Lu Zhengting really wanted to strangle Xia Yan. This woman had kicked him more than once! But then he reconsidered—wasn't this his own fault for indulging her?
He abruptly sat up, his well-defined fingers lightly rubbing his temples. Half-lidded, he glanced at Xia Yan, who had her hands crossed over her chest. "Shut up!"
"You slept in my bed, and now you're telling me to shut up?! Lu Zhengting, you..." Xia Yan said excitedly, when suddenly last night's events flashed through her mind. She remembered a heavy rainstorm, waiting for a taxi at the department store entrance, and then Lu Zhengting showing up... and after that?
After that, he'd taken her to the car. She'd felt dizzy and lightheaded, leaned back against the seat, and fallen asleep. Then... she couldn't recall, but she knew she'd messed up this morning.
Xia Yan looked at Lu Zhengting with a pitiful expression, stealing a cautious glance. "Um, I didn't mean to."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting's expression didn't improve. But what surprised Xia Yan was that after she said it, he suddenly flopped backward, closed his eyes, and lay still. She pursed her lips, tiptoed to the edge of the bed, leaned forward, and stared at him for a long time. Still no movement. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Xia Yan glanced at the time. If she didn't hurry, she'd be late. She quickly tidied up, but as she was about to leave, she realized she faced a dilemma. She was going to work—what about Lu Zhengting? Just let him keep sleeping?
After a pause, she carefully climbed onto the bed, raised her hand, and poked Lu Zhengting's face. Softly, she whispered in his ear, "Lu Zhengting, if you don't get up, you'll be late for work. Get up now..."
The voice in his ear was like a demonic chant. Lu Zhengting squinted, his expression extremely grim, as if the moment he opened his eyes, he'd kill someone.
Xia Yan called out several times, then gave up.
Lu Zhengting was the boss. The boss could come and go as he pleased—who would dare say the boss was late? But she was different. If Ke Yaru caught her being late, she'd probably be exiled to some godforsaken place!
In the end, after countless urgings to the driver, she made it to the company right on time. Li Ru saw her gasping for air and couldn't help leaning in to ask, "What's up with you today? Why are you running so fast?"
"I almost got caught being late—how could I not run?" Xia Yan took a sip of water and glanced at the roses on her desk, which appeared rain or shine, feeling a headache coming on.
Li Ru wanted to say more, but when she saw Ke Yaru walk in with a stern face, she immediately fell silent. She winked at Xia Yan and quickly buried her head in her files.
Seeing this, Xia Yan turned around, confused, and instantly felt like trouble was brewing. She maintained a calm, faint smile. "Manager Ke."
"Xia Yan, starting today, you're being transferred to the Project Department."
"Why is the company transferring me to the Project Department?" Xia Yan asked.
Ke Yaru glanced at Xia Yan and said flatly, "Are you questioning the company's decision?"
"No, I just want to know the reason."
"You only need to follow the company's arrangements," Ke Yaru paused, then suddenly leaned in and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Xia Yan, instead of chasing after what doesn't belong to you, it's better to cherish what's already yours."
Hearing this, Xia Yan understood immediately. Ke Yaru wanted to put her in the Project Department, to pair her up with Brother Ye, so she wouldn't stand in the way of Ke Yaru and Lu Zhengting. With that thought, Xia Yan lowered her head and curled her lips slightly. "I'll follow the company's arrangements."
Seeing this, Ke Yaru smiled and glanced at Xia Yan before leaving, satisfied.
Anyone who tried to compete with her for Lu Zhengting wouldn't last long.
Xia Yan organized her files without changing her expression, as if the whole thing had nothing to do with her. Li Ru, on the other hand, leaned in again after Ke Yaru left. "Xia Yan, I seriously doubt your relationship with Boss Lu. If you were innocent, why would that woman see you as a thorn in her side? The way she looks at you, it's like she wants to kick you out of the company."
"I really don't know. Do you think our lofty Boss Lu is someone us ordinary folks can just get to know?" Xia Yan said, wide-eyed, bluffing Li Ru with a straight face. Then she thought about what she'd said and burst out laughing.
"Xia Yan, you can keep bluffing all you want. If you don't want to talk, I won't bother asking. Anyway, once you're in the Project Department, your Brother Ye can relax—at least you'll be under his watchful eye, right?"
"Alright, you're the boss. I can't mess with you, so I'll just avoid you, okay?"
******
Xia Yan's apartment.
Lu Zhengting finally woke up. He slowly opened his eyes. It had been a long time since he'd slept so peacefully—though it would've been better if Xia Yan hadn't kicked him awake earlier. He reached under the pillow for his phone, checked the time, and slowly got out of bed. He walked to the bathroom, took in the messy state of the sink, and scowled. Disgusted, he tidied things up, took a quick shower, and came out wrapped in a towel.
He casually strolled into the living room, spotted the little note Xia Yan had left on the table, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He sat on the sofa, watched the news for a while, until the doorbell rang. He opened the door, and his expression instantly turned extremely sour.
