Xiaohan pouted and slipped behind Lu Zhengting, blinking at him as if to say, "See? Two people fighting over someone is terrifying..." Catching the warning glare from her father, she restrained herself and turned into a silent statue.
Xia Yan felt the temperature in the air plummet rapidly. Noticing Lu Zhengting's gaze seemed to land on her neck, she quickly reached up to cover the scratch. But to Ke Yaru, this only made her grind her teeth in hatred.
She stepped forward to stand in front of Lu Zhengting, almost deliberately presenting her flushed cheek to him. Lu Zhengting glanced at it, pressed his lips together, and said flatly, "Quite capable, aren't you?"
Ke Yaru brightened, touched her cheek, and said softly, "Zhengting, I think there might be some misunderstanding between Xia Yan and me. She probably didn't mean it."
Hearing this, Xia Yan rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "I totally meant it!"
Lu Zhengting looked at Ke Yaru, then abruptly shifted his gaze to Xia Yan. Catching her words, his face showed displeasure. "You, leave first."
As soon as he spoke, Xia Yan naturally assumed he meant her and started walking toward the office door without a second thought. She'd only taken one step when Lu Zhengting grabbed her arm. He turned coldly to Ke Yaru and said, "Yaru, you leave first."
"Zhengting..."
"Out!"
Ke Yaru suppressed the jealousy inside her and walked out without changing her expression. As for Xiaohan, she was smart enough to have already slipped out quietly.
Now only Xia Yan and Lu Zhengting remained in the office. Seeing his hand still gripping her, Xia Yan yanked it away without hesitation, stepped back, and didn't bother covering the scratch on her neck. She stared straight at Lu Zhengting. "What did you keep me here for?"
"Come here," Lu Zhengting said softly.
"What do you want? I'm not Yaru." Xia Yan's strong personality vanished instantly when facing Lu Zhengting. She hated hearing the name "Yaru" from his lips; it hurt more than Ke Yaru slapping her. At least with the slap, she could slap back. But with this? What could she do?
Lu Zhengting frowned, his voice unconsciously turning cold. "Come here."
Xia Yan decided she wouldn't go, mustering her courage to stand her ground.
Seeing her anger, Lu Zhengting paused, then curled his lips. If the mountain wouldn't come to him, he'd go to the mountain. He took a big step forward, standing right in front of Xia Yan, grabbed her arm, and gently extended his slender fingers to the scratched area on her neck. His low, soft voice drifted down from above her head. "Does it hurt?"
Xia Yan had planned to stay silent, but she didn't expect Lu Zhengting's simple words to strike the softest part of her heart. She couldn't help pouting and sniffing. Seeing this, Lu Zhengting gently hooked his fingers under her chin, lifting her head. Noticing her reddened nose, he chuckled. "Quite capable, huh? You even know how to fight back."
Hearing this, Xia Yan glared at Lu Zhengting, thinking he was blaming her for hitting Ke Yaru. She shot back bluntly, "You're so worried about Yaru, why don't you go to her? Why keep me here? What, you want to add another wound for her?"
Instead of getting angry, Lu Zhengting smiled. "Jealous?"
"Is it funny? Lu Zhengting, don't you dare joke around with me. If I hadn't reacted fast and dodged, my face would be swollen right now!" Xia Yan fumed.
"Alright, alright. Yaru didn't mean it either," Lu Zhengting coaxed softly, finding himself liking this little girl more and more.
Xia Yan was about to let it go, seeing his decent attitude, but his next words made her explode. She raised her hand and slapped his away, turning her head to glare at him with a mix of anger and hurt. "Yaru, Yaru, Yaru. If you care about her so much, go to her! Why come to me? That's exactly what she wants."
Lu Zhengting stared intently at the increasingly furious Xia Yan, his expression darkening. To him, what woman wasn't easy to handle? He'd already lowered himself to soothe her, only to face her cold words. Xia Yan sensed the shift in him and felt a chill in her heart, dropping even the hurt. She just looked at him coldly, silent.
Lu Zhengting glanced at Xia Yan and couldn't help saying coldly, "Xia Yan, don't be unreasonable."
"You're calling me unreasonable? Lu Zhengting, if you can watch what Ke Yaru just did and still calmly say I'm being unreasonable, then I have nothing left to say." Xia Yan took a deep breath, speaking slowly with a self-mocking tone. What she really wanted to ask was what was between him and Ke Yaru that she didn't know—or wasn't supposed to know? But at that moment, she was too afraid. She couldn't muster the courage to ask, nor was she mentally prepared. She feared the answer would disappoint her...
