Lu Zhengting had just returned from outside. His gaze followed the silhouette of a woman holding an umbrella as she walked under a large tree. When she turned her head, he knew he hadn't mistaken her. He pulled the car to a stop in front of Xia Yan, rolled down the window, looked at the person under the umbrella, and commanded, "Get in."
It was Lu Zhengting. Xia Yan felt a secret joy in her heart, a gentle smile on her face. She reached out to open the car door, folded her umbrella, and quickly slid into the seat. Clutching the dripping umbrella, she glanced up at her rain-soaked hair.
"What are you doing here?" Lu Zhengting frowned at Xia Yan, then started the engine and drove off.
"It was Xiaohan. He called me, said he was scared," Xia Yan confessed honestly, then shifted the topic, pursing her lips. "Why haven't you been going to the company these past few days? And leaving Xiaohan home alone? You're really quite carefree."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting furrowed his brows slightly. Xiaohan scared? That was unusual. Then, as if something occurred to him, he glanced at Xia Yan and suddenly found her adorably naive.
Lu Zhengting drove into the garage, and Xia Yan followed unhurriedly. She hadn't thought about it in the car, but now she remembered why she was here—Xiaohan had called her saying he was scared. But since Lu Zhengting was back, shouldn't she head home?
Pausing, Lu Zhengting stopped and glanced at Xia Yan. "Not following?"
Xia Yan was stunned for a moment before speaking, "Since you're back, I think I'll go home."
"Home?"
"Yeah, since you're here, you can stay with Xiaohan. Since there's nothing for me to do, I'll head home."
As soon as Xia Yan finished, Lu Zhengting pressed his lips together. "Xiaohan needs you."
"Thirsty—"
"No buts. Follow me." Lu Zhengting ignored Xia Yan's protest and commanded.
Xia Yan's eye-roll was cut short as she suddenly sneezed. She sniffled, caught Lu Zhengting's look of disdain, and pouted. "Sneezing is something normal people do."
Lu Zhengting scanned her expressionlessly, walked over, took her hand, and led her straight into the elevator. It was an indoor elevator, and the upper floor was the living room. As soon as she stepped out, her nose itched, and she sneezed again.
Chen Ma, hearing the commotion in the living room, hurried out of the kitchen. Seeing Xia Yan's rain-soaked clothes and Lu Zhengting holding her, she respectfully addressed him as "Young Master" and added, "I've just made some ginger tea in the kitchen. I'll bring a cup for Miss Xia to warm up. Young Master, shall I pour one for you too?"
"Mm."
At the mention of ginger tea, Xia Yan couldn't help but shudder. Noticing her subtle reaction, the man looked down at the woman in his arms. "Don't like it?"
Hearing Lu Zhengting's question, Xia Yan nodded vigorously without hesitation. If asked what her favorite food was, she had no answer, but if asked what she hated most, it was definitely ginger tea. She'd had enough of it. Every time her period came, she'd be in agony, and to ease the pain, she'd drink brown sugar water. Xiao Lanzhi would always toss a few slices of old ginger into it.
The thought of that spicy-sweet water alone gave Xia Yan a headache.
Chen Ma placed the ginger tea in front of Xia Yan and said kindly, "It's best to drink it while it's hot."
Hearing this, Xia Yan grimaced, resisting. "Getting a little rain is fine. I don't need to drink this."
"You have to drink it," Lu Zhengting said lightly in her ear.
"Can I skip it?" Xia Yan smiled at Lu Zhengting, then remembered why she'd come. Her eyes darted around as she changed the subject. "Where's Xiaohan? I don't see him."
"The young master went to bed early tonight."
"Huh? Asleep?" Xia Yan stared incredulously at Chen Ma, who was looking at her with affection. Was little Xiaohan messing with her?
Lu Zhengting pressed his lips together slightly. Seeing Xia Yan's surprised expression, he wasn't surprised at all—he knew Xiaohan was aware he'd be back tonight. Still, Xia Yan's reaction amused him. Chen Ma, catching the look on her young master's face, tactfully left the living room.
Xia Yan was still fixated on the dark, reddish-brown ginger tea, not noticing they were now alone. Then Lu Zhengting's deep, magnetic voice sounded in her ear again. She sniffled and caught the faint scent of tobacco on him.
"Drink it while it's hot."
Xia Yan shook her head like a rattle drum, refusing to reach for it.
"Want me to feed you?"
"Drink it yourself if you want."
Seeing this, Lu Zhengting narrowed his eyes, a mischievous smile curling at his lips. He picked up a cup of ginger tea, took a sip, then swiftly grabbed Xia Yan, looking at her with a smirk. He sealed her mouth with his. Xia Yan was stunned, frozen, her mind grinding to a halt. When she tasted the ginger tea, her eyes flew wide open, and she flailed her hands.
