Xia Minghui shot a glance at Xia Siyue, who looked like she wanted to speak, afraid she might slip up. He quickly threw her a warning look, then turned to Lu Zhengting with an ingratiating smile. "President Lu, I think you’ve misunderstood. We’re just here to discuss the will with Xia Yan."
"Is that so?" Lu Zhengting leisurely reached out and placed his hand on Xia Yan’s shoulder. Feeling her subtle resistance, he curled his lips slightly and said slowly, "The will?"
Back at the hospital, Lu Zhengting had known that Xiao Lanzhi left a will for Xia Yan, but then he went on a business trip, and Xiao Lanzhi passed away suddenly, putting the will on hold. Since then, he’d rarely heard Xia Yan mention the will or the Xia family.
Xia Yan’s eyes glinted coldly as she stared at Xia Minghui. "I won’t sign."
With that, she reached for the door handle to close it, but Xia Siyue suddenly stuck her leg out to block it. "Xia Yan, this will is legal. You can’t just say you won’t sign and be done with it."
Frowning deeply, Xia Yan looked past Xia Siyue at Xia Minghui and said darkly, "So you’re forcing my hand?"
"Don’t put it so harshly. We’re here to negotiate, aren’t we? How we handle it depends on you."
Lu Zhengting, who had been standing beside Xia Yan, narrowed his eyes. He casually glanced at Xia Siyue as she spoke, pursed his lips, and let his gaze drift faintly over Xia Yan before suddenly speaking coldly, "President Xia seems to have been living comfortably lately."
Xia Minghui’s heart skipped a beat at that. The Xia family’s situation had indeed been dire, and with Xiao Lanzhi holding Xu Guang’s belongings, it had only made things worse. If he hadn’t found a chance to get help from Yang Jinkuan, he wouldn’t have been able to stand so boldly before Xia Yan now.
Lu Zhengting raised his slender fingers to tuck Xia Yan’s hair behind her ear. Though his face bore a faint smile, the three people present could all feel the chill radiating from him. Xia Yan furrowed her brows slightly and said flatly, "I have to go to work soon, so I won’t see you out."
Having said that, she ignored whatever expressions they might have and shut the door directly, locking them out.
She stood frozen in the entryway, pondering why Xia Minghui was so determined to help Xia Siyue fight for a will that was clearly hers alone. Feeling Lu Zhengting’s solid hand rubbing her head, Xia Yan shook it off. Her mind was full of questions, and she was still nursing her morning grumpiness with no outlet.
"Want to know why Xia Minghui is so interested in the will?"
At that, Xia Yan abruptly raised her hand and slapped Lu Zhengting’s away. "You know?"
Lu Zhengting hummed softly in acknowledgment, unfazed by her action, and even broke into a smile. "Really want to know?"
"Will you tell me?"
Without a word, Lu Zhengting turned and walked toward the living room. Xia Yan followed closely, staring at his back, uncertain if he’d actually share.
"Come here." Lu Zhengting commanded.
Xia Yan paused briefly, hesitated, then walked over to the sofa beside him and plopped down, her eyes fixed intently on him. "Go on."
"..."
Lu Zhengting’s mouth twitched. "Have you seen what that belonging is?"
"Not yet. Ever since my mom passed, everything’s been locked in the safe. I can only see it once the will is settled."
"Mm." Lu Zhengting frowned, his expression turning serious. He crossed his arms and fell into a long silence.
"Is what’s in the safe that important? Is there some hidden story behind it?" Xia Yan asked quietly. She’d started to suspect this because, over time, Xia Minghui’s attitude in handling the matter had become increasingly questionable.
Pausing, as if a thought struck her, she added incredulously, "Does it have to do with what happened to my dad back then? Is that what you’re getting at?"
"That possibility can’t be ruled out." Lu Zhengting suddenly looked up at Xia Yan, a hint of admiration creeping into his eyes. Then he said slowly, "Xia Minghui is connected to what happened back then. But to figure it all out, we first need to know what that belonging is."
"Why are you investigating this?"
Xia Yan’s sudden question caught Lu Zhengting off guard. He glanced at her expressionlessly, showing no intention of explaining.
Seeing this, Xia Yan suddenly smiled. "Lu Zhengting, I really want to ask you something. Can you answer me honestly?"
"What is it?"
"Did you know from the start that my mom had my dad’s belongings?"
The tone of her question was serious and earnest, but it also inadvertently revealed her unease. She didn’t know why she felt this anxiety, so she tried her best to mask it.
