The dormitory, once filled with a lively atmosphere, suddenly became exceptionally quiet. Only at times like this did Xia Yan feel as if she were living in another world—a world that seemed to hold only one person: herself.
The silence around her was so profound that it stirred a pang of sadness in her heart, yet it also offered a sliver of comfort. She leaned back in her chair, maintaining the same posture without moving, from afternoon until nightfall, from blue skies and white clouds to a lonely, vast sky.
Lu Zhengting's phone never rang again.
She gathered her thoughts, slowly pulled out her computer, and opened it. She desperately needed something to distract herself, or else the image of Lu Zhengting's face would keep replaying in her mind in an endless loop.
She found an old movie, one that told the story of a man's deep, selfless love for a woman. Xia Yan wasn't someone who cried easily, but in this specific setting and mood, her emotions far outweighed her rationality.
She ended up sobbing uncontrollably without even finishing the movie, because she no longer needed to watch it—she no longer wanted to.
Xia Yan held a tissue in one hand, wiping her tears, when her phone rang. She picked it up with her other hand and spoke in a muffled voice, "Brother Ye."
"Xia Yan, have you been crying?"
"Yeah." Xia Yan sniffled, turned off the movie, and opened a music app to play some songs. As the melodious tune began to play, she glanced at the cover showing her idol's photo, and her mood lightened a little.
Ye Yunchen heard her crying and immediately grew anxious, his tone sharpening. "Xia Yan, what happened? Why are you crying?"
"Brother Ye, don't worry. I just watched a movie that was so touching I couldn't help but cry. You happened to call at that moment..."
"Oh, you scared me half to death. I thought something had happened to you." Ye Yunchen said calmly, barely stopping himself from blurting out something in his panic.
After crying quietly for a while, Xia Yan felt much better. Over the phone, Ye Yunchen kept telling her funny stories about his time abroad, making her laugh heartily.
"Brother Ye, are you done with your work?"
"Yeah, I'm done. I could have come back early, but some things might delay me a bit."
"So you'll be staying abroad for a few more days?"
"Yeah, maybe an extra week."
"Do you remember last time I told you that Xiao Jia and I submitted our resumes to the Lu Group?"
"Did you get hired?"
"Sort of. I'll report for duty in a while."
Xia Yan went on to talk about trivial matters, mostly small stuff. Ye Yunchen, knowing that Xia Yan had always dreamed of traveling the world, stuck to his usual habit and brought her something representative of the local culture.
After hanging up, Xia Yan continued staring blankly at her idol's photo. Not long after she ended the call, Lu Zhengting's phone rang. She glanced at her phone, hesitated for a moment, then answered casually.
"President Lu, is there something you need?"
President Lu? Hearing Xia Yan revert to her old way of addressing him, Lu Zhengting's mood soured instantly. He said in a deep voice, "Were you on the phone just now?"
Xia Yan hummed in acknowledgment. "President Lu, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up."
"Xia Yan."
"Hmm?"
"Who were you talking to?"
"That's none of your business, is it?"
"Then I'll find out myself."
"Fine."
Xia Yan said it briskly, hanging up before Lu Zhengting could respond. She glared at the phone, muttering to herself, "Weird."
On the other end, Lu Zhengting stared at his phone in bewilderment for a long time. When he didn't get a call back from Xia Yan, he realized she had hung up on him again! Her audacity was growing!
Not only had she used unconventional methods to deal with his little brother, but she also dared to hang up on him casually—especially after talking to someone else for an hour, only to hang up on him immediately.
Secretary Zhou, sitting in the front, sneaked a glance at Lu Zhengting's stern face in the back seat. He felt a strange admiration for Xia Yan. After all, few women dared to give Lu Zhengting the cold shoulder. Even Ke Yaru wouldn't dare lose her temper in front of him, but Xia Yan did...
He wasn't sure if his boss was being indulgent or secretly fuming.
Lu Zhengting shot a sharp look at Secretary Zhou. He had a last-minute business trip to the U.S. for a meeting that would take about two days. He had planned to call Xia Yan to let her know, but this was the result.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He even began to wonder if he had been too lenient with Xia Yan.
On the inner ring highway to the airport, cars came and went. Under the night sky, the lush trees on both sides buzzed with the sound of summer cicadas. Sometimes, when all the cicadas on a tree chirped in unison, it sounded like thunder.
The documents in his hand were the meeting materials Secretary Zhou had just handed him. He focused intently, but no one would know that his mind was full of Xia Yan's image. He closed the folder and rubbed his temples.