"Lu Zhengting, you shameless!" she cried, pinned beneath him, the spicy-sweet taste of ginger tea overwhelming her. She was utterly undone—he'd used this trick on her!
Lu Zhengting looked down at her from above, took another sip, and repeated the process until the entire cup of ginger tea was forced down Xia Yan's throat. Both of them were drenched in sweat.
Once free from his grip, Xia Yan's face crumpled in misery. She wiped her lips repeatedly, utterly disgusted.
After all that, even if Xia Yan wanted to return to her apartment, she couldn't—it was too late, and there wasn't a single empty cab in sight. Lu Zhengting scooped her up in a princess carry and headed straight for his bedroom. Xia Yan's feet suddenly left the ground, and in her fright, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
...
The wooden stairs, the dim yellow light casting a gentle glow, the halo shimmering around them. Xia Yan stole glances at Lu Zhengting bathed in the light. His sharp, defined profile was like a sculptor's masterpiece. His slightly tousled hair softened his usual sternness, adding a touch of boy-next-door warmth. His bright, black-and-white eyes sparkled as if holding stars, his high nose bridge made his features more three-dimensional, and his thin, sensual lips still seemed to glisten with remnants of the ginger tea. Xia Yan was lost, etching this handsome face into her memory.
And there she was, boldly lying in his arms, being carried by him.
The decor of Lu Zhengting's room matched his personality—cold and unyielding. He carried her straight into the bathroom and thoughtfully ran the hot water. Xia Yan watched silently, realizing that being with Lu Zhengting wasn't as hard to accept as she'd imagined.
Lu Zhengting, ever the gentleman, left once the hot water was ready. This surprised Xia Yan. As the bathroom door closed, she slapped her forehead a few times. Had she lost her mind? What was she thinking?
She shed her wet clothes and slowly stepped into the steaming bath. Her slender fingers floated on the water's surface. She clapped her hands together, sending ripples across the water. A small smile tugged at her lips as she unconsciously touched her mouth, recalling Lu Zhengting feeding her the ginger tea—charming and roguish.
Her clothes were soaked and unwearable. In the bathroom, Lu Zhengting had left a set of his own pajamas. Xia Yan stared at them for a moment. Compared to his shirt, she'd take the pajamas. But wearing Lu Zhengting's pajamas had the same effect—they were huge on her.
If she moved too much, the clothes would probably fall off.
When Xia Yan emerged from the bathroom, she didn't see Lu Zhengting in the room. She clutched the waistband tightly, looked down at the rolled-up pant legs, and couldn't help but laugh. They were folded several times, making her look like she was about to plant rice in a field. She looked up, gathered herself, and carefully lifted the pant legs as she walked barefoot down the hallway. Following her instincts, she arrived outside the study. Hearing a deep voice from inside, she frowned. Before she could knock, her pant legs slipped down. She accidentally stepped on them, lost her balance, and crashed into the door. To make matters worse, the door wasn't fully closed, and her impact sent it flying open...
Xia Yan hit the floor, so embarrassed she felt she had no face left.
Lu Zhengting was successfully distracted by Xia Yan. He ended the impromptu video conference in standard American English, then left his chair and walked over to her. Amused, he said, "Not getting up? Want me to carry you?"
Then why don't you just pick me up...
As if reading her mind, Lu Zhengting's eyes filled with affection as he bent down and lifted her up. Once on her feet, Xia Yan opened her mouth, but seeing his smirk, she swallowed her words.
"It's fine. Go ahead with your work. I'll, uh, head back to the room."
"You meant to say something else."
"...No, I didn't. This is what I meant," Xia Yan stammered. Lu Zhengting's intensity made her so nervous she started stuttering.
"Hmm? Really?" Lu Zhengting hooked a finger, lifting a strand of hair from her forehead, brought it to his nose, and sniffed. "Smells nice."
"Huh?" Xia Yan's heart skipped a beat. She needed to leave quickly, or she feared she'd lose control and pounce on him.
Thinking this, she acted on it. She brushed past Lu Zhengting, but at the study door, she stopped. Her heart pounded. She didn't know when she'd started liking Lu Zhengting, but she knew she liked him a lot now.
Though Lu Zhengting was from a different world, she felt that having finally met someone she liked, she didn't want to give up easily just because of external reasons. Maybe she should try to be braver.
Lu Zhengting waited patiently for Xia Yan to speak. As time ticked by, her clear voice suddenly broke the silence.
"Are you serious?"