Chapter 24

Xia Lanzheng grabbed her bag and hid in the bathroom, not daring to make a sound.

The person who came was actually Song Xinghuai. Has he been in contact with Lu Yanqing privately?

The plot seemed to be heading in the right direction, but Xia Lanzheng always felt something was wrong.

In the original book, after Song Xinghuai was rescued by Lu Yanqing, he got a part-time job with a considerable income from him.

But that was all based on the result of being rescued. The last time that happened was interrupted by Xia Lanzheng. How did they get in touch?

Xia Lanzheng pressed herself against the door. The sounds outside were unclear, coming through intermittently. Song Xinghuai called out, "Mr. Lu," but Lu Yanqing didn't respond. It was Song Xinghuai who was talking the whole time.

After a few minutes, something was pushed open and footsteps approached.

Xia Lanzheng suddenly moved away from the door, and someone stopped outside it.

"Can I go to the bathroom?" Song Xinghuai asked.

The door handle showed signs of being turned, slightly twisted a few inches to the right.

When Xia Lanzheng saw who was coming, she panicked and looked for a place to escape without thinking. Then she realized that hiding in the bathroom was strange, as nothing had happened.

How about climbing out of the window and running away?

Xia Lanzheng looked at the slowly turning door handle and took a deep breath.

No, Draco was playing ball in the yard, and the dog was inexplicably enthusiastic about him. As soon as it saw him, it jumped on him and rolled around. If he was not careful, he might be caught as a thief, and he would not be able to explain himself.

Xia Lanzheng was caught in a dilemma and had to grit her teeth to control her expression.

He took the initiative, grabbed the door handle and turned it——

With a "click", a stronger force came from above.

Separated by a door, Lu Yanqing calmly closed the door and said, "Sorry, it's not very convenient."

Song Xinghuai's gaze fell intentionally or unintentionally behind the door panel.

He knew exactly who was standing in the bathroom.

Xia Lanzheng.

Song Xinghuai didn't show it on his face, but the name flashed quickly through his mind.

Sure enough, everything has changed.

His guess was confirmed, and one of the purposes of this trip was achieved, so he didn't worry too much.

He had just returned from the film set, covered in dust, and stood in front of Lu Yanqing, as if he was playing the role of a newcomer in the workplace who clumsily spilled coffee on his boss in a TV drama.

Lu Yanqing had a terrifying sense of oppression on his body, and his right hand was always on the door handle, with no intention of retreating.

However, the next second, the polite smile on Song Xinghuai's face faded, replaced by a playful and nonchalant expression.

"Mr. Lu, have you thought about it?"

Lu Yanqing saw the change in his expression, but quickly looked away to look at his watch.

He said in a businesslike tone: "I'll have my assistant contact you."

There was silence outside again. Xia Lanzheng leaned against the wall and heard the conversation clearly.

What on earth were these two people discussing? What were they thinking about? Was it about funding Song Xinghuai?

The problem lies in Lu Yanqing's attitude. The words he just said did not sound like he was willing.

Xia Lanzheng knew very well that if Lu Yanqing did not agree on the spot, the matter would definitely come to nothing.

After all, all bosses are talking about the same thing.

No matter which protagonist Song Xinghuai stood with, the space was always filled with the subtle smell of gunpowder. Xia Lanzheng could not find a reasonable explanation for this.

Even if the plot deviates, the character of the protagonist should not be so different.

He tried to find a crack in the door to see the expressions of the two people, and he wanted to just go out and give Lu Yanqing a push.

What is there to hesitate about in front of the protagonist?

Xia Lanzheng had just taken a step closer to the door when she heard Song Xinghuai speak slowly.

"Mr. Lu, I know your secret."

As soon as these words were spoken, the air froze instantly.

What does that mean? A threat?

As expected, Lu Yanqing fell silent.

Song Xinghuai continued: "Mr. Lu, you should have a younger brother..."

"Okay," Lu Yanqing suddenly interrupted, saying the same thing, but in a completely different tone. "I'll have my assistant contact you."

Song Xinghuai smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Lu."

He took one last look at the bathroom door, and without stopping, he quickly left after getting a positive answer.

The person left, but for a moment, Xia Lanzheng didn't know whether she should go out.

It turns out that Lu Yanqing has a younger brother.

How did Song Xinghuai know?

Before he could come up with an answer, Lu Yanqing pushed the door open from the outside. He looked natural, not at all uneasy about his secret being discovered. "They've left, come out."

Xia Lanzheng looked at the open door, then subconsciously looked towards the coffee table.

No wonder there was an extra child in the photo, and no wonder Lu Yanqing didn't want to be seen by him.

There is a problem here.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Lu Yanqing walked into the bathroom and helped him pick up his forgotten backpack.

"No thanks," Xia Lanzheng took it, "I'm going home."

He had a thousand doubts in his mind, and he felt uncomfortable standing next to Lu Yanqing.

The young and promising Mr. Lu has a younger brother, which means that the powerful Lu family actually has a younger son.

Xia Lanzheng had never heard of it. Even in the original text, this detail was not revealed until the original owner died.

Could it be the subsequent plot? Is it related to Song Xinghuai?

A strange guess flashed through my mind.

Could it be that Lu Yanqing’s younger brother is Song Xinghuai?

Xia Lanzheng pulled up the strap of the bag, and Lu Yanqing did not let go. The black backpack hung between them, and the coffee shop pendants on it swayed and made a jingling sound.

Lu Yanqing lowered his head and asked, "Aren't you curious?"

Xia Lanzheng was almost dying of curiosity, but in the world of melodramatic fiction, the more you know, the faster you die.

"Don't be curious, everyone has secrets."

