After dinner, Xiaohan stopped pestering Xia Yan and happily watched TV on her own. As for Lu Zhengting, he took a phone call, leaving Xia Yan with free time. She squinted at the fiery clouds that had dyed half the sky red, taking a small sip of her fruit tea. This kind of peaceful, leisurely, and free life was what she had always longed for. Deep down, she was a woman full of artistic temperament.
After finishing his call, Lu Zhengting walked into the living room and searched around but didn’t see Xia Yan. Frowning slightly, his peripheral vision caught a blurry figure outside the living room curtains. He strode over, pulled the curtains open, and fixed his gaze on the woman bathed in the glow of the sunset. The hazy halos of light around her radiated warmth. Xia Yan’s sleek, flowing black hair was lifted by the breeze, drifting in the air. Her hands rested on the railing, her back slightly bent as she leaned lazily and casually. Seeing this, Lu Zhengting’s clear black-and-white pupils reflected the scene before him.
The entire world became Xia Yan’s backdrop, highlighting her serene and distant beauty.
Lu Zhengting couldn’t bear to break this moment of beauty, but he had to speak. Xia Yan had long sensed someone behind her, but she was in a good mood and too lazy to move. Besides, in this house, aside from Xiaohan, there was only Lu Zhengting.
Lu Zhengting stepped forward a few paces, standing shoulder to shoulder with Xia Yan in a similar posture. His deep, clear gaze, as if carrying the light of stars, locked onto Xia Yan’s profile. The dim light outlined the soft lines of her face. Her long, thick lashes trembled slightly as she suddenly blinked. Her high, delicate nose seemed to carry a faint glow of the sunset, her sexy lips lightly pressed together, the corners of her mouth slightly curved in a faint, enchanting smile.
This moment of beauty was something Lu Zhengting would treasure for a lifetime. In that instant, he even had the thought of hiding Xia Yan away so no one else could see her.
Xia Yan could no longer pretend to be unaffected. She turned around, her face dark as she stared at Lu Zhengting, only to fall unexpectedly into his deep eyes. Her face flushed instinctively, and she murmured softly, “What are you staring at me for?”
“At you.”
“…Lu Zhengting, stop.” Xia Yan quickly made a stop gesture, her gaze fixed firmly on Lu Zhengting, adding, “Don’t say anything else.”
She was truly afraid of hearing more flirtatious words from him, especially since she had no resistance to him to begin with.
Xia Yan’s sudden call to stop amused Lu Zhengting. He glanced at her warily, “Why?”
“Why what?” Xia Yan looked at him in confusion. Her instincts told her that the next topic would be hard for her to answer.
“Why do you always keep me at arm’s length?”
Hearing this, Xia Yan was silent for a few seconds, lowering her head slightly. “You’re my boss. How could I keep you at arm’s length? You’re my bread and butter now. I’d be trying to curry favor with you.”
“Is that so?” Lu Zhengting asked lightly.
“Of course it is. If not, why would I bother talking to you, right?”
As soon as Xia Yan finished speaking, Lu Zhengting suddenly leaned in, his strong arm wrapping around her waist, pressing her against him. “Then why are you so nervous now?”
“Nervous? I’m not nervous!” Xia Yan turned her head and cautiously glanced around, her heart leaping into her throat. Earlier, to get a better view of the sunset, she had opened the balcony window. Now, Lu Zhengting had pressed against her so suddenly that she couldn’t react in time, leaving her head dangling outside. Even moving her eyes slightly, catching a glimpse of the tiny people below like ants, instantly soured her mood. The water glass in her hand had already fallen to the ground from the sudden shock.
Xia Yan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, glad the glass hadn’t fallen outside. At this height, if it had, it would surely have killed someone.
“Still distracted?”
“No. No.”
“Answer my question.”
“What question?”
Seeing Xia Yan pretending to be clueless, Lu Zhengting smirked mischievously. His arm lifted her body upward, and now not only her head but also her neck was exposed outside. Terrified, she instinctively grabbed his collar, then, finding it unsafe, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, not daring to move.
“Answer.”
“Lu Zhengting, you’re such a jerk! I’m telling you, it’s because you’re such a jerk that I don’t want to get close to you or have anything to do with you. Put me down now! If you drop me, it’s against the law! Do you understand?” Xia Yan rambled incoherently, not caring whether Lu Zhengting liked it or not. She had no mood for that now.
Lu Zhengting squinted, suddenly leaning forward, a faint smile playing on his lips as he approached her neck. His warm breath brushed against her skin intermittently, sending a chill through her entire body. Even her voice trembled slightly. “Lu Zhengting, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you a jerk…”
“Hmm?” Lu Zhengting hummed softly, his nose touching her chin, raising an eyebrow.
“I know I was wrong. I truly repent.”