Lu Zhengting's patience seemed to run out. He gave Xia Yan a cold look and turned to leave the office. Xia Yan stared blankly at his retreating back, unable to hold back her emotions. She slumped to the floor, sitting on her heels, and sobbed quietly, her head bowed. Ke Yaru's words stuck in her throat like a fishbone. She'd always been bothered by Ke Yaru, and Lu Zhengting's unusual attitude toward her only made it worse.
Xia Yan hugged her knees, burying her face in her arms. She was always the one left behind, living in a world of her own. From the moment she fell in love with Lu Zhengting, she knew she'd lost.
Lu Zhengting returned to the office to find Xia Yan sitting on the floor, trying to stifle her cries. The sunset outside the window lit up the room, casting her small figure in a lonely light. Her sobs pierced his heart like poisoned needles. He walked through the dappled glow, step by step, until he stood before her, looking down.
Feeling a shadow fall over her, Xia Yan sniffled, wiped her tears, and slowly looked up. Seeing Lu Zhengting back, she froze.
Lu Zhengting saw her face streaked with tears and snot, and couldn't describe the feeling. He crouched down, his deep gaze locking onto her watery eyes. His slender fingers gently wiped away the tears clinging to her lashes, his voice as soft as if coaxing a child. "Baby, I'm back."
Hearing this, Xia Yan burst into loud sobs, tears streaming like a broken dam as she pounded his chest. "Then go! Why come back? Did you enjoy watching me cry? Lu Zhengting, do you have any idea how much it hurts when you turn and walk away without looking back?"
"I know."
"You don't know anything! I'm the one who's wronged, and you call me unreasonable?"
"..."
"Lu Zhengting, why did you come back now?" Xia Yan sniffled, crying as she asked.
Lu Zhengting frowned. When had this girl's tears become so piercing? He pulled her into his arms and sighed softly. "Should I leave now?"
"Don't you dare! If you ever leave me alone again, I'll... never forgive you!" Her tear-choked voice made it hard to tell if she meant it, but Lu Zhengting etched those words into his heart forever.
Lu Zhengting rarely coaxed anyone like this—even Xiaohan hadn't gotten such treatment—so he was awkward about it. Xia Yan wiped her tears on his chest and mumbled, "I wasn't like this before, but I just felt so wronged. I couldn't hold back the tears."
"I know."
"But what can I do? When I watched you turn and walk away, do you know what I was thinking?"
Lu Zhengting ruffled her hair and played along. "What?"
"Breaking up! Firing you as my boyfriend—you just started and you're already failing."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting's mouth twitched. Glancing at the tear stains still on Xia Yan's face, he thought, *She's the one I love; I have to spoil her no matter what.*
Xiaohan had been with Ke Yaru at Secretary Zhou's office for a long time without seeing anyone come out. Getting restless, she came knocking on Xia Yan's office door with Ke Yaru. The knock interrupted Xia Yan's tirade against Lu Zhengting. Xiaohan raised her voice from outside. "Dad, Sister Yan, what are you two doing in there so long?"
Xia Yan quickly wiped her face and asked Lu Zhengting, "Can you tell I was crying?"
Lu Zhengting nodded and pinched her cheek. "Even if they can, it's fine."
Xia Yan rolled her eyes and muttered, "So embarrassing."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As Xia Yan pulled away from his arms, he looked at her. She blinked and said, "We still need to keep our relationship a secret."
"..." Lu Zhengting gave in, thinking only that Xia Yan's happiness mattered.
When Ke Yaru came in holding Xiaohan's hand, she sensed something off in the atmosphere but couldn't pinpoint it. She shot a suspicious glance at Xia Yan, then walked over to Lu Zhengting and said sweetly, "Zhengting, it's getting late. Xiaohan must be hungry. Let's go eat together."
Hearing this, Xia Yan raised an eyebrow at Lu Zhengting. He expressionlessly glanced at Ke Yaru. "No need."
"Why—" Ke Yaru started, but stopped when she saw Lu Zhengting frown. She knew he hated being asked why, and even if she asked, he might not answer. Better to stay silent than displease him.
Xia Yan silently gave him a thumbs-up in her mind, shooting him an approving look. He pressed his lips together, amused by her smugness.
After Ke Yaru left in distress, Xia Yan walked over to Xiaohan and took her little hand. "Xiaohan, what do you want for dinner?"
"I'm not picky."
Xia Yan's mouth twitched. Xiaohan looked up with innocent eyes and noticed Xia Yan's slightly swollen eyes. She pointed and exclaimed, "Sister Yan, why are you crying? Did Dad bully you?"