Since hearing the word "pursuing" from Lu Zhengting's mouth, Xia Yan had been completely out of sorts, constantly wondering if this counted as a confession from him. Yet the man who had just confessed to her had vanished without a trace for days, his whereabouts a complete mystery. When Xia Yan saw Secretary Zhou come looking for her, she was confused, and the first thing Secretary Zhou asked was where Lu Zhengting was.
Hearing this, Xia Yan looked at Secretary Zhou with a mix of tears and laughter. "I don't know where President Lu is either. He didn't disclose his whereabouts."
Xia Yan spoke sincerely and honestly. Secretary Zhou eyed her with suspicion, frowning deeply. She had been working as Lu Zhengting's secretary for quite some time, but indeed, every year around this time, her boss would disappear without a trace, and no one knew where he went.
Secretary Zhou silently looked away. Seeing this, Xia Yan felt utterly speechless.
After work, Xia Yan returned to her apartment and lay down on the sofa. Suddenly, she recalled the look Secretary Zhou had given her before leaving—it now seemed quite meaningful. She lay on her side, listening to the quiet, melodious piano music playing on the TV, but couldn't bring herself to enjoy it. Blinking, she felt a sense of unease. She stood up and turned to see a large mass of dark clouds gathering over the city. Within half an hour, they had enveloped all of Jiangcheng, signaling an imminent storm.
Xia Yan stood on the balcony for a while, thinking about many things, especially what had happened recently. When faced with Lu Zhengting's words about pursuing her, her heart had actually leaped with joy, though she had pretended to be nonchalant. Not seeing him for days had left her feeling both frustrated and unsettled.
The doorbell suddenly rang. Xia Yan frowned slightly. When she opened the door and saw Li Ru holding a beautifully packaged cake, she was taken aback. Then Li Ru smiled at her, walked past her into the living room as casually as if it were her own home. Xia Yan curved her lips, closed the door behind her, and stood in the living room watching Li Ru carefully open the cake box on the sofa.
"What did you bring the cake for?"
"To treat you, and to help me test the flavor." Li Ru handed a slice of cake to Xia Yan, pursing her lips.
Xia Yan took it, scooped up a spoonful, and tasted it. Frowning slightly, she said flatly, "It feels a bit too sweet."
"Huh? No way, this is one of my favorite cake shops." Li Ru said, a little upset. Hearing Xia Yan's comment, she picked up a small spoon, scooped some into her mouth, chewed a few times, and added, "I think it's fine, though?"
"My opinion doesn't matter. Isn't it enough that you like it?"
"How can that be? I was planning to order my wedding cake from this shop."
"I can't handle sweets well, so don't take what I said seriously." Xia Yan said earnestly. She enjoyed making desserts, but she wasn't particularly fond of eating them. When she spoke earlier, she hadn't realized this shop was Li Ru's choice.
Li Ru eyed Xia Yan suspiciously, licking a bit of cream from her lips. Suddenly, a thunderclap roared outside, deafeningly loud. Xia Yan shuddered instantly. She shifted her gaze outside, glancing at the already overcast sky. The wind howled, constantly blowing the curtains up. Xia Yan pressed her lips together, strode to the balcony, and closed the windows tightly. Li Ru noticed her somewhat pale expression as she returned to the living room and couldn't help asking, "Xia Yan, are you afraid of thunder?"
"I don't know. The thunder just sounds creepy to me. I think it's about to rain soon. You should stay until it stops before leaving."
"It's fine. I'm just in the building next door, aren't I?"
"..."
Li Ru put down the cake and said, "Xia Yan, now that it's just the two of us, come clean with me. How far have you and Lu Zhengting gone?"
"He and I are just ordinary friends."
"Xia Yan, look me in the eye. Doesn't your conscience hurt saying that? The whole company is saying you're the future boss lady, and you still won't admit it? Looks like you don't see me as a friend anymore."
"With you putting that label on me, would I dare lie to you? I swear, if what I said just now was false, may the heavens strike me—"
"Boom, boom... boom..."
Seeing this, Li Ru burst out laughing, pointing a finger at the sky. "See, even heaven doesn't believe you."
"..." Xia Yan looked at Li Ru in frustration. The phone screen on the coffee table suddenly lit up. She squinted, leaned forward, and picked it up. Seeing it was a call from the Lu residence, she hesitated for a moment before answering. Xiao Han's soft, sticky voice came through the receiver.
"Sister Yan, can you come keep me company? Xiao Han is scared..."
Hearing this, Xia Yan glanced sideways at the sky split by lightning and softened her voice. "Xiao Han, where's your dad?"
"Dad hasn't come back yet."
"So you're home alone now?"
