The air conditioning in the living room was turned up a bit too high. Xia Yan felt a chill in her sleep and instinctively reached out to the side, grabbing a thin blanket to cover herself. She curled up against the inside of the sofa, her slender legs dangling over the edge. Her phone, which she had no idea where she'd tossed, was buzzing insistently. Frowning, she squinted and fumbled around blindly under the blanket with one hand.
She couldn't find the phone, so she simply went back to sleep.
Lu Zhengting listened to the mechanical tone on the other end of the line and furrowed his brow. He called Xia Yan again, but there was still no answer. It was only around eight or nine in the evening. A notification chimed from his computer, and he glanced down at the dimming phone screen before refocusing on his work.
Xia Yan hadn't slept this well in a long time. The first rays of morning sunlight hit her face, the glare too bright for her to open her eyes. She raised a hand to shield herself and slowly blinked, looking around groggily. The TV was still on the satellite channel from last night, but the program had switched from a variety show to the morning news. She dragged herself up from the sofa, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains. Outside, the sun was blazing, and the heat seeped through the glass into the room. She squinted and stretched lazily.
After washing up, she made herself a bowl of oatmeal to tide her over and then headed to work.
Ever since Xia Yan moved out of the Xia family home, she had barely touched the monthly allowance they deposited into her account. Her internship salary at the Lu Corporation wasn't as high as a full-time employee's, but among internship programs, Lu's benefits were excellent. For her, living expenses weren't an issue. Xia Yan would get up early and take the subway, though sometimes, when she was too exhausted, she'd opt for a taxi straight home. After getting off the subway, it was about a ten-minute walk to the office.
It was rush hour now, and the subway was packed with a sea of people. Petite Xia Yan was swallowed up in the crowd almost instantly. Once inside the train, waves of heat kept rolling in. Forget about finding a seat—just having a spot to stand was already a stroke of luck. She carefully edged her way to a small corner near the door and, bored, pulled out her phone. That's when she noticed the many calls Lu Zhengting had made to her last night. She glanced at the time; by then, she'd been sleeping so soundly that not even thunder could have woken her.
Wondering if he had something urgent to discuss, Xia Yan grabbed the handrail with one hand and considered calling him back. But for some reason, she switched to a text message instead, typing out a quick reply and sending it off.
After the message went through, she didn't get a response from Lu Zhengting until she reached the office. Her first thought was that he was still asleep. She knew all too well how grumpy he could be when woken up, and it wasn't hard to imagine that if she actually called and disturbed him, she'd be the one to suffer the consequences.
Feeling refreshed, Xia Yan sat down at her desk. The women in the project department had been less than friendly toward her lately, but she didn't really care. She buried herself in her work, slightly surprised that there were no flowers on her desk today. But before long, the flower delivery guy showed up. Xia Yan looked at him helplessly as he said earnestly, "Miss Xia, sorry I'm late—traffic was bad today. Please sign for these flowers."
Hearing this, Xia Yan's face darkened. She silently took the flowers and placed them in their usual spot.
Ye Yunchen had been out of sight for nearly a week, and the department had started to speculate that he might have given up on pursuing Xia Yan. But today's gesture shattered those assumptions. Xia Yan focused on her tasks, sorting through the documents and materials prepared for the new project. Before she knew it, lunch break arrived. During that time, Lin Xujia called to suggest they eat together.
After work, Xia Yan sat on the lounge sofa in the company lobby waiting for Lin Xujia. In her spare moments, she pulled out her phone. As soon as she unlocked it, she saw an unread message. She opened it slowly, thinking it might be spam, only to find it was from Lu Zhengting. His reply was terse: "Why didn't you answer the phone last night?"
Holding her phone, Xia Yan tried to imagine the expression on Lu Zhengting's face as he typed that—probably cold and aloof. She glanced at the time he sent it: just five minutes ago. Leaning back on the sofa, she bit her lip and quickly tapped out a response on the screen before hitting send.
Earlier that morning, Lu Zhengting had indeed been asleep. Now, he was soaking in the bath when his phone beeped. He reached out a long arm, grabbed the phone from nearby, and read Xia Yan's message. Frowning slightly, he replied, "Tired?"
Lin Xujia was stuck in traffic on the elevated highway and wouldn't reach the Lu Corporation for at least another half hour. Xia Yan decided to keep texting Lu Zhengting. "Of course I'm tired. We're busy with this new project, and the higher-ups are putting on the pressure. We can't afford to slack off."
