Xiaohan looked up at Xia Yan, a hint of mischief sparkling in his clear, lively eyes. He reached out and took her hand, his childish voice slowly rising. "Sister Yan, I have so many happy things I want to share with you."
Seeing this, Xia Yan nodded, glanced at Chen Ma, who was beaming, gave an awkward smile, and crouched down to meet Xiaohan at eye level. She pinched his little cheek with her slender fingers. "Alright, you two come in first."
When Lu Zhengting emerged from the room, he maintained his usual composed demeanor. His clothes were perfectly neat without a single wrinkle, and even his hairstyle was immaculate. He appeared at the doorway, glanced at Xia Yan, and Xiaohan immediately straightened his small frame, calling out with utmost seriousness, "Dad."
Lu Zhengting smiled faintly and waved at Xiaohan. "No school today?"
"No, so I came to find Sister Yan. Um, I want to eat the cake she makes." Xiaohan lowered his head and spoke softly, sneaking a glance at Xia Yan standing nearby, a shy smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Hearing this, Xia Yan was instantly amused by Xiaohan's straightforward words. She looked at him and said lightly, "So Xiaohan doesn't miss me, just wants cake."
"No, Sister Yan, Xiaohan misses you so much. I think about you every night until I can't sleep. Sister Yan..." Xiaohan hopped in front of Xia Yan, his big, sparkling eyes fixed on her without blinking, their pupils glistening with a watery sheen. He pouted and finally pulled out his trump card—acting cute.
This trick never failed.
Xia Yan couldn't resist Xiaohan's way of being both proud and forced to act cute; it had a unique charm.
"Alright, alright, but I have to go to work soon. How about I make it for you when I get back this afternoon?"
"Ah, I have to wait until afternoon to eat?"
"Little cutie, still pouting? Sister Yan just moved to a new place and doesn't have any ingredients yet. Even if we want to make cake, don't we need to go buy the ingredients first?" Xia Yan patiently crouched on the ground, talking to Xiaohan, but forgot it was Saturday, and she didn't have work.
Lu Zhengting stood to the side, his eyes lowered as he glanced at Xia Yan. "It's Saturday today. You don't need to go to the company."
"Right, I forgot if you hadn't mentioned it." Xia Yan slapped her forehead, suddenly realizing, and then said to Xiaohan, "Let Sister Yan tidy up a bit, and we'll go to the supermarket to buy ingredients? We'll come back and make the cake, okay?"
"Great!" Xiaohan threw himself into Xia Yan's arms, his little arms quickly wrapping around her neck. He pouted and left a kiss on her cheek.
Xia Yan was really quick at tidying up. Breakfast was no worry since Chen Ma had already prepared it when she arrived. After the three of them finished eating, Chen Ma took Lu Zhengting's changed clothes and left. Xia Yan sat in a chair, raised an eyebrow at Lu Zhengting, and said lightly, "You don't need to go to the company?"
"No."
"So you have nothing to handle?"
"I'll take you to the supermarket."
Hearing this, Xiaohan immediately clapped enthusiastically, his gaze darting between the two. "Dad, we're definitely going to buy a lot of stuff later. If it's just me and Sister Yan carrying it, it'll be really tiring. Why don't you stay and come with us?"
Xia Yan was startled by Xiaohan's words and blurted out without thinking, "Xiaohan, those things aren't heavy. I can handle them alone..."
Lu Zhengting glanced at Xia Yan, thought for a few seconds, and interrupted her. "Yeah, we'll go together."
Xia Yan's protests were always weak, so in this so-called democracy of theirs, she felt she was at a disadvantage.
The three of them drove to the nearest supermarket in style. Xia Yan lifted Xiaohan into the child-specific seat of the shopping cart and pushed it through the crowds. Early in the morning, most shoppers were middle-aged or elderly. After she and Xiaohan picked out the ingredients for the cake, they headed to the snack aisle. For snacks, Xia Yan's choice depended on her mood and the setting—like watching a comedy movie, she'd want to snack, but for a blockbuster, she wouldn't eat anything, thinking it would ruin the viewing experience.
Xiaohan loved sweets and kept directing Xia Yan to grab chocolates and candies. Within minutes, Xia Yan looked at the cart and saw it was piled high, as if they'd bought out the entire supermarket's stock of chocolates and candies. Lu Zhengting followed behind without saying a word. Xia Yan shot him an annoyed glare—couldn't he at least show some presence if he was just tagging along?
Lu Zhengting gave Xia Yan an unreadable look. In truth, he naturally radiated presence, so much so that people passing by couldn't help but linger their gazes on him.
"Not done yet?" Lu Zhengting looked at Xia Yan with clear displeasure.
"Shouldn't you take your time browsing at a supermarket? Xiaohan, don't you think so?"
