Xia Yan never liked to meddle in other people's business, especially when it had nothing to do with her. Fortunately, they hadn't stayed in the private room for too long, but it seemed that everything came to an end because of the topic of Ning Nan's blind date.
Ning Nan suddenly fled the private room, followed closely by Xu Su, leaving the once noisy room with just her and Lu Zhengting. As time dragged on, if she didn't hurry back to school now, the dormitory gates would close, and she wouldn't be able to get back in.
"They've all left. Shouldn't we go too?" Xia Yan thought for a moment and said slowly.
Luckily, Lu Zhengting didn't refuse and walked ahead first. Xia Yan glared at his back. What was all this about?
Xia Yan had originally planned to take a taxi back to school, but she couldn't resist Lu Zhengting's assertiveness and eventually agreed to let him drive her. She was afraid that if she kept refusing, Lu Zhengting would just throw her over his shoulder and haul her into the car.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Xia Yan had only one question on her mind: when had she become Lu Zhengting's girlfriend without even knowing it? And from the looks of it, Lu Zhengting didn't seem to have any intention of explaining.
For Lu Zhengting, such rumors were just ordinary gossip, and he never paid them any mind. But for Xia Yan, this was a big deal. She hated being surrounded by rumors and hated being labeled with baseless titles.
She silently organized her words in her mind. "Mr. Lu, about me being your girlfriend, could you please clarify things with your friends? It wouldn't hurt either of us, right? That way, your girlfriend won't misunderstand our relationship."
Xia Yan waited quietly for Lu Zhengting to brush her off with his usual line about not having a girlfriend, but instead, she was met with endless silence.
Lu Zhengting glanced at Xia Yan with amusement. This little girl's thoughts weren't hard to guess at all. Every move she made revealed what she was thinking.
Xia Yan looked at the familiar road outside the window in surprise. "This isn't the way back to school!"
"Yeah," Lu Zhengting nodded seriously, as if praising Xia Yan for being sharp and quick-witted.
"Aren't you taking me back to school?" Xia Yan felt like she had been tricked by Lu Zhengting again. This guy had no intention of taking her back to school; this road was clearly leading to the Lu residence.
She had so much she wanted to say!
The night was stunningly beautiful, but her mood was so complicated she wanted to curse.
All her feigned temper was useless in front of Lu Zhengting. He always found a way to make her furious with no outlet for her anger. Xia Yan glared at him in frustration and said helplessly, "Mr. Lu, can you just tell me what you want to do?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting frowned slightly, finding her current attitude refreshing. Every time he interacted with Xia Yan, he discovered a different side of her. Her usual modesty and calmness were gone, replaced by a girlish petulance.
Xia Yan never imagined that her anger would be seen as girlish petulance in Lu Zhengting's eyes.
Lu Zhengting drove the car into the garage. Was this even a garage? It was more like a car exhibition, with not only business cars but also several limited-edition sports cars parked side by side, along with some cars Xia Yan had never seen before.
From the garage, a private elevator went straight up to the upper floors. It was an indoor elevator.
Xia Yan followed behind Lu Zhengting with a dark expression. After all this torment, she had ended up back at the Lu residence. She didn't know whether to call it a twist of fate or someone's deliberate doing! Either way, her mind was full of unanswered questions.
Xiao Han was already asleep. In the vast villa, only she and Lu Zhengting were still awake. Without needing to ask, she automatically headed toward the room on the second floor. At the turn on the staircase, she suddenly reached out and grabbed Lu Zhengting's sleeve, accidentally brushing his fingertips. Feeling a trace of warmth, she instinctively pulled her hand back.
After hesitating for a long time, she knew she had to get to the bottom of things to feel at ease. Pausing, she said softly, "Mr. Lu, can we talk?"
"About what?" Lu Zhengting's gaze swept over Xia Yan ambiguously.
Unable to read his tone, Xia Yan felt a bit frustrated. "Could you please go out and clarify the rumor that I'm your girlfriend?"
"What's the point of clarifying if rumors are already out there?"
"..." That logic seemed flawless!
"I never bother with such boring things."
"This isn't just about my reputation; it's about yours too. Are you really okay with them making things up? Your girlfriend could be me today and someone else tomorrow. Aren't you worried your girlfriend might misunderstand?"
"If it could be someone else tomorrow, why do you care so much? Are you worried your boyfriend might misunderstand?" Lu Zhengting said slowly, emphasizing the word "boyfriend." Xia Yan could clearly feel the sharpness in his gaze.
She trembled slightly. "This has nothing to do with whether I have a boyfriend or not."
"Then what are you worried about? Don't forget, Yang Jinkuan only backed off because you're my woman."