Reading her message, Lu Zhengting narrowed his eyes. He picked up a wine glass, swirled it gently, and stared intently at the screen. "Switch departments."
"No way. I'm just an intern—I don't have the freedom to choose. Besides, I follow orders from my superiors." Xia Yan bit her lower lip as she typed, so absorbed that she didn't notice Lin Xujia had arrived.
"Who are you chatting with? Smiling like that..." Lin Xujia leaned in slyly, then added with a grin, "Looks suspicious!"
Startled, Xia Yan quickly tapped a few keys and shoved her phone into her bag. She looked up calmly and said, "It's a coworker."
"Just a coworker?" Lin Xujia teased.
"Really, just a coworker. They had a question about something, so we were discussing it." Xia Yan said seriously. Lu Zhengting was undeniably the boss of the Lu Corporation, but since they both worked there—even if he was her superior—it wasn't wrong to call him a coworker, right?
Lin Xujia pouted. "Come on, that Japanese place we went to last time was pretty good. Let's eat there again."
Lu Zhengting stared at his phone for a long time before wrapping himself in a towel and stepping out of the bathroom. When he didn't get a reply from Xia Yan, his expression soured. After a moment's thought, he decisively called her, but she didn't pick up. He set the phone aside. When his secretary's voice came from outside the door, he frowned and changed clothes.
The secretary could tell Lu Zhengting was in a bad mood just by being near him. Even her voice carried a slight tremor as she reported, "Mr. Lu, at 2 PM there's a meeting about acquiring Runyi Company with the branch office. At 6 PM, there's a business gala. At 10 PM, there's a work briefing on the European project..."
Lu Zhengting nodded absently, pulled out his phone again, thought for a moment, and dialed Xia Yan's number.
It was Lin Xujia who heard Xia Yan's phone ring this time. She was eating when she caught a glimpse of Xia Yan frowning at her phone before hitting the decline button. Suspicious, she asked, "Who was that? Why didn't you answer?"
"Insurance salesperson, nothing important." Xia Yan put her phone back in her bag casually, feeling a tiny bit guilty—and amused—for labeling Lu Zhengting as an insurance agent.
Lin Xujia wasn't buying it. Without warning, she lunged at Xia Yan with a mischievous grin, reaching for the bag behind her. Xia Yan instinctively resisted. In the scuffle, her fingers somehow caught the scarf around Lin Xujia's neck. With a gentle tug, the scarf came loose. Xia Yan froze.
"Xujia, your neck..." Xia Yan forgot all about her bag, pointing at the scattered, uneven hickeys on Lin Xujia's neck, stunned.
Lin Xujia's face flushed red. She quickly retied the scarf to cover the marks. Seeing Xia Yan's expression, she hurriedly explained, "Xia Yan, it's not what you think. Don't misunderstand."
"Misunderstand what? Did you start dating during that week you disappeared? Is this his handiwork?" Xia Yan raised an eyebrow, teasing.
"No, I don't have a boyfriend. Xia Yan, please don't guess, okay?"
Xia Yan frowned. "I was wondering why you'd wear a scarf in this heat. Fine, I won't ask." She paused, then added, "But Brother Ye..."
"It has nothing to do with him. It's all my own..."
Xia Yan froze, staring at Lin Xujia, who seemed eager to speak. Her brow furrowed into a straight line. "Don't tell me this has something to do with Brother Ye?"
"No, no, it has nothing to do with Brother Ye. Absolutely nothing." Lin Xujia kept insisting it wasn't related to Ye Yunchen, but her very insistence only made Xia Yan more suspicious. She lowered her gaze, sneaking a glance at Xia Yan's expressionless face, her hands clenched tightly on the table. A flicker of something seemed to flash in her eyes.
She knew Xia Yan well. Without saying a word, she could steer Xia Yan's thoughts toward Ye Yunchen. Seeing Xia Yan's doubtful look now, she dropped her head, afraid to meet her eyes.
After leaving the restaurant, Lin Xujia drove back to her company, while Xia Yan made up an excuse. Luckily, it wasn't far from the Lu Corporation—just a ten-minute walk. The meal had left Xia Yan feeling uneasy and frustrated. Thinking back, she realized that during the week Lin Xujia had disappeared, Ye Yunchen hadn't shown up either. She couldn't quite figure out what was going on with those two. She shook her head and sighed.
As she was about to reach the company entrance, someone suddenly blocked her path. Xia Siyue stood at the door, arms crossed, glaring at her with hatred. Xia Yan's expression turned serious as she strode up to Xia Siyue.