"Am I sleepwalking?" Xiao Han yawned, his head drooping low as he muttered under his breath. As if to prove he was indeed sleepwalking, he immediately closed his eyes and slowly shuffled back to his room.
Xia Yan's raised hand was suddenly caught in Lu Zhengting's grasp. She struggled for a moment to no avail, then lifted her foot and stomped directly onto his instep. "Lu Zhengting, you bastard! How can you do this to your girlfriend? I thought you were a gentleman, but you're just a wolf in sheep's clothing!"
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting endured the pain radiating from his foot, his brow slightly furrowed. "She's not my girlfriend."
"Forget it, I'll just consider it as being bitten by a dog."
"Bitten by a dog?" Lu Zhengting parted his lips slightly, uttering these four words in an icy tone. His deep, cold eyes flashed with dangerous light, locking intently onto Xia Yan. How dare she compare him to a dog?!
"Give me my phone. I'm going back to my room." She didn't want to say another word. This was her first kiss—no one would believe it if she told them—and it had been stolen by Lu Zhengting without a word. She was so furious she felt like her heart was about to explode. Seeing that Lu Zhengting had no intention of returning her phone, Xia Yan's stubbornness flared up. Fine, she didn't want it anymore!
Lu Zhengting frowned deeply, watching Xia Yan's angry retreating figure. He pondered to himself—was just a kiss enough to make her this furious?
Back in her room, Xia Yan flopped onto the bed, sprawling out completely, her mind blank. When Lu Zhengting had been close, her heartbeat seemed to no longer belong to her, uncontrollable in its pace. When he kissed her, she hadn't seemed as repulsed as she'd imagined?
What was wrong with her lately? Every time she faced Lu Zhengting, her temper flared up easily.
Xia Yan rolled over, staring at the ceiling above. The room's decor exuded Lu Zhengting's presence everywhere. Whether her eyes were open or closed, her mind only replayed the image of them kissing. The dim light in the hallway had illuminated them, and his open eyes seemed filled with stars, nearly captivating her. His nearly perfect profile looked like God's finest creation—sharp, clear, and cold, exuding a man's ruggedness.
God, why did she feel like her mind was completely filled with Lu Zhengting right now?
Meanwhile, in the study, Lu Zhengting lounged in his chair, staring at Xia Yan's phone in his hand. After a moment's thought, he pressed the power button. As soon as it turned on, the phone buzzed incessantly. He squinted—missed call notifications, all from the same number.
He frowned, feeling no guilt about invading someone's privacy. He opened the contacts, noted the number labeled "Brother Ye," and silently sent it out.
Lu Zhengting turned on his computer and briefly reviewed the schedule for the next few days sent by his secretary. The quiet study suddenly rang with a tone—Xia Yan's phone. He reached for it. The city hospital was calling?
Xia Yan lay in bed, clutching the blanket, sweating profusely despite the room's air conditioning seemingly failing. The sound of the door handle turning made her tense up instantly. She sat up abruptly, staring straight at the stern-faced man appearing at the door.
"Lu, Lu Zhengting, what do you want now!"
"I'm taking you to the hospital."
"To the hospital for what?" Xia Yan rolled her eyes, then suddenly thought of something and raised her voice. "Is something wrong with my mom?"
Lu Zhengting looked at her silently. Xia Yan didn't dare hesitate. She grabbed the jacket by the bedside and ran out.
Xia Yan didn't ask further. She just wanted to get to the hospital quickly. Xiao Lanzi's condition had seemed to improve before, but recently it had started fluctuating again for no reason.
Lu Zhengting picked a sports car. With fewer cars on the road late at night, he gradually increased the speed. From the Lu residence to the city hospital, it took just over ten minutes.
When they arrived, Xiao Lanzi was just being wheeled out of the operating room. Standing outside, Xia Yan saw her mother's pale face on the bed and couldn't help but sob quietly. Xiao Lanzi's hair had been falling out from chemotherapy, and her body was growing thinner. Xia Yan held her mother's hand, her suppressed tears suddenly dripping down.
Lu Zhengting walked over quietly, reached out, and pulled her into his arms. "Let her rest first."
Hot tears fell onto Lu Zhengting's hand. Feeling their warmth, his expression shifted slightly. His thick palm rested on Xia Yan's back, gently patting her to soothe her unease.
Xiao Lanzi's attending doctor sighed softly and approached Xia Yan.
"Miss Xia, your mother's condition isn't optimistic. I hope—"
"Hope what?" Xia Yan raised her voice, shouting at the doctor. Tears streaked her face, her expression deeply sorrowful. Over the past month, every time she saw Xiao Lanzi being wheeled out of the operating room pale-faced, her heart grew unbearably heavy. She didn't want to think about what might happen.
