Xia Yan shuffled forward slowly, making her way down the stairs. Seeing Lu Zhengting still standing on the upper steps watching her, she had no choice but to steel herself and say, "I'll just stay for one night. Tomorrow, I'll definitely make the cake for Xiaohan."
Lu Zhengting shot her a glance, then turned and walked toward the second floor.
His firm footsteps echoed on the dark wooden floor, each step seemingly landing on Xia Yan's heart. Step by step, her heartbeat quickened in response.
"I've already had the servants prepare a guest room. It's the last one down that hall." His voice, deep and resonant like a cello, snapped her thoughts back to the present.
Xia Yan stopped abruptly and looked in the direction he indicated. "Oh, got it."
Lu Zhengting gave her a long, penetrating look, then turned and climbed the stairs again.
Xia Yan stood frozen for a moment, realizing his room must be upstairs.
That's a relief, she thought, exhaling deeply as she headed toward the end of the hallway.
That night, lying on the soft bed in the guest room, Xia Yan's tense nerves finally relaxed, and she let out a comfortable sigh.
She thought of Yang Jinkuan's disgusting face, then of the suggestive words Lu Zhengting had said in the car.
Then, in a daze, she thought of Xiaohan. She wondered who his biological mother was—whether Lu Zhengting hadn't wanted to marry her, or she hadn't wanted to marry him.
The next morning, Xia Yan was jolted awake by her set alarm.
After washing up, she spotted a servant cleaning in the hallway. She waved them over. "Where's your boss?"
"Mr. Lu has gone to the office," the servant replied respectfully.
At work by eight? Xia Yan silently praised him. No wonder he was the current head of the Lu family.
But that was fine—she didn't really want to see him anyway. It made her uncomfortable.
Since it was still early, Xia Yan went into the kitchen and made another cake. She left a note for the little brat, then hurried out of the Lu family villa.
Once outside, she didn't hesitate and hailed a taxi straight back to school.
But to her surprise, as soon as she got out of the car, she received a call from Xiaohan.
"Sister Xiaoyan, the cake wasn't good. I want you to make a new one." The little brat's voice was childish but carried a commanding tone.
Rumors said the young master of the Lu family was like a terrifying little demon—and it was true.
Xia Yan felt a headache coming on. Afraid he'd go on a hunger strike again to force his father to find her, she quickly coaxed him, "Okay, okay, eat your breakfast first. I'll make it for you once I get home and finish it."
Checking the time, Xia Yan hailed another taxi to go home.
At this hour, her father should already be at work, and the old lady probably wasn't up yet.
Back at the Xia family villa, Xia Yan slipped into the kitchen.
She had made the cake here that day, and there were still some ingredients left.
To make an identical cake, she had no choice but to come back here.
Half an hour later, Xia Yan placed the finished cake in a cardboard box and walked out of the kitchen, only to be startled by a sharp shout.
"Stop!"
In the living room, her father Xia Minghui sat on the sofa, his dark face faintly tinged with anger. Beside him sat her half-sister Xia Siyue, who was idly playing with her nails, watching Xia Yan with smug amusement.
"Out all night—where did you go?" Xia Minghui demanded, his face dark.
Xia Yan thought of last night's events and felt no fear. She answered flatly, "At a friend's place."
"A friend's place? Which friend?" Xia Siyue pressed.
Last night, she'd heard the servants mumbling that Xia Yan had left with a man. This morning, she'd deliberately asked classmates and learned Xia Yan hadn't returned to the dorm all night. That sparked an idea—if she didn't tell their father, it would be letting her off too easy.
Xia Yan paused, a faint, sarcastic smile curling at her lips. "Doesn't Dad know what happened last night?"
A flicker of discomfort passed through Xia Minghui's eyes. He hadn't arranged last night's events, but he'd heard about them privately and hadn't tried to stop them.
But the person who had suddenly appeared last night—that was what he really wanted to know about.
"What's your relationship with him?" Xia Minghui asked in a low voice.
Xia Yan knew exactly who "him" referred to. She lowered her eyes. "My friend."
Xia Minghui frowned. He needed a clear answer. "Did you stay the night at his place?"
Suppressing the disgust churning inside her, Xia Yan kept her head down and answered loudly, "Yes."
Hearing this, Xia Minghui's gaze turned calculating as he carefully studied the daughter who shared no blood with him.
Everyone in Jiangcheng knew that women came and went around Lu Zhengting like smoke, but none had ever successfully married into the Lu family. There were many reasons for that.
He wouldn't stop Xia Yan from seeing Lu Zhengting. Even if she never made it through the Lu family's doors, it wouldn't hurt the Xia family—everyone in Jiangcheng knew Xia Yan wasn't a real Xia.
For now, if he played his cards right during their involvement, the Xia family might even reap significant benefits.
Under his naked, scrutinizing gaze, Xia Yan's skin crawled with goosebumps. Just as she was about to lose her composure, Xia Minghui said slowly, "Since that's the case, you'd better watch yourself."
Xia Yan didn't care what he was thinking. Feeling as if she'd been granted a pardon, she murmured an acknowledgment and hurried back to her room.
She closed the door nervously, leaning against it, her face pale.
She couldn't stay in this house any longer.
She wasn't really a Xia—not the legitimate daughter. When her mother married into the Xia family, she had taken the Xia surname.
And now her mother...
Though Xia Yan desperately didn't want to believe it, she knew in her heart that her mother probably didn't have much time left.
Her phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number.
"Where are you?" came a voice both familiar and strange.