"So you're telling me that if I weren't your woman, Yang Jinkuan would come after me again?" Xia Yan blinked, deep in thought. How could she have forgotten about Yang Jinkuan? After a pause, she added, "And what about tonight? How do you explain that?"
"Tonight was arranged by Ning Nan." Lu Zhengting shifted all the blame onto Ning Nan without hesitation.
At that moment, Ning Nan, who was reluctantly dealing with Xu Su, had no idea that his plan to leave a good impression on Xia Yan had been ruined by Lu Zhengting's single sentence. He had tried to make Lu Zhengting look bad but ended up being outsmarted. His heart was bitter, but he couldn't say a word.
Hearing Lu Zhengting's explanation, Xia Yan's already low opinion of Ning Nan plummeted to negative.
Standing on the staircase, Xia Yan's arguments were effortlessly dismantled by Lu Zhengting. What else could she do? She was helpless too...
It wasn't that she was too stupid, but that her opponent was too strong!
Just as she was about to head back to her room, her phone rang in the awkward silence between them. Who would be calling her so late?
Xia Yan slowly pulled out her phone and, seeing the caller ID, broke into a smile. "Brother Ye, have you landed?"
Brother Ye? Lu Zhengting's expression changed. He lowered his gaze and glanced at Xia Yan, who was clearly delighted, finding her smile irritating.
"Yeah, I'm about to go to sleep. Are you taking a taxi to the hotel now?" Xia Yan held the phone, glanced casually at Lu Zhengting, and didn't notice the sudden chill in the air. She made a goodbye gesture and turned to go to her room.
Suddenly, the phone in her hand was snatched away. She stared wide-eyed at her empty hand, now seeing her phone in Lu Zhengting's grip. Without changing his expression, he raised his other hand and pressed the power button with his long fingers.
"Lu Zhengting, are you crazy? Why did you take my phone!" Xia Yan shouted angrily.
"Not calling me Mr. Lu anymore?"
"Give me back my phone!"
"Fine." Lu Zhengting glanced at the short Xia Yan with a serious expression, a mischievous smile curling at the corner of his lips. Just as Xia Yan's hand was about to touch the phone, he suddenly raised it higher, widening the distance.
Xia Yan stomped her foot in frustration! She stood on tiptoe, but every time she got close to the phone, Lu Zhengting lifted it higher. Focused entirely on retrieving her phone, she didn't notice the amusement in his eyes.
"Lu Zhengting, are you being childish?" Realizing he was deliberately keeping the phone out of her reach, Xia Yan wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face.
Lu Zhengting looked down at Xia Yan, who was too angry to speak, and suddenly asked in a low voice, "Who is he?"
"None of your business! You're not really going to meddle in my affairs, are you?" Xia Yan said impatiently, staring at the man before her.
Lu Zhengting watched Xia Yan's lips moving, her fair face flushed with anger, and suddenly felt a surge of impulse. Xia Yan, feeling her throat dry from all the talking, unconsciously licked her lips.
"Lu Zhengting, let's cut the crap. What do I have to do to get my phone back?" Xia Yan finally realized the height difference between them. In her flat shoes, even standing straight, her head only reached his shoulder. As long as he raised his arm, she had no chance of getting the phone back.
"Like this..." Lu Zhengting suddenly leaned forward, his head almost resting on Xia Yan's shoulder, his warm lips close to her ear, speaking slowly in a low, husky voice.
Before his words had even settled for a second, he quickly lowered his hand and reached for her waist. His warm, solid palm pressed against her, and before she could even think of escaping, she stood frozen, staring at the handsome face growing larger in her vision.
Her heart pounded—thump, thump, thump...
Lu Zhengting's lips pressed firmly against hers. His breath brushed unmistakably across her cheek. Xia Yan clenched her hands into fists, her gaze blank, holding her breath, so tense that even breathing felt difficult.
Lu Zhengting, he...
Feeling the stiffness in Xia Yan's body, his eyes curved slightly. The hand that had been motionless on her waist began to move slowly upward. Every time it moved, Xia Yan's body trembled involuntarily before tensing up again. Noticing this, he used his other hand to lift her chin.
In Xia Yan's clear pupils, only his reflection could be seen. His sharp, deep eyes were locked onto her face. Catching the faint scent of her, his lips, which had been still on hers, moved slightly, startling Xia Yan...
"What are you doing?" Xiao Han, wearing loose pajamas, rubbed her sleepy eyes and squinted at the two people embracing on the staircase, asking in a soft, sticky voice.
Hearing Xiao Han's voice, Xia Yan snapped back to reality. Lu Zhengting calmly pulled his lips away from hers, a faint smile playing on his face as he looked at her. Instinctively, she raised her hand and swung it toward his face.