Lu Yanqing released his hand and looked at him for a long moment before saying, "Does Lan Zheng have a secret too?"

Xia Lanzheng put her toes together and uttered a short "hmm." "Mr. Lu, thank you for saving me today."

He addressed Lu Yanqing as "Mr. Lu" again, without any emotion, as if he was not curious at all.

Lu Yanqing knew he was trying to change the subject, so he didn't try to persuade him to stay. "Be careful on your way home." He glanced out the window. "It rained last night, and the roads are slippery. Remember to avoid the green belts."

As soon as he finished speaking, an impolite shout came from outside the door.

"Brother Lu! My dad asked me to bring some tea to Uncle Lu. Are you home?"

Xia Lanzheng froze. The door was not closed. She turned around and saw a figure flash in.

The man walked in with ease and unexpectedly met Xia Lanzheng's gaze.

Cheng Lan was obviously also frozen, his raised hand stopped in mid-air, and he suddenly took two steps back.

After the incident at the hotel, Cheng Lan hadn't contacted Xia Lanzheng since then. Perhaps it was because of the awkwardness or something else, but Cheng Lan, who used to send harassing messages from time to time, had been silent for nearly half a month.

Xia Lanzheng didn't want to run into him, and she didn't want to run into him at Lu Yanqing's house.

He almost immediately wanted to hide in the bathroom, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Lu Yanqing blocking the door tightly.

"Come in," Lu Yanqing glanced at the stiff Xia Lanzheng, "No need to change your shoes, sit down."

What happened between Xia Lanzheng and Cheng Lan was no secret, and everyone in the circle knew that the two did not get along.

Lu Yanqing didn't take it seriously and went to get some water from the refrigerator.

Cheng Lan came to his senses and didn't say hello to Xia Lanzheng, but he didn't put down his things and turn around to leave either.

He sat down on the sofa, his back straight, his hands on his knees, and followed Lu Yanqing into the kitchen.

Xia Lanzheng didn't know what to do.

It would be strange if he just left without saying a word. After all, there was nothing wrong with him, so why would he feel guilty?

So Xia Lanzheng also stood still and took the initiative to greet Cheng Lan: "Have you finished filming?"

Cheng Lan then turned around, and the two of them spoke across the living room: "Don't you follow my Weibo?"

Xia Lanzheng said as a matter of course: "I followed it, but I didn't watch it."

Cheng Lan didn't expect him to be so honest, so he forced himself to keep his mouth shut and not say such nonsense.

There were some things he hadn't figured out yet, and he didn't want to meet anyone so soon, but who knew he'd run into him at Brother Lu's house!

Cheng Lan paused as he thought about this, then blurted out, "What are you doing at Brother Lu's house? Are you two close?"

Lu Yanqing took out some water and just happened to hear this. He was a little amused and asked, "Who are you jealous of?"

It was originally a joke. Cheng Lan secretly glanced at Xia Lanzheng, drank a sip of mineral water, and his ears immediately turned red.

Lu Yanqing followed his gaze to Xia Lanzheng, raised his eyebrows and then lowered them.

Xia Lanzheng had already said hello, so there was no reason for her to stand there any longer.

"Then I'm going home to eat. Leave now?"

Lu Yanqing nodded and prepared to see Xia Lanzheng out. When they reached the door, Cheng Lan followed silently behind them.

Xia Lanzheng held her schoolbag, and Cheng Lan wanted to say something to her.

The feeling was so uncomfortable, like a feather was rubbing his nose, and he couldn't sneeze.

He hadn't expected Cheng Lan to be so embarrassed for so long. After all, they were half friends and quite familiar with each other. If neither you nor I spoke about what happened that day, no one would know.

Xia Lanzheng walked past Lu Yanqing and asked directly, "What do you want to tell me?"

Cheng Lan stopped where he was and swallowed. After a while, he just sighed "Ah".

This was the first time Lu Yanqing saw Cheng Lan's expression and he took the initiative to make room for him.

Although he and Cheng Lan did not have much interaction, he had a lot of dealings with the Cheng family, so they had known each other since Cheng Lan was a child.

Cheng Lan's attitude towards Chu Linchuan is different from his attitude towards Chu Linchuan.

Cheng Lan was a little afraid of him. No matter how outspoken he was in private, he always pretended to be mature and respectful in front of him.

The two younger generations seemed to be having a quarrel. The one who usually had a clear expression on his face actually made the more straightforward one speechless.

"Do you need me to step aside?" Lu Yanqing wanted to laugh for some reason and broke the silence first.

Xia Lanzheng tugged at the end of her hair and glared at Cheng Lan: "It's okay, if he doesn't say anything, forget it."

Lu Yanqing looked at Cheng Lan, and Cheng Lan's face turned red.

Xia Lanzheng took a few steps outside when someone suddenly pulled the brim of her sweatshirt.

"Wait a moment."

The clothes were twisted up and the fabric rubbed against the wound on her lower back. Xia Lanzheng couldn't help but frown.

Lu Yanqing finally took action, pulling Cheng Lan's hand away and saying, "Cheng Lan, just talk, don't touch me."

Xia Lanzheng was forced to look back. Cheng Lan's face was unnaturally red, perhaps due to the sun or something else.

"what?"

He spoke to Cheng Lan without any politeness, and Lu Yanqing raised his eyebrows again when he heard it.

Cheng Lan took a deep breath: "Uh, me."

After a long time of talking, there was no further news.

Xia Lanzheng responded with a snort of impatience. Lu Yanqing also stood there, waiting with interest for Cheng Lan to finish his words.

Cheng Lan coughed under the sun and two gazes above his head.

"Zheng Zheng, can I come to your house for dinner?"