Lu Zhengting pursed his lips, staring intently at Xia Yan, and said softly, "Yes."
The fingers hidden in her sleeve instinctively clenched at that single word. Suppressing her shock, she said flatly, "Since you’ve looked into it so thoroughly, you must be dying to know what that belonging is, right?"
Before Lu Zhengting could respond, Xia Yan pursed her lips and added, "You’ve seen it too. The Xia family is dead set on that will. Honestly, on my own, I can’t fight them."
Lu Zhengting looked at her with interest. "You want me to help you?"
"Yes." Xia Yan didn’t hide her thoughts or intentions. At that moment, she steadied herself, knowing clearly that only this man before her could help her face everything, and that he wanted something from her in return.
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting frowned. "I can help you..."
"Alright then. Once this is settled, I’ll show you the belonging."
"Xia Yan." Lu Zhengting knew what was going through her mind, but he was never the one to explain first, especially not in this matter. Seeing her seem to be overthinking again, he felt a headache coming on.
"I have one more request. Can you agree to it?" Xia Yan said calmly.
Lu Zhengting squinted at her. "What request?"
"If the investigation proves he’s connected to what happened back then, I hope you’ll tell me. I want to know who killed my dad."
"I can promise you that."
Xia Yan nodded and glanced at the time. "I’ve looked over the will Xia Minghui gave me. It doesn’t seem to have any flaws. Will it be a problem to handle?"
"No, you can rest assured."
"Good. It’s getting late; I need to get ready for work." "I’ll drive you."
"No need. I’ll take a cab. The company’s not far from here. You look like you need to go home and change." With that, she turned and went straight to her room, changed into simple, elegant clothes, and walked into the bathroom. Staring at her reflection, she showed no expression, not even the faintest smile. Gripping a comb, she tilted her head to brush her smooth, long hair and inexplicably curled her lips upward.
She had indeed overestimated her charm and underestimated the feelings for Lu Zhengting that had unknowingly taken root in her heart.
Xia Yan insisted on not letting Lu Zhengting drive her and hailed a cab right in front of him.
After spending the whole day at the company, Xia Yan didn’t see Lu Zhengting at all. The roses Ye Yunchen had sent still sat on her desk. At work, most women seemed envious of her being pursued by Ye Yunchen, but to her, it was nothing but an invisible pressure.
Li Ru set down her work, stretched, and whispered, "Xia Yan, you seem off today. What’s wrong? Did something unpleasant happen with Ye Yunchen?"
At that, Xia Yan immediately spoke up. "Li Ru, did you give Ye-ge my address?"
"Tsk, still calling him Ye-ge? Shouldn’t it be Yunchen? A-chen? Trying to thank me?"
"Thank you?"
"Yeah, I ran into him at the supermarket the other day. Thought I was seeing things, but we chatted, and I ended up telling him your address. Did he come find you?"
Xia Yan shot Li Ru a fierce glare, but when she saw the unabashed gossipy look on her face, she couldn’t help but laugh and cry. "Can you stop being so nosy? Focus on work. It’s almost time to clock out."
"Are you clueless? Don’t tell me you really have no feelings for Ye Yunchen?"
"Enough, enough. I need to work. If you’re that bored, grab your cup, head out, take a right, and the break room’s waiting for you." Xia Yan rattled off quickly without even glancing at Li Ru.
"Xia Yan, why won’t you listen? I’m telling you, I—"
"Li Ru, say one more word, and I’m not going tonight."
At that, Li Ru immediately mimed zipping her lips and gave Xia Yan a pleading look. "I’ll shut up. You can’t bail on me tonight."
Seeing this, Xia Yan silently glanced at Li Ru and nodded.
When quitting time finally came, Xia Yan lifted her head from a stack of documents to find Li Ru staring at her with wide eyes, lost in thought. She was startled.
"Xia Yan, you promised you’d come with me tonight."
"I know. Let me tidy up here."
Li Ru was full of anticipation for her wedding and had prepared everything thoroughly. She was picky not just about the wedding dress but also about the venue, believing that the most expensive wasn’t necessarily the best.
During dinner that night, Xia Yan got a full taste of how Li Ru took that principle to the extreme. The hotel they were at was one of the few on Li Ru’s shortlist. Xia Yan thought she was picky about food, but Li Ru was even worse.
After crossing one hotel off her list, Xia Yan and Li Ru ended up eating at three different places in one evening. Rubbing her full stomach, Xia Yan shot Li Ru a resentful look, but her attention was drawn elsewhere.