Xiao Han stood at the front, and behind him was Ning Nan...
Ning Nan raised an eyebrow. Volunteering to take Xiao Han home last night had definitely been a smart move—how else would he have witnessed such a tantalizing scene? He grinned slyly at Lu Zhengting. "Out all night, meeting a beauty? Abandoning even Xiao Han—putting women before friends, a truly terrible situation."
Lu Zhengting shot Ning Nan a cold glare. "Where's Chen Ma?"
"Chen Ma's getting old—you really expect her to come all this way?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting stared at Ning Nan icily. "You can get lost now."
"Not only do you put women before friends, but you also burn bridges. If I hadn't told you last night, could you have... gotten her so fast?" Ning Nan rubbed his chin, sizing up Lu Zhengting for a moment. Seeming to think of something, he covered Xiao Han's ears to shield him from adult content. "Did you go at it all night?"
"..."
Xiao Han shook off Ning Nan's hand and said in a soft, childish voice, "Uncle Nannan, what are you talking about? I want to hear."
"Don't call me Uncle Nannan!" Ning Nan exploded. Why did Xu Xiao have to call him Nannan in front of Xiao Han? Now Xiao Han called him Uncle Nannan every time he saw him... What kind of nonsense was this?
Xiao Han rolled his eyes. "If I hadn't brought you here, could you have found this place on your own?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting's face darkened. He took the clothes from Ning Nan, scooped up Xiao Han with one arm, and swiftly kicked the door shut with his leg. Ning Nan was so stunned he didn't react in time—the door slammed in his face.
He was locked out!
Lu Zhengting, scowling, set Xiao Han on the sofa and went into the room to change. When he returned to the living room, Xiao Han had his hands raised, wide innocent eyes fixed on Lu Zhengting with a pitiful expression. He said weakly, "Dad, I was wrong to give in to Uncle Nannan's threats and bribes and bring him to Sister Yan's apartment. I'm sorry..."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting didn't react much. Xiao Han had always been a clever little rascal. He clearly wanted to see his dad's drama unfold, and to avoid Lu Zhengting settling scores later, he'd dragged the ever-curious Ning Nan into it. This excuse of his couldn't fool Lu Zhengting's sharp eyes.
Xiao Han could tell his dad was in a good mood, so he relaxed, plopped down on the sofa, and started munching on the snacks on the coffee table.
When Xia Yan came home from work and saw the two of them in the living room, she was startled.
"Why haven't you left yet? And how did Xiao Han get here?"
Hearing this, Xiao Han pouted. "Sister Yan, if you don't welcome me, I'll just leave."
"Xiao Han, that's not what I meant."
"So Sister Yan doesn't welcome Dad? But if you don't welcome Dad, that means you don't welcome me either. So I'll leave with Dad."
Xia Yan shot a look at Lu Zhengting, who was leisurely watching her with a superior air. She felt a lump in her throat—this was pure shamelessness!
Frowning, she decided the best way to soothe Xiao Han was with cake. Once he was settled, she had to face Lu Zhengting, this dangerous man.
"Xiao Han, sit here quietly and watch your cartoons, okay?"
"Sister Yan, what are you going to do?"
"I need to talk to your dad about something." Xia Yan smiled warmly, then looked up and blinked at Lu Zhengting a few times.
Xiao Han curved his lips and whispered, "Does that mean I can't disturb you no matter what sounds I hear?"
Xia Yan nodded instinctively, then suddenly heard Lu Zhengting's low chuckle. Rethinking Xiao Han's words, her face twisted like she'd eaten something sour. She glared at Lu Zhengting, then crouched in front of Xiao Han. "Your dad and I won't make any sounds."
"Uncle Nannan says those sounds are indescribable. I get it."
"No, not what..."
"Indescribable scenes, right?"
"..."
Ning Nan! Xia Yan gritted her teeth. What kind of nonsense was that idiot teaching Xiao Han?
Lu Zhengting coughed lightly, covering his mouth with his fist, then turned and walked to the room. Xia Yan tried to explain again to Xiao Han, but Ning Nan's words seemed to have taken root in his mind. Xiao Han always found a way to leave Xia Yan speechless.
She gave up! Silently, she went to the room. Faced with Xiao Han, she was completely helpless.
Inside the room, Lu Zhengting sat expressionlessly on the edge of the bed, looking up slightly at Xia Yan. "What do you want to say?"
"I thought you'd be gone by now." Xia Yan stared at Lu Zhengting intently.
Lu Zhengting raised an eyebrow and said flatly, "Have you forgotten everything from last night?"
"Last... last night?"
The words were so ambiguous. Xia Yan seemed startled, her face instantly serious as she racked her brain to recall what she'd done. Had she... forced herself on him? That couldn't be...
Lu Zhengting curled his lips into a wicked smile, then suddenly stood up and stepped closer to Xia Yan, one step at a time.