Ke Yaru sat in her seat for a long time without seeing Lu Zhengting return. After a moment's thought, she went to the restroom and found Xia Yan there as well. Her expression instantly turned extremely unpleasant, but she concealed her dissatisfaction and walked over to Lu Zhengting with a gentle smile.
"Xia Yan, you're here for dinner too? Alone? Want to join us? It's just me and Zhengting."
Xia Yan swore this was the gentlest she had ever seen Ke Yaru act toward her, yet it made every hair on her body stand on end. Without a second thought, she shook her head and said, "No need, I still have friends waiting for me. I won't hold up President Lu and Manager Ke."
As soon as Xia Yan finished speaking, she didn't spare a single glance at Lu Zhengting, brushing past them to leave the perilous restroom. Returning to her seat, she caught Ye Yunchen's questioning look, grabbed her water glass, and took a few big gulps. "Can we go now?"
Seeing this, Ye Yunchen nodded and signaled the waiter. Just then, Lu Zhengting and Ke Yaru happened to walk over. Xia Yan glanced at them, a faint smile on her face. "President Lu, Manager Ke."
Ye Yunchen was also surprised to run into his direct superior here.
"Xia Yan, I didn't expect the friend you mentioned would be the talent our company poached at a high price. Are you two leaving now?"
Xia Yan deliberately ignored Ke Yaru's first sentence and replied softly with a simple "Yes."
Ke Yaru looked at Xia Yan with a meaningful smile. "I've long heard that Xia Yan is quite popular with the male colleagues at the company. It seems that's true now."
Xia Yan forced a stiff smile, unable to refute it. Lu Zhengting, standing beside her, stared at her with a particularly sharp gaze, making her feel utterly uncomfortable—as if she had done something morally reprehensible.
She recalled what Lu Zhengting had said to her in the restroom and instinctively shrugged her shoulders.
Ye Yunchen looked at Xia Yan with a doting expression, his low, gentle voice carrying an undeniable warmth, like a sudden breeze of spring in the dead of winter. "So our Xia Yan is really popular."
"Yeah."
Listening to the exchange between Ye Yunchen and Ke Yaru, Xia Yan had only one thought: these two could put on a duet, and she'd even give them a thumbs-up. She lifted her head slightly, meeting Lu Zhengting's eyes, and couldn't help but shiver. Forced to interrupt their conversation, she paid the bill and directly pulled Ye Yunchen out of the restaurant.
This restaurant—she'd better avoid it in the future.
Once outside the restaurant, Xia Yan's smile instantly faltered. She was irritated and annoyed by Ye Yunchen's ambiguous words in front of Ke Yaru, which seemed deliberately suggestive, steering their thoughts in a certain direction.
Ye Yunchen frowned slightly, glancing at Xia Yan's released hand, and said calmly, "Are you angry?"
"No." Xia Yan replied irritably, then paused. "I'm curious—why did you say that?"
Hearing this, Ye Yunchen's brow furrowed deeper. He stared fixedly at Xia Yan. "Did what I say cause you trouble?"
At this, Xia Yan felt even more agitated.
Seeing her like this, Ye Yunchen felt a pang of sadness. He had clearly sensed a hostility, or rather, the undisguised chill emanating from Lu Zhengting. He had also caught the brief eye contact between Xia Yan and Lu Zhengting, noticing something off.
Now, with Xia Yan's expression, his suspicions were confirmed.
******
Ke Yaru noticed Lu Zhengting's somewhat gloomy expression, elegantly picked up her water glass, took a small sip, and said casually, "Zhengting, I called Auntie the other day, and she mentioned Xiaohan, saying she hasn't seen him in a long time and misses him. I happen to be flying to the U.S. for some business—why don't I take Xiaohan along to visit Auntie?"
"No need to trouble yourself. I'll take him when I have time."
"How is that trouble? Have you forgotten my relationship with Xiaohan? Besides, your schedule is packed lately. By the time you free up, Auntie will probably be demanding an explanation from you."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting's brows tightened. After a few seconds of thought, he asked, "When is your flight?"
"The morning after tomorrow." Ke Yaru knew from his tone that he had agreed to let Xiaohan go with her to the U.S., and her mood lifted. After all, she still had one trump card to play.
The entire department Xia Yan worked in noticed that Ke Yaru had been in a good mood since returning from lunch, which instantly put everyone at ease.
