and, with exaggerated politeness, pushed the door open.
"Lu Zhengting! You bastard!" Xia Yan, nauseous and miserable, forgot her situation and who she was dealing with, blurting out whatever came to mind.
Xu Su, sitting on the other side, instinctively shifted his position the moment he saw Xia Yan. Ning Nan's attention was entirely on her—this woman was too amusing, far more entertaining than the two ice blocks, Lu Zhengting and Xu Su.
Without any hesitation, Ning Nan plopped down beside Xia Yan, glanced at Lu Zhengting, and said, "Ah Ting, aren't you being too rough? You should be gentle with women." Then he turned to Xia Yan. "Right, Yan Yan?"
"Cough... cough... Who are you?" Xia Yan had been roughly tossed onto the sofa by Lu Zhengting, and her posture was far from elegant. The jostling had nearly turned her stomach inside out. She glared impatiently at Ning Nan, treating everyone the same way now.
"Little firecracker, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ning Nan, his older brother. If he ever dares to bully you, just come to me, and I'll take care of him," Ning Nan said cheerfully. But when he heard Lu Zhengting's low cough, he faltered, clearly lacking confidence.
Xia Yan finally understood: Lu Zhengting was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
There were only three men in the private room. No. 9 Mansion was notorious as a den of pleasure, yet she hadn't seen a single woman since being brought in—strange. Aside from Lu Zhengting, she didn't know the other two.
Lu Zhengting sat down beside her and handed her a glass of juice. "This is Ning Nan, and that's Xu Su."
"You went through all this trouble to bring me here just to introduce me to them? What's your real motive?" Xia Yan held the juice, lowering her voice to whisper in his ear.
Her intuition told her it was better to play it safe with these two men in the room.
Lu Zhengting seemed to read her mind, curling his lips as he whispered back, "I have no motive."
"..." The warm breath unexpectedly hit her neck, and Xia Yan's body stiffened instantly, unable to move. Her face flushed red. Why did he have to breathe on her when talking?!
"Or do you think I have some motive?"
"Can you speak normally? I mean, let's keep a proper distance when we talk."
"A proper distance? Like this?" Lu Zhengting raised an eyebrow and shifted his position.
"Lu Zhengting! Get away from me!"
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting burst out laughing, as if seeing Xia Yan lose her temper made him especially happy.
Ning Nan, who had been watching the show for a while and was ignored by Xia Yan, complained, "Xia Yan, even if you're Lu Zhengting's girlfriend, shouldn't you consider us singles? 'Lovebirds die fast,' you know?"
Ning Nan's words hit Xia Yan like a thunderbolt, making her see stars.
She stared at him in disbelief, raising her voice. "Who said I'm his girlfriend?! I have nothing to do with him!"
At that, Lu Zhengting's face darkened instantly. Meanwhile, Ning Nan flashed an innocent smile and leaned closer to Xia Yan. "You're saying you're not his girlfriend?"
"Of course not. President Lu and I are just ordinary friends," Xia Yan said seriously. The rumor had even reached his ears. She paused, then turned to Lu Zhengting. "President Lu, why don't you clarify things to others?"
"Clarify what?" Lu Zhengting asked calmly.
"Clarify that we're not in a relationship," Xia Yan urged.
"Yeah, Ah Ting, if you don't explain, I'd think Xia Yan is your girlfriend too," Ning Nan said, clearly siding with Xia Yan.
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting frowned deeply, picked up his glass, took a sip, and after a moment of silence, said, "Ning Nan, I heard you went on a blind date a few days ago?"
Want to watch his drama? Lu Zhengting raised an eyebrow, speaking to Ning Nan but staring at Xu Su, as if to say, handle it yourself.
At that, Ning Nan stood up angrily, glaring at Lu Zhengting. "How do you know about that?"
"If I want to know, I will. Besides, Young Master Ning's blind date..." Sensing Xu Su's warning gaze, Lu Zhengting paused, smiled, and said nothing more.
Xia Yan looked at the complicated trio in the room, utterly bewildered. She had been sitting there for so long without hearing Xu Su say a single word, yet she could sense a hint of strangeness in their exchange.