Lu Zhengting patted her shoulder, pressing her head against his chest. Seeing this, the doctor knew Xia Yan was emotionally unstable. He shook his head inwardly—as a doctor, he'd seen too many partings of life and death to be affected anymore.
Xia Yan cried quietly for a while before lifting her head from his chest. The hospital corridor was dim and cold. A chill wind blew, making her hair stand on end. She sniffled, her rabbit-red eyes glistening with tears as she stared unblinkingly at Lu Zhengting.
"Feeling better?"
"No."
"Going to the ward?"
"Let me compose myself first. I can't see my mom like this."
Xia Yan sat on a chair outside the ward for a moment before getting up and entering. Xiao Lanzi was still unconscious from the lingering anesthesia. The ward was arranged by Xia Minghui, quiet and peaceful. Xia Yan glanced at Lu Zhengting following behind her and said flatly, "Lu Zhengting, you go back first. I'll stay at the hospital tonight."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting thought for a moment, then sat down on the sofa as if nothing was wrong, arms crossed, staring fixedly at Xia Yan without a word.
Seeing that Xia Yan had no energy to guess Lu Zhengting's thoughts and that he showed no sign of leaving, she ignored him.
After staying at the hospital all night, Xia Yan didn't know when she'd fallen asleep holding Xiao Lanzi's hand by the bedside. She remembered having a dream—she was a child again, when her father was still alive. Her mother held her hand, standing at the door waiting for their father to come home from work.
Feeling someone stroking her head, Xia Yan groggily opened her eyes and saw Xiao Lanzi looking at her with slightly open eyes. She jolted awake, gripping her mother's hand excitedly. "Mom, you're finally awake."
Though Xiao Lanzi had woken up, her energy was waning. She noticed the man standing behind Xia Yan, her expression shifting slightly. She coughed a few times and said softly to Xia Yan, "Yanyan, go buy some porridge."
Xiao Lanzi had had little appetite lately, so her initiative to eat made Xia Yan happy. She quickly grabbed her bag and headed out, forgetting about the other person in the room—Lu Zhengting.
Only after Xia Yan left did Xiao Lanzi look at Lu Zhengting with a complicated expression. "President Lu, Yanyan doesn't know anything."
"I know."
"Then why are you still staying by her side?"
Faced with Xiao Lanzi's sharp question, Lu Zhengting clearly didn't want to answer, and he didn't. The room fell into silence until a doctor came to check, easing the tense atmosphere. The doctor had barely left when Xia Yan returned with porridge—she'd bought three portions.
Lu Zhengting got a call from the company about a morning meeting and left early.
In the ward, Xiao Lanzi looked at Xia Yan with a grave expression. "Yanyan, what exactly is your relationship with President Lu?"
"Mom, why are you asking about that?" Xia Yan stirred the porridge in the bowl, feigning nonchalance.
"Yanyan, tell me the truth. What is it?"
Seeing Xiao Lanzi's mood sour, Xia Yan quickly said, "We're just ordinary friends—"
"Sis, that's not quite right." Xia Siyue, arriving late, leaned against the doorframe. Hearing Xia Yan's words to Xiao Lanzi, she curled her lips in a cold smile.
"Yueyue, what's wrong with what your sister said?" Xiao Lanzi turned to look at Xia Siyue, then glanced at Xia Yan, who seemed uneasy.
"Mom, you don't know? Sis has hardly been home lately and often skips school." Xia Siyue walked over to Xia Yan with a smile, blinking, and added, "Some classmates said they saw President Lu dropping Sis off at school early in the morning."
Hearing this, Xiao Lanzi's brow furrowed tightly. "Yanyan, is what your sister said true?"
Meeting Xiao Lanzi's serious gaze, Xia Yan felt an inexplicable guilt. "No, President Lu and I are just friends. He has a girlfriend."
For some reason, saying "Lu Zhengting has a girlfriend" again made her feel very uncomfortable. Catching Xia Siyue's malicious smile out of the corner of her eye, she had a bad feeling.
"Sis, haven't you seen this morning's news? I happened to buy a copy on my way up." With that, Xia Siyue pulled an entertainment magazine from her bag.
"Lu Corporation Chairman Spotted with Mysterious Girlfriend Late at Night."
Xia Yan stared at the bold headline on the cover, with a photo below. The person in the photo was deliberately blurred, not very clear. In the image, the two stood by the roadside, seemingly intimate. Xiao Lanzi glanced at the cover photo, then at Xia Yan.
"Yanyan, where were you last night?"
"I was at school—" Xia Yan blurted out. As soon as she spoke, Xiao Lanzi's expression turned stern.
"Sis, the woman in Lu Zhengting's arms is wearing the exact same clothes as you are now." Xia Siyue covered her mouth in feigned surprise, pointing at the photo.