CEO Lu's late-night secret date with a mysterious girlfriend spread like a tornado early in the morning. Ke Yaru stared at the news on her phone, a blaze of fire igniting in her eyes. Scanning the content, she was relieved that there wasn't much detail about the woman in Lu Zhengting's arms—most people were just speculating about what kind of lucky woman could become his.
Her assistant knocked and entered, catching a glimpse of her boss's stern expression and feeling a twinge of fear. In front of Ke Yaru, as long as things didn't involve Lu Zhengting, she wouldn't lose her temper. But this morning's news had already spread throughout the company, and anyone with eyes could see the woman in Lu Zhengting's arms wasn't her.
Xia Yan was about 1.62 meters tall, while Ke Yaru stood at 1.70 meters.
Ke Yaru lifted her gaze slightly, fixing it on the assistant who had come to report on work, her face extremely unpleasant. Seeing this, the assistant nervously finished all the tasks and quickly left her office.
Meanwhile, the male lead was looking at the newspaper his secretary had brought. He narrowed his eyes and curled his lips slightly. The private phone beside him suddenly rang. Lu Zhengting picked it up expressionlessly, glancing at the caller ID.
As soon as the call connected, Ning Nan's playful laughter erupted on the line, lasting nearly a minute before he got to the point. "Boss, you got caught by the paparazzi. Hilarious."
Getting caught by paparazzi was usually something only Ning Nan would be careless about. Xu Su's temper was such that if he noticed anyone following or snapping photos, he'd have them dealt with immediately. As for him, he didn't care—his scandals updated almost every week. Sometimes, when he was in a good mood, he'd even buy drinks for the paparazzi trailing him. But Lu Zhengting was different; he was rarely followed, and few could capture him on camera.
Ning Nan found this whole thing hilarious because the paparazzi had originally been following him, hoping to snap him, but instead, they'd caught Lu Zhengting.
Hearing the laughter on the phone, Lu Zhengting's head throbbed for a while. "Are you done? If it weren't for you, would this have happened today?"
"Bro, I'm not taking the blame for this. No one forced you to play the hero, and you even took advantage of Xia Yan." Ning Nan lounged lazily on the sofa, his long legs propped up on the opposite chair. His agent sat beside him, staring at him with a mix of helplessness and suppressed anger.
"Boring!"
"No fun." Ning Nan stopped laughing as Lu Zhengting hung up. Such a funny story, and he had no one to share it with. He thought about calling Xu Su but then reconsidered—that workaholic had no interest in anything besides his job.
"Nan Ye, my lord, you already agreed to this script. Backing out now, no matter how you spin it, it's our problem..."
"Let me see the script."
Ning Nan glanced at it. It was a youth campus idol drama, and the filming location was Jiangcheng University—wasn't that where Xia Yan studied? After a moment's thought, he tossed the script back to his agent and smiled. "I'll do it."
His agent was used to Ning Nan's whimsical decisions.
Ning Nan was a breath of fresh air in the industry. A child star who debuted years ago, he'd acted in countless TV shows and movies, always as the male lead. His career had been smooth sailing from the start. Everyone assumed he had connections, but the paparazzi who'd followed him for years had never found a single clue.
Ning Nan was exhausted. Last night, because Lu Zhengting mentioned he was going on a blind date, Xu Su had cornered him and given him a beating. Now, he was so tired that even opening his eyes felt like a chore. He closed his eyes and pointed toward the door. His longtime agent understood and, grabbing his things, slowly left the hotel.
Back in his office, Lu Zhengting sat unfazed by the sudden scandal. It wasn't something he couldn't handle. Today was supposed to be Xia Yan's first day reporting to the company, but considering her mother had just woken up, he'd told her to come in tomorrow instead.
So, before even setting foot in Lu Corporation, Xia Yan had already become an inexplicable sensation within the company.
Ke Yaru was completely consumed by the news report, with no mind left for internal gossip. After coming out of the restroom, she stood before the mirror, gazing at her own reflection—flawless features, exquisite makeup highlighting her beauty and elegance, a nearly perfect figure that made men stop and stare. With all this, why couldn't she win Lu Zhengting?
She touched up her makeup, gently pressed her lips together, and wiped the corner of her mouth with her slender fingers. Her peach-blossom eyes were seductive and alluring. Adjusting her collar, she smiled at her reflection.
Head held high, chest out, she left the restroom, returned to her office to grab a work order, and headed toward Lu Zhengting's office. Hers was one floor below his.
