Her attitude finally softened, even though she knew she shouldn't meddle in other people's affairs.
"Go find my third brother. I'll contact him. He'll take you in. You can spend the last days with your child." After a moment's thought, she added, "When it's time for you to testify in court, ask him to send the child to me. I'll take good care of her for you."
Lan Yuzhou had no suspicion of her at all. He immediately stood up, bowed deeply to her, and said gratefully,
"Thank you, Miss Lu."
She invited the father - daughter duo to have dinner, and then arranged for someone to send them directly to Lu Qianzhou. Before he closed the net on Fang Jiangyi, they shouldn't appear in Fang Jiangyi's sight again, and they could live in peace for a while.
In the evening, Fang Jiangyi called Yan Xia.
"Why did you get discharged from the hospital so soon?"
"It's the same wherever I rest. It's more convenient and comfortable at home."
Fang Jiangyi said, "The current situation is too dangerous. I'm afraid it's not safe. I'll feel more at ease if you stay by my side. So, come to my place."
It wasn't a tone of consultation but an order.
This was the first time since she had been with Fang Jiangyi that he had spoken to her in such a serious and commanding tone.
She knew directly that this attitude was wrong, but she couldn't think of anything to refute.
"No, I'm safe at home." After all, she felt more relaxed in her own territory. She deliberately said in a joking tone, "Besides, we're not even engaged yet. It's not appropriate to live together so openly, right?"
Fang Jiangyi laughed and said, "I'll be busy with official business recently and won't be home often. Moreover, why should we care about other people's gossips? Some things are clear to us, and that's enough."
It seemed impossible to reason with him.
The important thing was that she didn't reply immediately when she heard Fang Jiangyi say, "I'm not joking with you. I'm just informing you. Xiaosheng, I'm really worried about your safety now. Pack your belongings. I'll wait for you at your doorstep."
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
Yan Xia was suddenly stunned.
Looking at the hung - up phone, her gaze met Uncle Fu's. Uncle Fu immediately understood and voluntarily went into the room to hide.
Fang Jiangyi didn't know how he had managed to talk to her calmly while restraining his emotions. It seemed that subconsciously, he had really regarded her as his girlfriend.
He really loved her.
When he was choosing a target in the Cheng family, Cheng Yanxia was still studying abroad in university. And it was her elder sister, Cheng Yanxi, who had already made a name for herself in Shengshi. So, in every aspect at that time, Cheng Yanxi was a more suitable candidate.
In those years, his contact with Cheng Yanxia mostly happened during the one or two months when she came home on vacation.
She had always been a top - notch student, well - protected by her family, very cultured, and with a simple mind.
Almost from the first time she saw him, she had always called him brother - in - law. She was carefree but also very warm. She used to be Cheng Yanxi's little tail. When he was with Cheng Yanxi, she knew how to avoid suspicion and would leave them enough personal space.
He knew in his heart that Cheng Yanxia was innocent, so he had never thought of hurting her from the beginning to the end. Now, this thought was even stronger. He didn't want to hurt her and wanted to make peace with her calmly, but the prerequisite was that she could understand his difficulties and forgive what he had done.
These two days, he had been thinking that if he had really chosen Cheng Yanxia instead of Cheng Yanxi as his target at that time, maybe everything would have been different.
He would really have fallen in love with Cheng Yanxia. Maybe he would have softened and backed out before the plan was completed.
Now, it was hard to tell whether his choice at that time was right or wrong.
About ten minutes later, someone knocked on the car window.
He looked sideways and saw Cheng Yanxia waving to him outside.
She opened the car door and got in. Her hair had been dyed black as he asked, and it had grown a bit, reaching below her shoulders. She was wearing a camel - colored overcoat with a white scarf around her neck. The wounds on her face and hands were still clearly visible.
The orange streetlights outside shone on the top of her head, making her face look warm and profound.
"Why did you come so suddenly?" She had rushed out in a hurry and was still wearing cotton slippers on her feet. "You don't need to worry about my safety. I've also hired many people to guard outside. There won't be any problem..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Fang Jiangyi suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of her neck. Before she could react at all, he suddenly leaned over and kissed her lips forcefully, like a raging storm. Yan Xia was forced to retreat again and again until she leaned against the back of the passenger seat.
She was stiff all over, waiting for his storm to subside.
"Brother Jiangyi?" Yan Xia whispered his name after his emotions had calmed down.
He was breathing slightly heavily, with his forehead against hers. Looking at her face so close, thinking that she was Cheng Yanxia, the former soft - spoken Cheng Yanxia who used to call him brother - in - law, a lot of emotions welled up in his heart.
Suddenly, he punched the car window. The wind from his fist whistled past her ear.
Yan Xia felt his sudden outburst of emotions and every word he had said today. His eyebrows were knitted tightly, as if he was suffering from some great pain.
"What's wrong with you..." Yan Xia carefully held the hand that had punched the window. "What on earth is going on? You have to tell me. You're scaring me. I can't help but worry..."
Fang Jiangyi composed himself and shook his head.
"It's okay. It's just that you had such a big accident and almost died. Now, I still can't guarantee your safety. I feel so useless."
"It's not your fault. You can't blame yourself."
She looked at him seriously and said, "Don't do this again. No matter how angry you are, you can't hurt yourself."
The change in her attitude was so natural. Clearly, she had hated him to the core and had wanted to team up with Lu Qianzhou to get rid of him. But now, she was saying things against her will.
Yan Xia, when did you start telling lies and becoming scheming?
Fang Jiangyi looked at her sincerely and said, "You're my girlfriend. It's my responsibility to protect you. If anything happens to you, I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life."
These words were not only for Lu Sheng but also for Yan Xia.
Yan Xia smiled and said, "Don't be silly. No one can protect someone else for a lifetime. There's still a long way to go in the future, and there will be many changes. No one knows what the future holds."
Fang Jiangyi's eyes dimmed.
He stroked the corner of her lips.
"Just come to my place. I've prepared everything. You just need to come with me."
Yan Xia was still uneasy. "Why is it so sudden? Do I really have to go?"
She didn't know what Fang Jiangyi was up to. If he really discovered her identity or knew about her plan with Lu Qianzhou, then if she went with him, the situation would be very dangerous.
Fang Jiangyi turned his face and smiled. "What are you afraid of? Afraid I'll eat you?"
Before Yan Xia could refute, he added,
"Don't worry. You're injured now, and the situation is special. I won't take advantage of you."
Although his emotions were clearly not right, he could always disperse this tension with joking words.
Since his attitude was so strong, she was afraid that refusal would only make him more suspicious.