"President Lu, are you feeling unwell?"
"..."
"Should we postpone the meeting?"
"No need." Lu Zheng霆 half-closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat. He wasn't bothered by the image of Xia Yan lingering in his mind. In fact, he felt an urge to call her again, but remembering her attitude, he quickly stifled the thought.
The night was deep. The beauty of the night sky was unfathomable, like the deep sea, intoxicating yet oppressive, stirring a sense of loneliness. There were no clouds, no moon, no stars—just a deep blue covering the sky.
Xia Yan spent the entire night restless. She always trusted her instincts, and she had a vague feeling that something was about to happen.
In the early hours, Xia Yan was jolted awake by a sudden phone call. She opened her eyes, fumbled under her pillow for her phone, and saw it was from the hospital. Her heart skipped a beat. As the ringing persisted, a wave of fear washed over her, and she hesitated to answer.
After the phone rang twice, she finally picked up. The voice on the other end sounded as if it came from a distant place—unreal, yet enough to make her whole body tremble. The phone slipped from her hand and landed on the bed. Tears streamed down her face. Xia Yan sat up abruptly, grabbed the phone, and rushed out of the dormitory.
She ran to the school gate. Hailing a taxi in the dead of night was difficult, especially near Jiangda. Wiping her tears, she stared at her phone through blurred vision, quickly found Lu Zhengting's number, and dialed. The call didn't go through...
Hope shattered in despair.
Xia Yan ran down the street in her pajamas until she spotted an empty cab. Inside, she clenched her fist against her mouth, biting down hard to stifle her sobs. The pain in her hand did little to ease the crushing weight of her grief and despair.
At the city hospital, Xia Yan rushed straight to Xiao Lanzhi's ward. Xia Minghui stood dumbfounded by the bed, staring at the figure covered in white cloth. When he saw Xia Yan, he waved her over with a heavy heart.
With every step Xia Yan took, the pain in her heart grew heavier. She stood by the bed, then suddenly bent over, throwing herself onto Xiao Lanzhi's body, crying out in anguish, "Mom, Mom, didn't you say you wanted to see me get married and have kids? Why did you leave so suddenly? Why so abruptly? Didn't they say your condition was improving? How did it come to this? Why..."
No amount of scalding tears could make Xiao Lanzhi open her eyes to look at her. Xia Yan refused to believe that the mother who had spoken to her that afternoon had passed away in the night. She clung to Xiao Lanzhi's cold body, ignoring everyone's attempts to pull her away. She wouldn't move, holding her, crying, talking about trivial childhood memories.
That night was destined to be anything but peaceful for Xia Yan.
Xiao Lanzhi's death, along with the unreachable phone call, shattered the last fragile part of her heart.
Dawn broke in China, while abroad, the sky was gradually darkening.
As soon as Lu Zhengting appeared at the airport, he saw Ke Yaru waiting for him at the exit. He walked up to her expressionlessly. "How are things going?"
"All smooth. I've booked the hotel for you, same as usual."
"Notify everyone. Meeting at eight tomorrow."
"Got it."
Lu Zhengting and Ke Yaru walked through the crowd, with Secretary Zhou following behind. Suddenly, a commotion erupted from another exit. A group of people held up signs and banners, their screams deafening. Within half a minute, a young man in sunglasses emerged, surrounded by staff and bodyguards.
Lu Zhengting frowned. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Secretary Zhou's eyes sparkling. The young man looked familiar. He asked casually, "What's that about?"
"President Lu, that's Xi Xi. He's the hottest, most popular male star right now."
"Xi Xi?"
"Yes, Xi Xi is signing with the company next month."
"He's very young."
"He's not even twenty yet."
Lu Zhengting nodded. He didn't know all the details of the Lu Group's entertainment division, especially when it came to signing celebrities—he never got involved.
Secretary Zhou, starry-eyed, murmured, "That kid has a lot of potential."
Lu Zhengting raised an eyebrow. If he remembered correctly, Xia Yan seemed to like this Xi Xi too.
What's so great about a little brat? Lu Zhengting shot a glance at the secretary and strode toward the business car parked by the roadside. Ke Yaru, puzzled by Lu Zhengting's sudden change in attitude, wondered why he had asked about Xi Xi—he rarely paid attention to the entertainment industry.
After resting for an hour at the hotel, Lu Zhengting ordered everyone to prepare materials for tomorrow's meeting. While everyone was busy, his gaze kept drifting to his silent phone. He wondered what Xia Yan was doing now.