Ke Yaru looked at the secretary blocking her path, her smile nearly cracking. She frowned slightly at Secretary Zhou. "What are you stopping me for?"
"President Ke, President Lu is currently handling matters. I need to inform him."
Ke Yaru swallowed her pent-up anger and nodded at Secretary Zhou.
After Secretary Zhou announced her, she entered the office. The moment Lu Zhengting came into view, her focus narrowed solely on him. She smiled lightly, presenting her most beautiful side. "Zhengting, this is what you asked me to do last time."
Lu Zhengting glanced briefly at Ke Yaru and continued his work. Feeling the shadow still looming over him, he looked up slightly. "Something else?"
"Zhengting, should I have someone handle today's news?"
"I've already arranged for it."
Hearing this, Ke Yaru's heart tightened. In the past, Lu Zhengting had always ignored such scandals, and she would test him to see what status the women in those stories held in his eyes. But this time, his attitude had changed.
Seeing his expressionless face, Ke Yaru lowered her head, paused, and then smiled as she left the office.
Lu Zhengting's decision to handle this matter clearly meant he wanted to protect this woman and keep her out of the spotlight. Ke Yaru recalled Xia Yan, who had previously been linked to Lu Zhengting. Could it be that the rumors about Xia Yan were a misunderstanding? Back in her office, she reopened the photo she'd saved earlier and examined it closely. The woman was wrapped in Lu Zhengting's arms, her face obscured.
******
Mu Chengfeng parked a sports car at the hospital entrance. After Xia Siyue and Xia Yan came out, they got in. Once inside, Xia Siyue rolled down the window and sneered at Xia Yan. Mu Chengfeng leaned out from beside her, grinning maliciously. "President Lu sure has unique taste."
Catching the sarcasm in Mu Chengfeng's tone, Xia Yan shot a cold glare at the smug pair in the car. She walked around the front of the vehicle to the roadside, planning to hail a cab back to school. She knew Lu Zhengting must have seen the newspaper reports by now, but her mind was a mess. Xiao Lanzhi's words still echoed faintly in her ears.
"Xia Yan, want to head back to school together?" Mu Chengfeng called out with a smile. Beside him, Xia Siyue immediately shot him a glare.
"Don't forget, Xia Yan is Lu Zhengting's woman."
Hearing this, Xia Yan thought to herself, she found these two annoying enough as it was. "No need."
Just then, she spotted an empty cab coming her way. She waved it down and got in, leaving the two with a swift, decisive back view. Mu Chengfeng's lingering gaze on Xia Yan only made Xia Siyue angrier.
"Chengfeng, let's go."
Mu Chengfeng glanced at the pouting Xia Siyue, frowned, and started the engine.
Back in her dorm, Xia Yan figured Lin Xujia was probably already handling her departure procedures. She pulled out a chair, sat in a daze for a while, then got up to start her own. Her other two roommates had left a few days earlier.
Her phone suddenly rang. Xia Yan stared at it for a long time before silently answering.
"Sister Yan, do you have time this afternoon?"
"Xiao Han, what's up?"
"Our school has an event this afternoon, but my dad can't make it. Can you come?"
Xia Yan thought for a moment, checked the time. She had no classes this afternoon, and Xiao Lanzhi's condition was temporarily stable. "Sure, I'll just go straight to your school?"
"Sister Yan, I'll have the driver pick you up. I'll call you in advance."
Xia Yan hung up, slumping lazily into her chair. When Lin Xujia returned after finishing all the procedures, she found Xia Yan basking in the sun with her eyes half-closed. She coughed a few times and walked over. "Xia Yan, weren't you supposed to report to Lu Corporation today?"
"Something came up, so I postponed it by a day." Xia Yan slowly opened her eyes and looked at Lin Xujia.
"You're so lucky. The future Mrs. Lu can just show up whenever she wants."
"Xiaojia, don't talk nonsense. What future Mrs. Lu?" Xia Yan felt a bit annoyed hearing that.
Lin Xujia clearly didn't believe her. "Come on, lately every time I see you, you look totally drained."
"So what are you trying to say? Blame me for feeling off? But yeah, my sleep quality has been pretty bad lately." Xia Yan said with a faint smile, refusing to admit the reason was Lu Zhengting.
"I came back to the dorm last night."
Xia Yan squinted at Lin Xujia. "I spent the whole night at the hospital. I'm exhausted now. I'm going to sleep."
"The hospital? Did your mom..."
"She's stable now." Xia Yan yawned, rubbed her eyes, and stopped caring what Lin Xujia thought. All she wanted was to bury her head under the covers and sleep.