"Yeah, Sister Yan. Xiao Han is really scared..."
Xia Yan was also afraid of thunder, so she deeply understood the terror that came with every loud clap—the urge to cover her ears and block out all sound. Pausing, she hung up, went back to her room, grabbed a thin, long knitted cardigan, and put it on. Then she snatched the keys from the table, glanced at the bewildered Li Ru, and paused for a few seconds.
"Li Ru, I have something urgent to take care of. When you leave later, just close the door for me."
"What's so urgent that you have to go now?"
Xia Yan paused in the middle of putting on her shoes, was silent for a moment, then continued. She grabbed her phone and bag and headed out. Seeing this, Li Ru quickly followed, slamming the door shut. Noticing the elevator doors were still open, she took a big step and jumped in.
In the elevator, no matter what Li Ru asked, Xia Yan remained silent until the doors opened.
Xia Yan waited outside the neighborhood for a while before spotting an empty cab. On rainy days like this, hailing a taxi was always especially hard. Once in the car, Xia Yan gave the address. The driver glanced at her sideways, then quickly looked away when she turned her gaze toward him.
The rain grew heavier, with raindrops the size of pearls falling like threads from the sky, pounding against the car windows. Xia Yan watched the raindrops stream down the glass, tracing thin lines. She couldn't help reaching out a finger to follow the flow, slowly extending it. Suddenly, the car braked sharply. Xia Yan lunged forward, hitting her forehead on the back of the passenger seat before bouncing back.
Rubbing her slightly reddened forehead, she frowned. Another thunderclap rang out, and she immediately wrapped her arms around herself. "What happened just now?"
"Miss, there seems to be an accident up ahead. We're stuck in traffic now."
"Traffic?"
"Yeah, it probably won't clear up for a while."
Hearing this, Xia Yan anxiously looked at the long line of cars ahead, stretching like a dragon. Given the situation, getting through quickly would be tough.
"Driver, can you turn around at the next road and take another route?"
"Alright, but that way will be a detour."
Xia Yan nodded. A detour was better than being stuck in traffic.
The culprit causing the traffic jam up ahead was sitting in a car, ignoring the people knocking on the windows outside. The two inside refused to open the doors no matter what. Xu Su, in the driver's seat, stared at Ning Nan with a sharp, piercing gaze. Ning Nan, however, looked calm and composed, remaining silent.
"Xu Su, do you realize this stalemate between us is getting us nowhere?"
"So you're trying to draw a line between us now?" Xu Su glanced at Ning Nan, his voice cold.
"If we could truly draw a line between us, that would be a good thing." Ning Nan smiled faintly, speaking softly. Earlier in Beicheng, paparazzi had caught him and Xu Su arguing on the street. Ning Bei had immediately blocked the news upon hearing it, but it still hadn't escaped the old man's notice. Now, Ning Nan had been labeled as someone who attracted both men and women, nearly sending the old man to the hospital. Luckily, Xu Su's face had been somewhat blurry in the photos, so Ning Nan could find another man to replace him.
But it was precisely this move that had sparked Xu Su's extreme dissatisfaction. As soon as Ning Nan finished his last scene, he flew straight to Jiangcheng. The moment he got off the plane, Xu Su caught him, leading to the current situation.
Xu Su's dark eyes burned with anger. "Come back to Beicheng with me right now."
"What for?"
"To see the old man."
"Impossible!"
...
The situation up ahead remained unresolved. Most cars chose to turn around. Xia Yan glanced at her watch—this whole mess had caused a forty-minute traffic jam with no end in sight. At least they had turned around. This road was an inner-ring expressway; though it was a detour, at least it wouldn't be congested.
The taxi could only stop outside Dongshan Villa. Unregistered vehicles weren't allowed in. Xia Yan patiently pleaded with the security guard for a long time but got no leeway. She looked at the pouring rain and the howling wind, which alone was enough to torment her.
"Miss, we really can't get in. You might as well walk a bit."
Walk a bit? What other choice did she have but to walk in herself?
Sighing deeply, Xia Yan handed the fare to the driver and got out of the car, holding an umbrella. The large umbrella seemed useless; her clothes were already soaked. She lifted her pants with one hand and jogged through the rain.
After walking a long way, Xia Yan realized she had lost her sense of direction. She turned around, scanning the dim surroundings, and couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Why get lost now of all times?
Her mind was filled with images of Lu Zhengting. When she called him, the response was that his phone was off. Could anything be more miserable than this?
Xia Yan wandered aimlessly in the rain. Yellowed leaves occasionally fell from the large trees on either side. Hearing a car horn behind her, she suddenly turned around. The rain blurred her vision, but she could still see it—that was Lu Zhengting's car.