With a lighter workload that afternoon, Xia Yan had some free time. Having suffered from severe insomnia the night before, she reluctantly went to the break room to make herself a cup of coffee to stay alert, with two hours left until the end of the shift. Besides her, a few other women were there. She listened quietly to their chatter, which ranged from beauty and fashion to gossip about Ye Yunchen.
Xia Yan took a sip of her coffee. For convenience, she had made instant coffee, but it was overly sweet. After a few sips, her mouth was full of sugary taste. Just as she was debating whether to make a fresh cup of freshly ground coffee, Ye Yunchen's smooth voice suddenly sounded behind her.
"Xia Yan."
She turned and gave a faint smile. "What a coincidence."
Ye Yunchen smiled back, walked over to her, took the coffee cup from her hand, rinsed it clean, and began to skillfully grind coffee beans, methodically preparing a fresh brew.
"Try this. I added extra milk."
Feeling the strange glances from nearby, Xia Yan stared at Ye Yunchen, who was still smiling, and sighed inwardly. She took the coffee he offered and took a small sip. "How did you know I like this flavor?"
Ye Yunchen smiled without answering. Xia Yan was surprised—she rarely drank coffee, but when she did, she preferred more milk to mellow the bitterness without making it cloying. Even Lin Xujia didn't know this habit.
"Hey, so that's the Xia Yan?"
"Who would've thought? I assumed Xia Yan was prettier than Manager Ke, but she's not all that."
"... "
The unabashed chatter, neither too loud nor too soft, was perfectly clear to Xia Yan. She twitched her lips, quickly downed the coffee, and left the break room with Ye Yunchen.
Xia Yan had no idea that the incident in the break room would spread like wildfire through the company. The newly arrived and highly scrutinized Ye Yunchen was showering Xia Yan with attention, his gentleness enough to melt the hearts of every woman in the office.
In an instant, Xia Yan stood out among the interns in this way, becoming the key figure gossiped about in the break room.
Li Ru faithfully relayed every piece of gossip she heard to Xia Yan. At first, Xia Yan couldn't sit still, but later, she even chimed in with her own opinions as Li Ru spoke.
Ke Yaru's business trip felt like liberation to Xia Yan. At work, there was finally no one nitpicking. She kept her regular hours, the only difference being that Ye Yunchen had shifted from his usual gentle demeanor to a full-on pursuit.
Every day, a bouquet of fresh roses appeared on her desk, and Ye Yunchen called her on time.
The company's rule against office romance, which Ke Yaru had vaguely kept out of the official regulations, remained unenforced.
Xia Yan went home after work. She had planned to have hotpot with Lin Xujia at home, and the ingredients were ready. Lin Xujia arrived late due to traffic, and Xia Yan's head ached at the sight of the several bottles of beer she was carrying.
"Xiaojia, why did you buy alcohol? You know I don't like drinking."
"I know you don't like it because you can't hold your liquor, but I figured since we're at home, a little drink won't hurt."
Hearing this, Xia Yan still resisted, frowning as she took the beer and said slowly, "You drink this yourself."
"How stingy."
"Come on, drinking leads to trouble. Better to keep it light."
"Trouble? What are you planning to do later?"
"Nothing, just a reminder."
Lin Xujia looked at Xia Yan suspiciously. "Really?"
"Of course."
Lin Xujia opened a bottle of beer and chugged it down. Xia Yan watched her for a long time before quickly saying, "Don't drink so fast. Eat something first, or you'll feel awful later."
"... "
Within minutes, Xia Yan watched helplessly as Lin Xujia finished the bottle. She tried to snatch it away but was slapped aside. The table full of food had barely been touched. Xia Yan stared at Lin Xujia and asked, "Xiaojia, what's wrong with you?"
Lin Xujia shook her head, nodded, cried, and laughed by turns. Suddenly, she hugged Xia Yan and tearfully poured out stories about the Lin family. Xia Yan had heard about her situation before—her stepmother was two-faced, and her father doted on her stepmother.
Lin Xujia cried for a while. Xia Yan wasn't good at comforting, so she just listened quietly.
"Xia Yan, do you know? Most of the people in the company have been bought off by that woman. My status as the Lin family's daughter is just a decoration. I work hard, but my results are stolen from me. How can I accept that? I can't..."
"... "
Hearing the doorbell ring, Xia Yan gently patted Lin Xujia's shoulder. "Wipe your tears. I'll get the door."
"Did you invite someone else?" Lin Xujia sniffled.
"No, I don't know who it is either." Xia Yan was puzzled. She got up, walked to the door, and opened it—only to regret it immediately. Xia Siyue stood at the entrance, bag slung over her wrist, looking down her nose at her.