Fang Jiangyi said, "This child, it's Lan Yuzhou's kid, isn't it?"
Yan Xia didn't answer.
Fang Jiangyi stood under the umbrella with her, gazing into the distant rain curtain. His voice was light, carried away by the wind and rain.
"I heard that Lu Qianzhou hasn't won your father's approval."
Yan Xia let out a chuckle. "Do you think we should be as easily trusting as before? Once bitten, twice shy. It's always right to be more cautious."
She was subtly mocking Fang Jiangyi, and how could he not tell?
Fang Jiangyi wasn't annoyed at all. His tone remained calm.
"Do you think I've stopped paying attention to your affairs? Lu Qianzhou is not as simple as you think. To win your father's approval, Lu Qianzhou would have to give up everything he has now. Otherwise, you won't have the chance to marry Lu Qianzhou."
Hearing this, Yan Xia tightened her grip on the child's hand. Sure enough, Fang Jiangyi knew too.
Just as Cheng Hua's hands were not clean and his deeds were not entirely upright, everyone around knew what a hypocrite he was, except her.
Sometimes being kept in the dark by everyone really made her feel like a fool.
Yan Xia turned to him and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Fang Jiangyi said, "You've already understood my meaning."
The cold wind whistled, lifting a corner of his windbreaker.
Finally, the driver drove the car up. Holding an umbrella, he ran through the rain curtain and came to her side, ready to take them into the car.
Fang Jiangyi added, "Otherwise, your father wouldn't be so resistant to Lu Qianzhou, and Lu Qianzhou wouldn't have always kept things from you. Yan Xia, if you want to know the truth, you have to discover it yourself. But first, you need to be prepared to do your best and leave the rest to fate. Think about whether you can bear this truth."
Yan Xia suddenly turned to look at him.
Fang Jiangyi motioned for the driver to come forward and hold the umbrella for them, then took a step back.
"Master Lu San will return to the capital recently. He might know something. You can go and ask him. I'll say it again. As long as you speak up, I'll always be waiting for you." He walked into the light rain, and his last words faded away with the wind.
After Fang Jiangyi left, Lan Mengfan let out a soft cry.
"Auntie, you're holding too tight. It hurts."
Yan Xia immediately loosened her grip and let out a long breath from her chest.
She clearly wanted to escape, but no matter where she went, she would always run into people she didn't want to see and hear things she didn't want to know.
She got the news that Master Lu San was indeed going to return to the capital these days. Although she knew she was no longer qualified to see him, Yan Xia still made an appointment with him in the name of Lu Sheng. If Master Lu San heard this invitation, he would know it was her.
Fortunately, Master Lu San agreed to meet her and set the meeting place at one of his mansions. This was where he would stay during this visit.
Yan Xia heard that Master Lu San was coming back this time to discuss a cooperation with Fang Jiangyi. After all, it was Yan Xia who had served as the go-between and brought them into a cooperative relationship. Fang Jiangyi was now at a crucial stage of rising to power. Naturally, he had to win over some connections to prove his strength so as to gain more support at the shareholders' meeting.
Master Lu San was a businessman. Even with Lu Qianzhou's connection in between, he might still prioritize profits in some matters.
Yan Xia braved the rain to pay a visit and was invited into the living room by the butler. She waited there for Master Lu San.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally, when she saw Master Lu San again, she still nervously stood up from the sofa. Seeing this unfamiliar face, Master Lu San frowned slightly, but quickly realized who she was.
"Sit down," he said tersely. "I heard from Qianzhou that he's planning to marry you."
Sure enough, the news had spread, and even Master Lu San knew about it.
Yan Xia forced a smile. "It's just a rumor. There's no such thing."
Master Lu San quickly guessed. "I think he's quite serious. He rushed back some days ago and said he wanted to marry you. What's wrong? Are you two young people having a spat?"
But this time, the matter might be even more serious than a spat. Since she and Lu Qianzhou had been together, they rarely had any conflicts. She had a gentle personality and seldom quarreled with others.
Yan Xia hesitated. "Actually, I came today because I have some confusing things. I hope Master Lu can clarify them for me."
Lu Qianzhou and Master Lu San had always had a harmonious relationship. She had seen this clearly since the day Master Lu San asked her to impersonate Lu Sheng to help him achieve his business empire plan.
That meant even if she asked today, Master Lu San might not necessarily tell her. But she still held on to the last glimmer of hope in her heart.
"Oh?" Master Lu San raised his eyebrows. "What can I clarify for you?"
Yan Xia said, "Master Lu should have heard of my father, Cheng Hua. I know that in the eyes of those in the know, my father doesn't have a good reputation. He's even full of sins. But I still can't remember any disputes between the Cheng family and the Lu family, or any debts the Cheng family owes to the Lu family."
Master Lu San was just holding a teacup and blowing on the hot water in it. The moment he heard the name Cheng Hua, his hand suddenly froze. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes under his lowered eyelids.
But his movements remained smooth. He took a sip of the hot tea to suppress his emotions.
"My father has always been very resistant to my relationship with Brother San. I don't know why. Brother San also seems to be taking some actions secretly, but they won't tell me anything. I'm really anxious."
Master Lu San gently put down the teacup and casually picked up a book on the table to read. He was quite young, with a refined temperament and an imposing air that didn't need to be shown through anger.
"Miss Cheng has asked the wrong person. I don't know what you want to know," Master Lu San said.
Yan Xia frowned and looked at him suspiciously. She didn't believe that Master Lu San really knew nothing. He was just using this excuse to fob her off.
"Master Lu, I really..."
"What answer do you hope to hear from me?" Master Lu San interrupted her. "If I tell you that your father is full of sins and is Qianzhou's enemy, and they'll never reconcile unless one of them is dead, what will you do then?"
Yan Xia's face gradually turned pale.
She took Master Lu San's words seriously. If that was really the case, what should she do?
This sentence was clearly forcing her to make a choice, between Lu Qianzhou and her father, Cheng Hua.
Yan Xia was extremely flustered. She pressed on, "What kind of deep-seated grudge can only be resolved by death?"
Master Lu San burst into a hearty laugh.
He closed the book in his hand and looked at Yan Xia. "I was just joking with Miss Cheng. You seem to have taken it seriously."
Yan Xia still hadn't caught her breath from the shock.
"Don't worry. I really haven't heard of any deep-seated grudge between them. Maybe it's because Qianzhou has always detested those who abuse their power and are extremely powerful, so he's a bit extreme. As for your father, I know even less."