As early as their second meeting, she had stepped in to save him.
Yan Xia fixed her gaze on him. "So, Mr. Fang still remembers that I saved you."
Fang Jiangyi picked up on her words. "It's always been engraved in my heart."
He lifted his eyes to look at her, as if he were marshaling his thoughts.
Yan Xia suddenly broke into a smile. "Since you've always remembered that I'm your savior, why are you so guarded against me and keep me at arm's length?"
These days, he hadn't brought up the Xinghaiwan project again, nor had he ever voiced his suspicions of her. On the surface, everything seemed fine, but Yan Xia knew that he had his own plans brewing.
"I don't know what Miss Lu is talking about."
"You know what I mean." Yan Xia raised her eyes and looked straight at him. "Mr. Fang, since we've already reached an agreement, we should trust each other more. Otherwise, it'll be really uncomfortable to work together."
Her smile was pure, as if she had laid herself bare in front of him to show her sincerity.
Fang Jiangyi was silent for a moment before finally saying, "You've been meeting Lu Qianzhou in private."
As soon as he said this, Yan Xia knew that Peng Shiyi must have said something to him again. On one hand, she was trying to drive a wedge between them in front of Fang Jiangyi, and on the other hand, she was hiring people to plot against her. She really had a good plan.
"Are you suspecting me?"
"I just want to hear Miss Lu's explanation."
Yan Xia didn't even bother to lift her eyelids. "Miss Peng has been whispering in your ear again, right? I bet she said more than just this."
Fang Jiangyi squinted slightly, looking a bit puzzled that Yan Xia had guessed it all.
Judging from his expression, Yan Xia knew that she had guessed right again. She simply leaned back against the pillow, adopting an attitude of recklessness.
She said, "Mr. Fang, if you have any doubts about me, why don't you ask them all at once today? It'll save us all the trouble of suspecting each other."
After a moment of silence, Fang Jiangyi asked.
"Are you and Lu Qianzhou in that kind of relationship?"
"What kind of relationship do you mean?"
Fang Jiangyi's Adam's apple bobbed. "A romantic relationship."
Yan Xia was extremely shocked. She had no idea how Fang Jiangyi could come up with such a ridiculous idea. Their behavior in normal times should have been fine, right? How fertile could this guy's imagination be to think so wildly?
Her eyes were full of confusion. "Mr. Fang, if I were in a romantic relationship with Third Brother, what kind of person would I be if I came to you and said I liked you? Did Peng Shiyi tell you this?"
She was so angry that she laughed. "With such a vivid imagination, why doesn't she become a screenwriter?"
Fang Jiangyi didn't say a word.
It was probably because of his special relationship with Lu Qianzhou that he was extra vigilant.
Finally, he said, "Sorry, it's just that someone saw you meeting Lu Qianzhou, and your relationship seemed quite familiar."
"Acting for the occasion happens everywhere. Mr. Fang should understand this well." Yan Xia's expression remained the same, but she seemed a bit displeased because of his offensive words just now. "Even if we take a step back, the conflict between our two families isn't so intense that it has to be put on public display. We still have to maintain a good appearance."
She knew that Fang Jiangyi had probably just asked casually. With his intelligence, he shouldn't have asked such a stupid question.
Just as they were talking, another unexpected guest arrived.
The man was carrying a fruit basket and rushed over in a hurry, showing great enthusiasm.
"I heard that Miss Lu was injured and hospitalized. I happened to be passing by the hospital, so I came to visit. I hope I'm not disturbing your rest, Miss Lu."
Yan Xia smiled slightly. "So it's Mr. Shangguan. No wonder I heard your voice from afar."
"You seem to be in good spirits, Miss Lu." Shangguan Yao took off his sunglasses and winked at Fang Jiangyi. "So Mr. Fang is here too."
Fang Jiangyi said, "Miss Lu is an employee of Shengshi. She was injured during work, so I naturally have to come and see her. You seem quite enthusiastic about Miss Lu."
Shangguan Yao laughed heartily. "Miss Lu is my goddess. There are so many people chasing after her outside. Of course, I have to seize every opportunity and keep a close eye on any developments."
Perhaps he had said all he wanted to say and had other things to attend to, so Fang Jiangyi left after exchanging a few pleasantries.
This was exactly what Shangguan Yao wanted, as he now had the chance to be alone with Yan Xia.
He casually pulled a chair over and sat down beside the hospital bed. He picked up an apple and a fruit knife and started peeling it, currying favors.
"Goddess, are you thirsty? I'll peel an apple for you."
Yan Xia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Don't call me goddess. It's inappropriate."
"How is it inappropriate? You're my goddess." Shangguan Yao winked at her. "Goddess, who hurt you like this? Have they been caught? Do you want me to help and deal with those scumbags..."
"Chop them up?" Yan Xia interrupted.
He was stunned for a moment before smiling and saying, "I'm not that violent."
Seeing him clumsily peeling the apple and almost cutting off half of the pulp, Yan Xia couldn't help but complain. "Did you wash your hands before peeling the apple? Anyway... I've only been in the hospital for a few hours. How did you find out?"
Shangguan Yao peeled the apple seriously. "I didn't know at first, but I've always been keeping an eye on your news. Ever since I saw you for the first time, I've been smitten with you. You can say it was love at first sight. Of course, I have to seize the opportunity to make things happen."
"Isn't it supposed to be 'cook the raw rice into cooked rice'?"
Shangguan Yao made a disgusted face. "I don't like cooked rice. I'll only eat a bowl of porridge reluctantly."
Yan Xia couldn't help but laugh. This guy was quite humorous.
However, she remembered a saying that all love at first sight is just lust at first sight.
Suddenly, there was a moment of silence between them, and Shangguan Yao seemed to be on the verge of saying something but held back.
"I heard that something happened between you and Wang Keding a few days ago..." He frowned and said seriously, "Is it true?"
This incident had been deliberately suppressed so that it wouldn't spread. The fact that Shangguan Yao had heard a whisper about it proved that he had been keeping an eye on Yan Xia.
Yan Xia picked up her phone and looked at the messages. "It was just a misunderstanding. It seems that Director Wang was drunk and mistook me for someone else. It's not a big deal."
Seeing that her expression was normal, Shangguan Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good..."
He knew that guy's temper and personality too well. He had had a lot of love affairs when he was young, and he still couldn't settle down even now that he was old. He insisted on marrying Yuan Qiuping, a woman more than a decade younger than him. His lecherous nature had never changed.
If something really had happened, he would never let it go easily.
"I heard from Fang Jiangyi that you've been competing with him for the reclamation permit for Xinghaiwan from Wang Keding recently."
Yan Xia's hand paused for a moment. "What, are you also interested in this project?"
Shangguan Yao smiled. "Not really. I just found out about it now. If you had told me earlier, you wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble."
The apple he had peeled was in a complete mess. It was really unsightly, so Shangguan Yao simply gave up and threw the apple aside.
Yan Xia was puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
Shangguan Yao smiled mysteriously and suddenly leaned closer to her.
"It means that I have the ability to help you get the reclamation permit."