“My instincts tell me your words aren’t trustworthy.”
“…Damn it! Lu Zhengting, let’s talk properly. This way, neither of us can have a good conversation.”
Seeing this, Lu Zhengting seemed to have had enough fun. He lifted his arm, steadying Xia Yan on the ground, though his arm remained firmly around her waist. Xia Yan felt incredibly relieved to have her feet on solid ground, though it would have been even better if she weren’t trapped in Lu Zhengting’s embrace.
After calming her fear, Xia Yan thought for a long time before speaking. “Lu Zhengting, the reason you’re hung up on this is that you feel your charm is being overlooked, or because you’re used to all women’s eyes being on you. So meeting someone like me, who isn’t intimidated by power or captivated by you, feels like a failure. But I think failure is the mother of success. You’ll get used to it after a few more tries.”
“…” Lu Zhengting looked down at Xia Yan, who was spouting nonsense with a straight face, unsure whether to laugh or cry. After a pause, he curled his lips and gently lifted her chin with his index finger. “You’re not captivated by me?”
“Of course not!” Xia Yan said without hesitation.
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting nodded knowingly, staring intently at Xia Yan. A smile curved his lips as he suddenly left a light, fleeting kiss on her lips. Then, he leisurely glanced at her, his deep, sexy voice slowly sounding. “Last time, you weren’t like this.”
Boom…
Xia Yan’s mind went blank in an instant. The scene before her flashed back to that time in the hotel room at North City International. Her face turned crimson.
In front of him, she had absolutely no self-control!
Xia Yan had never denied Lu Zhengting’s charm, nor had she denied the unnamed feelings she had for him. But perhaps she loved herself more.
Lu Zhengting always knew when to stop with Xia Yan. He smiled, released his grip, and casually walked back to the living room. Only Xia Yan remained on the balcony, dazed. She unconsciously raised her hand to touch the lips he had kissed, still feeling a faint trace of tobacco. The image of Lu Zhengting just now lingered in her mind, and her heart began to pound wildly again.
She calmed the flutter in her chest, wiped her lips hard, and returned to the living room as if nothing had happened. Xiaohan was watching TV, having eaten most of the snacks he’d bought, his belly full. Xia Yan didn’t even glance at Lu Zhengting. She walked straight to Xiaohan and stopped him from eating more. It was getting late, and Xiaohan had school the next day, so he naturally had to return to the Lu residence. Xia Yan, more than anything, hoped Lu Zhengting would leave soon. Her thoughts were in chaos because of him, and she needed time to sort them out.
After seeing the two off from the apartment, Xia Yan took a shower and lay in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. Every time she closed her eyes, the afternoon scene replayed in her mind. She tossed and turned, rolling around in bed, cursing Lu Zhengting, that jerk.
One by one, the lights of thousands of homes went out, and the city fell into silence. The moon reflected in the river was the same as the one in the sky. Stars scattered everywhere, twinkling faintly. The early autumn air carried a hint of moisture, and the wind was cool and crisp. The lush green leaves on the branches began to turn yellow, some so fragile that a single gust of wind could send them falling.
Xia Yan opened a window. The evening breeze blew in, lifting the curtains. She closed her eyes tightly, sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling faintly. That night, every corner of her dreams was filled with Lu Zhengting’s presence and scent.
******
Since the night she had taken advantage of Ye Yunchen’s drunkenness to seduce him into sleeping with her, Lin Xujia’s desire to possess him had grown stronger. Her jealousy and hatred toward Xia Yan, whom he constantly thought about and longed for, intensified. After that incident, she also clearly felt Ye Yunchen avoiding her. She had been hurt by this, but then she realized that Ye Yunchen wouldn’t dare let Xia Yan know what had happened between them. So she began using this incident to threaten him repeatedly.
She knew that this way, her chances of winning Ye Yunchen were growing slimmer…
But since she couldn’t have him anyway, she was content to continue like this…
Ye Yunchen glared angrily at Lin Xujia, who had suddenly come to find him. Lately, he had noticed not only that Lu Zhengting was secretly putting pressure on him at the company but also that something had shifted with Xia Yan.
Seeing this, Lin Xujia smiled and reached out her hands to cup his face. “Seeing me makes you angry, doesn’t it?”
“…”
“Seeing me reminds you of what happened that night, doesn’t it? Makes you feel like you can’t face Xia Yan, right? Doesn’t it!?”
Ye Yunchen saw Lin Xujia’s twisted expression for the first time. He was momentarily taken aback but didn’t hide his disgust for her. “I told you, that night was an accident.”
“An accident? Hah…” Lin Xujia laughed bitterly. “If it had been Xia Yan instead of me that night, would it still have been an accident?”
“Lin Xujia, don’t be unreasonable!” Ye Yunchen said coldly.