"I've made the cake and will send it over right away," Xia Yan said hurriedly.
The man on the other end of the line didn't respond, and Xia Yan didn't mind. She hung up casually, tidied up, and headed downstairs with the paper box in hand.
Before she even reached the living room, she heard Xia Siyue's sharp voice: "Impossible, how could Mr. Lu possibly like her!"
Xia Yan descended the stairs and walked expressionlessly toward the door.
Xia Siyue abruptly stood up, clutching Grandma Xia's arm. "Grandma, look at her—she doesn't respect you at all."
"Xia Yan." Grandma Xia's voice was full and forceful, carrying a hint of authority.
Xia Yan stopped in her tracks, standing at the doorway. "Is there something, ma'am?"
She used to call her "Grandma," but not anymore. After all, she wasn't truly a member of the Xia family.
Grandma Xia narrowed her eyes, displeasure evident on her face. "You seem dissatisfied with me?"
Xia Yan clenched her fists, anger surging within her. Acting like a madam, dragging men into the house and doing such things—was she supposed to be grateful?
"Since you bear the Xia name and have eaten from this family for over twenty years, you should contribute to the Xia family."
Xia Yan couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and said, "So you want to turn the Xia house into a brothel to entertain guests?"
"You—this is outright rebellion, utter rebellion!" Grandma Xia's face flushed red with rage as her cane thumped incessantly against the floor.
Xia Siyue supported the old lady while pointing at Xia Yan accusingly. "How can you say such things? Grandma, Grandma, are you alright?"
Seeing the old lady so furious only brought Xia Yan a sense of satisfaction. She let out a cold laugh, turned, and walked outside.
Xia Siyue had no intention of letting her leave so easily. She stomped her feet anxiously in the living room and pointed at the nearby servants. "Stop her! Don't let her out the door!"
But news of Xia Yan's connection with Lu Zhengting had spread throughout the villa, and even the old master had tacitly approved. The servants were reluctant to offend Xia Yan.
A few servants hesitated at the doorway, but Xia Yan had already stepped out of the villa.
Xia Siyue glared coldly at the useless servants, her face dark. Beside her, Grandma Xia was panting heavily with anger. Xia Siyue quickly composed herself and helped the old lady sit down with concern. "Grandma, don't get upset. It's not worth ruining your health over her."
After catching her breath, Grandma Xia fixed her gaze on Xia Siyue. "Don't provoke her for now."
Xia Siyue's eyes widened instantly. "Grandma, you're not actually believing she's with Mr. Lu, are you?"
"In any case, you need to rein in your temper."
"Impossible!" Xia Siyue's face burned with indignation.
"Grandma, don't forget Mr. Lu has a son. That son loves to torment the women around his father, and Mr. Lu dotes on him the most. None of the women by his side last more than a month."
Grandma Xia remained expressionless, casting a cold glance at Xia Siyue. "Even if it's just a few days, as long as she's with Mr. Lu, you stay away from her."
Xia Siyue twisted her hands tightly together, unwilling to accept it. A lowly, inferior woman had occupied the position of the Xia family's eldest daughter for over twenty years, and now she dared to dream of rising above her station. Was she supposed to swallow her pride and grovel before her from now on?
"Hmph, I'll just wait and see how arrogant she can be once Lu Zhengting dumps her!"
At that moment, Xia Yan, the subject of the Xia family's thoughts, was lingering at an intersection outside the villa.
She didn't want to go back to the Lu family villa, but she still had to deliver the cake.
After thinking for a while, Xia Yan hailed a taxi.
"Driver, to the city hospital."
Inside the car, Xia Yan took out paper and a pen, wrote down the cake-making steps and the required ingredient amounts, placed the note in the paper box, and called a courier.
The taxi stopped at the entrance of the city hospital, where the courier was already waiting.
After sending off the cake, Xia Yan let out a sigh of relief and strode into the hospital.
She deliberately adjusted her mood, then walked into the ward with a smile. "Mom, I'm here to see you."
Xiao Lanzhi was in the late stages of cancer and had been receiving treatment at the hospital. The doctors had already informed them that recovery was virtually impossible. If not for the steady stream of medical expenses from the Xia family, she would have been gone long ago.
That was why Xia Yan had always been cautious, trying her best not to offend the Xia family.
Though she knew Xia Minghui wouldn't abandon her mother, she had heard that Grandma Xia had already started looking for a new Mrs. Xia.
"I knew you'd come. Have you had breakfast?" Xiao Lanzhi's face was pale and gaunt. Though in her fifties, she looked older than Grandma Xia.
Xia Yan's heart ached at the sight. She came to the hospital whenever she had no classes, including weekends. She knew her mother was waiting for her. Not daring to say she hadn't eaten yet, she replied, "I have. We'll have lunch together later."
"Alright," Xiao Lanzhi answered weakly.
Xia Yan sat beside her, sharing amusing stories from school. Around noon, she went to a hotel outside the hospital to order a nutritious meal.
As she stepped out of the hotel and was about to cross the street, a white Ferrari suddenly came hurtling straight toward her.
Xia Yan froze, her legs rooted to the spot as if paralyzed.