It was only when Yan Xia lowered her head that Peng Zixu dared to look at her. He gave an awkward laugh and said, "It was really going too far of Shiyi this time. She didn't know it was Third Master Lu's mansion. She was a bit extreme."
Yan Xia raised her head slightly and stared directly at him.
"Are you saying that the apology is only because it was my father's mansion, not because she did something wrong?"
Peng Zixu's breathing quickened for a moment. He shook his head repeatedly, then cleared his throat with a light cough.
"No, no, no... Of course not. I said the wrong thing. Miss Lu, don't take it to heart."
Yan Xia could clearly sense Peng Zixu's nervousness. This man was introverted, flirty, timid yet eager to prove himself.
She couldn't help smiling. "You don't have to be so tense, Mr. Peng. Am I a flood or a wild beast? Why are you so nervous?"
Peng Zixu glanced at her and quickly shifted his gaze.
"Miss Lu is certainly not a flood or a wild beast. It's just that you're so beautiful, like a fairy who doesn't eat the earthly fireworks. It seemed that there were some misunderstandings during our previous two meetings. I thought you were an unapproachable person, so I'm a bit nervous."
Yan Xia smiled at him. When Peng Zixu calmed down a bit and dared to look at her, she said, "Since you feel nervous, why don't we take this opportunity to chat about some interesting things?"
There was a reason why she agreed to dance with Peng Zixu. As Peng Shiyi's brother, he should know some of the inside information she wanted to know.
But if she was too radical, she might be suspected of having ulterior motives, so she took it step by step.
Peng Zixu didn't suspect anything. "What does Miss Lu want to know?"
Yan Xia curved her lips. "How did Miss Peng and General Manager Fang get to know each other? I can see that Miss Peng is really devoted to General Manager Fang. Maybe that's why she's always been so hostile towards me."
She was subtle, knowing how to take it slow.
Peng Zixu said, "It's a long story. Shiyi and him knew each other even before that Cheng Yanxi. At that time, the Fang family was in decline. They couldn't hold on and declared bankruptcy. Shiyi had already taken a fancy to him. But General Manager Fang didn't take a fancy to Shiyi. Instead, he got together with the eldest daughter of the Cheng family. Shiyi was sad about it for a long time. But it's all in the past now..."
Yan Xia frowned.
The Fang family declared bankruptcy?
She remembered that Fang Jiangyi always said that he was just an ordinary person from an ordinary family. Why was there a matter of bankruptcy involved?
But it wasn't surprising either. Fang Jiangyi said that they had ruined his family. It meant that he had a lot of unknown pasts. He just hid them very well and they had never discovered them.
Yan Xia said, "Miss Peng seems to be a childish person and impulsive in doing things. I didn't expect her to be so persistent in love."
Peng Zixu nodded in agreement. Although he didn't have much affection for his spoiled and domineering younger sister at home, he had to admit that she was indeed more persistent than others in some things she was determined about.
"Back then, Shiyi was determined to help Fang Jiangyi make a comeback, but was stopped by my father. She also took care of Fang Jiangyi's mother when the Fang family was in ruins. She really did her best."
Speaking of this, he suddenly shook his head and smiled, with a very sighing tone. "Looking at his current glorious appearance, who could have thought that there was once such a dark moment in his life?"
Yan Xia's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she suddenly felt a bit blocked in her heart.
Was there any connection between the dark past of Fang Jiangyi that Peng Zixu mentioned and the Cheng family?
Why had she never heard of it and knew nothing about it?
"General Manager Fang always seems to be alone. Where are his family members?"
"His father was imprisoned for fraud. His mother went crazy. His younger brother also committed suicide by jumping off a building because of some things. Now only he is taking care of his mother. It's quite pitiful, actually." Peng Zixu sighed. "But now, he has finally made a name for himself."
Why had she never heard of these things? Fang Jiangyi had hidden these things and came to her sister and to Shengshi.
He even had a younger brother who committed suicide by jumping off a building?
She suddenly remembered the words Fang Jiangyi had said when he pinned her against the railing on the rooftop. In her memory, there was a cold wind. He had said, "Yan Xia, do you know what it feels like to jump off a high building? Your body will be smashed to pieces and your internal organs will be torn apart."
Yan Xia had been frowning all the time, looking serious. Absent-mindedly, she accidentally stepped on Peng Zixu's foot. He let out a scream.
"Miss Lu, what's wrong with you?"
Yan Xia came back to her senses and pretended to be calm. "It's okay. What exactly happened to General Manager Fang before? What happened to his family? Why did they suddenly declare bankruptcy?"
Peng Zixu looked embarrassed. He hesitated for a moment but still said, "It's not convenient for me to disclose this. General Manager Fang is very taboo about others mentioning his past now."
He stared at Yan Xia's beautiful face for a while, then curved his lips and probed, "Miss Lu, does chatting as you said mean always discussing things related to General Manager Fang with me? You seem to be very interested in him."
Yan Xia tightened her hand on Peng Zixu's shoulder. She let out a sneer.
"I'm just curious and asking casually." Then she let go of Peng Zixu's hand and took a step back to keep a distance from him. "Mr. Peng, do you still think I'm unapproachable and feel nervous now?"
Peng Zixu's ears turned a bit red. He shook his head.
"I'll go find Third Brother first. See you later." She waved her hand and walked away gracefully.
Peng Zixu stood there watching her leave until she was far away. Then he lowered his head and looked at the hand that had just been on her waist. It seemed that the warmth of her waist still remained in his palm. He raised his hand and sniffed it, smelling a faint fragrance of jasmine perfume.
...
Yan Xia went straight to the lounge. On both sides of the long corridor on the right side of the hall were the lounges marked with the guests' names.
She didn't go directly into her own lounge. Instead, she found Wang Keding's lounge. Seeing that there was no one in the corridor, she turned sideways with her back against the door panel and listened intently to the movement inside.
The sound of the teacup shattering on the ground was very harsh. Then she heard Wang Keding's furious voice.
"I've said it. It's never going to happen. When did it become your turn to interfere in my affairs? I'll tell you one last time. Keep your distance from that Lu Sheng. Don't provoke her!"
Shangguan Yao's response was calm. "I know what you're up to. And I'll also tell you. It's never going to happen for me to keep my distance from her."
Judging from the movement inside, the situation seemed a bit wrong.
"Say that again!" Wang Keding slapped the table heavily.
Shangguan Yao sneered. "What? Can't you see the reports about your love affairs? I even find them disgusting. Why do you want me to stay away from Lu Sheng? Isn't it because of what you did before..."
With a loud slap, the rest of his words were interrupted by Wang Keding's fierce slap.
Wang Keding roared, "You unfilial son. Get out! Get out of here!"
Hearing the movement inside, Yan Xia immediately flashed away.
She quickly stood at the door of her own lounge. Just as she was about to open the door and go in, Shangguan Yao came out of the lounge over there and their eyes met.