"Right, Dad, I still have a lot of things to buy." Xiaohan cooperated perfectly with Xia Yan, smiling to reveal two little fangs, looking innocently at Lu Zhengting's grim face.
Just then, Lu Zhengting's phone rang. He narrowed his eyes and answered, hearing a strange laugh on the other end. When his patience was about to run out, the laughter finally stopped. "Xiao Ting, did you have a pleasant night last night?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"Kid, don't tell me nothing happened between you and Xia Yan last night. If that's true, you've wasted all my good intentions. Think about Xia Yan's sexy figure and fair skin, and you didn't take her?" Xu Xiao lay in bed, looking utterly relaxed, glancing sideways at Ning Dong's twitching mouth and rolling his eyes dismissively.
"..." Lu Zhengting's face darkened, and he hung up directly. Xu Xiao never said anything normal.
Lu Zhengting followed unhurriedly behind Xia Yan, watching as Xiaohan tossed things into the cart while Xia Yan took them out and put them back. This continued until checkout. Xiaohan saw that nearly half the chocolates in the cart had been removed by Xia Yan.
Xiaohan was at a loss. When it came to sweets, Xia Yan was resolute—whether he acted cute or cried, it was useless.
Lu Zhengting carried most of the bags, while Xia Yan and Xiaohan walked lightly behind, playfully messing around as they went.
Back at the apartment, Xia Yan went straight to the kitchen and tied a floral apron around her waist. Xiaohan watched TV on the living room sofa for a while but quickly lost interest. He hopped off the sofa and scampered into the kitchen to find Xia Yan.
"Sister Yan, I want to make cake too."
Xia Yan smiled. "Xiaohan wants to make cake himself?"
"Can you teach me?"
"Of course." Xia Yan put down the flour, brushed the dust off her hands, and took a cartoon-style apron from a storage bin nearby. She crouched in front of Xiaohan to tie it on, but the moment he saw it, his eyes filled with disdain and disgust.
"Xia Yan, this looks so silly. Can I not wear it? It's weird for a boy to wear something like this."
"No, it's not. Something this cute is perfect for adorable Xiaohan."
Xiaohan stared at Xia Yan, pouting, as if to say, "I'll just watch you talk nonsense with a straight face."
Once the apron was on, Xiaohan kept a grumpy expression throughout the cake-making process. He picked up an egg, cracked it, and another, and another, until eggs were breaking one after another. Xia Yan didn't notice at first, but when she did, she saw a bowl nearly overflowing with eggs and was caught between laughter and tears.
"Xiaohan, is cracking eggs fun?"
"Fun. I can crack more."
"..."
When the cake came out of the oven, Xia Yan smelled the rich aroma and felt a surge of satisfaction. Xiaohan's eyes lit up as he stared at the cake.
Lu Zhengting didn't like sweets. After returning from the supermarket, he sat in the living room with a stern expression. Since Xia Yan's place was a one-bedroom, the kitchen was open-concept, so he could see everything from the living room. He lounged lazily on the sofa, having changed into clean, fresh clothes, in a decent mood. But Xu Xiao's words from the phone call lingered in his mind.
Sexy figure, fair skin...
As he thought, his mind involuntarily drifted to the first time he saw Xia Yan asleep in the bathtub. Her figure was indeed sexy. She usually wore loose clothes that hid most of her curves. As for her fair skin, he couldn't deny it. When he lifted her out of the tub, under the bright light, her delicate skin looked like it would break at a touch, as soft as a baby's.
He rested his hands casually on the armrests of the sofa, his deep, unreadable gaze fixed on Xia Yan. She had her long hair tied up high, revealing her clean, slender neck. Xiaohan mischievously grabbed a handful of flour and, with lightning speed, left tiny fingerprints on Xia Yan's face, laughing gleefully afterward.
Xia Yan thought for a moment and did the same to Xiaohan, smearing flour on his face. The two of them, one big and one small, their overlapping figures and laughter drifted like a melodious tune into the living room. Watching this, Lu Zhengting unconsciously curved his lips into a graceful arc. His deep, clear eyes seemed to shimmer with starlight, radiant and bright.
He liked this feeling—a warm one. The strangeness Xia Yan brought him felt surprisingly comfortable.
"Time for cake!"
Xia Yan carried the cake into the living room, set it on the coffee table, and quickly blew on her hands. It was burning hot.
Xiaohan followed closely and said to Lu Zhengting, "Dad, why are you staring at Sister Yan?"
Hearing this, Xia Yan frowned and glanced at Lu Zhengting, who remained expressionless. "What are you staring at me for?"
Lu Zhengting gave an unreadable look at the two of them, whose expressions mirrored each other, but offered no explanation. In the awkward silence, a melodious tune suddenly rang out.