Lu Qianzhou remained silent, gazing deeply into her eyes.
He had truly been going through a tough time lately, constantly trying to find a solution that would satisfy both sides without hurting her.
But there were certain things she shouldn't know.
Lu Qianzhou only asked, "Are you sure you want to leave and cancel the wedding?"
Yan Xia felt a mix of shame and annoyance. She looked up and glared at him.
"If you keep hiding things from me like this, then let's cancel the wedding." As if that wasn't enough, she added, "Fang Jiangyi said I'd surely regret being with you. There's also a saying that you shouldn't marry the person your parents don't approve of. If we can't even handle this small conflict, I think there's no point in continuing."
She knew she was being impulsive. She didn't want to break up with Lu Qianzhou because she truly loved him. She just hoped these words would stir his emotions and show her how important she was to him.
Lu Qianzhou said, "Then go back first. Calm down and think it over. Before you give me your answer, I'll continue to prepare for the engagement banquet and the wedding."
Yan Xia suddenly raised her eyes. "Lu Qianzhou, can't you understand that I want to cancel the wedding?"
"Do you think you can just discard me like this?" Lu Qianzhou held her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Cheng Yanxia, I've given you a chance. I've also said that you can't escape. Talking about marriage is not a joke."
After a moment of thought, he said, "I'll prepare the engagement banquet as usual. If you really don't want to marry me, you can choose not to come. But I'll wait for you. After the wedding, you'll probably let down your guard against me. Then, I'll tell you everything you want to know."
Yan Xia's emotions finally calmed down a bit. She looked at him, tired and confused. She didn't know if she should believe his words.
Or maybe he was willing to let go of his feud with Cheng Hua for her sake, using the wedding and his actions to ease Cheng Hua's suspicion.
Yan Xia had nothing more to say. She brushed off Lu Qianzhou's hand and opened the door to leave.
In the corridor, she turned back and said,
"I've decided to adopt Lan Yuzhou's daughter. I'll take care of her myself until Lan Yuzhou is released from prison." Yan Xia lowered her eyes, not even having the courage to look Lu Qianzhou in the eye. "I'm so confused. I need to be alone. Don't look for me recently. I'll give you an answer before the engagement banquet."
Yan Xia wrapped her coat tightly around her and stepped onto the pebble path outside the villa. Her car was parked there.
When she got home, only Uncle Fu was there. Cheng Hua was out. Recently, because of the company's problems, he and Lin Wei had been working hard to eliminate the negative impact. Whether Lin Wei could continue to hold the position of chairman would determine the future development of Shengshi Group.
"Second Miss..." Uncle Fu saw that she had restored her original face and understood where she had been recently. Although Cheng Hua was back, the situation was still unstable. He was really worried.
Yan Xia only asked, "Has Dad come back?"
"Not yet. He often stays in the company these days and doesn't come back until late at night." He sighed. "Actually, one shouldn't be too hasty. Master is working so hard. I'm afraid he'll hurt his body again."
There were some things Yan Xia wanted to ask Cheng Hua face to face. But like Lu Qianzhou, even if she asked, he wouldn't tell her anything. Instead, he would scold her for meddling too much as a child.
Yan Xia didn't comment. She asked again, "Is Lan Mengfan still with you?"
Uncle Fu said, "She's been with me. Have you decided what to do with her, Second Miss?"
Yan Xia took off her coat. Feeling exhausted both physically and mentally, she turned and walked upstairs. "Send her back. I'll take care of her myself until Lan Yuzhou is released from prison. Please take care of her more on weekdays, Uncle Fu."
"It's good that you've made a decision, Second Miss. This child is really pitiful."
She didn't want to think about anything. After going upstairs, she fell asleep, throwing all her troubles behind her.
The next day, Uncle Fu brought Lan Mengfan back. When Yan Xia came downstairs, she saw the little girl sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast obediently. She even greeted her obediently and said good morning, Auntie. Yan Xia's heart melted instantly.
Sure enough, only children were the purest.
Yan Xia came downstairs and walked to her side. She stroked her head. "Mengfan."
The little girl raised her head. Her round eyes were like black grapes, very beautiful. There was a circle of milk on her mouth. She looked so innocent and cute.
Yan Xia said, "Before your dad comes back, you'll live with me from now on. I'll take good care of you. Okay?"
"Okay." Lan Mengfan gave her a big smile.
Yan Xia felt much better. She stroked her head again. "I'll take you to buy some new clothes and daily necessities at noon. You'll live here from now on. I'll clean a room for you."
She took the child out to get a haircut, bought a lot of new clothes, and had KFC with her. She didn't miss any of the things the child liked, like hamburgers, cola, and fries.
When they came to the entrance of the mall, it started to drizzle. The cold wind blew on their faces, bringing a strange sense of coldness. She shrank her neck and pulled Lan Mengfan's hand to take shelter from the rain under the LED screen in the square.
The driver went to the underground parking lot to get the car and asked her to wait for a moment.
On this rainy day, people were coming in and out of the mall. Young couples left the mall hand in hand under umbrellas, chatting and laughing. The traffic lights in the distance had changed twice.
She looked up at the sky and couldn't help but sigh. In less than a year, she had changed from an innocent girl who didn't know what love was to a woman who sighed all day and was full of worries.
Emotions really messed with people's minds. Her sister had lost herself in love, and she wasn't spared either.
Since she came back yesterday, Lu Qianzhou had kept his promise and hadn't contacted her, giving her space.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew the drizzle sideways, splashing on her and the child. Yan Xia pulled the child back. Suddenly, someone stood beside them and opened a huge black umbrella, covering both her and the child.
She instinctively turned to look. The shadow of the umbrella covered half of Fang Jiangyi's face. She could vaguely see his dark eyes under the umbrella.
Yan Xia's heart skipped a beat. The next second, she averted her gaze.
She had never noticed before that Fang Jiangyi's eyes were so deep, like those of a wounded man, which made people feel sorry for him.
Yan Xia was wearing a nude-colored overcoat today. Her legs were slender and straight. She didn't wear any makeup and looked very much like a student. Fang Jiangyi stared at her, as if he had returned to the day they first met, as if nothing had happened, as if time had stood still.
Fang Jiangyi was calm. He started chatting like an old friend. "Didn't Lu Qianzhou come with you?"
Yan Xia said, "He's too busy."
Fang Jiangyi's gaze gradually shifted from Yan Xia to the child. The five-year-old child stared at him with big curious eyes.