At this moment, Xu Yan came out after changing his clothes.
"You look great—you're a natural clothes hanger." Zhou Luming's eyes lit up.
Xu Yan said sullenly, "I'm not feeling well, I'll go change back." But after a while, she said from inside, "Miss Zhou, could you please come in for a moment?"
"What's wrong?" Zhou Luming went in and asked.
"The back zipper—" Xu Yan's ears turned red, and she found it difficult to speak, "is stuck."
While suppressing a laugh, Zhou Luming had Xu Yan turn around and help her zip up her pants. A faint fragrance wafted through the small changing room, but it was hard to tell whether it was Xu Yan's perfume or Zhou Luming's.
Zhou Luming stood behind Xu Yan, her slender fingers gently tracing Xu Yan's back, sliding down the zipper. "You smell so good—"
Xu Yan glanced at him slightly, "What did you and Sun Ren talk about outside?"
"He mentioned that you went to pay respects to my mother on my behalf..." She looked at the back of Xu Yan's head and slowly began, "You just said that the Zhou family wanted to harm me. What other little secrets do you have that I don't know about?"
Xu Yan could feel her fingers resting on his back. He closed his eyes briefly. "There aren't any direct clues. It's just that Old Master Zhou suspects that your parents' car accident wasn't an accident, but rather that someone tampered with it. He believes that this person is still hiding in the Zhou family, and that you are his next target. Actually, I've been waiting for this mysterious member of the Zhou family to appear. Coincidentally, Sun Ren suddenly appeared at this time..."
"You suspect Sun Ren?" Zhou Luming asked.
“Everyone should be suspicious, including you.” Xu Yan stared at her seriously, his light brown eyes reflecting Zhou Luming’s delicate face.
If Zhou Luming were an ordinary person, she might have been frightened and nervous by Xu Yan at this moment, but she wasn't.
Xu Yan couldn't detect much guilt in her eyes. He reached out and bypassed her, then opened the door to the changing room.
Sun Ren was waiting for them outside.
"Actually, that dress suited you very well; it was very beautiful and gave you a great presence." He gave a thumbs-up in praise.
"I don't like it," Xu said succinctly.
As a result, Zhou Luming returned home laden with gifts, leaving Sun Ren to carry all the bags and packages.
Xu Yan found it quite boring.
Chapter 22 - Repair
======================
The basement level of the mall was filled with small amusement facilities and stalls, which caught Zhou Luming's attention. Zhou Luming took Xu Yan to some of the stalls, picked out some hats and pendants for Xu Yan, and insisted that Xu Yan wear them. Xu Yan was like a large doll, letting Zhou Luming do whatever he wanted with her.
After putting a scarf around Xu Yan's neck, Zhou Luming whispered in her ear, "Have you noticed someone is following us? The man behind us on the left and the woman buying snacks in front of us on the right have been following us for quite a while."
Xu Yan said, "Let's go home early."
“It would be a waste to go back now. Since we’ve already left, let’s see what they’re up to.” Zhou Luming’s fingertips brushed against Xu Yan’s cheek. Xu Yan was startled and looked at Zhou Luming in surprise.
Was she flirting with someone in public?
Zhou Luming smiled sweetly, then turned and immediately headed towards a dartboard balloon stall. After haggling with the owner, Zhou Luming took ten darts, gave five to Xu Yan, and kept five for herself.
The rules of this game are: hitting 3 in a row earns a small prize, hitting 5 in a row earns a decent prize, and hitting 10 in a row earns a grand prize. It seems easy, but in reality, the distance is too far, making it a bit difficult to master.
Xu Yan didn't want to play, but Zhou Luming and Sun Ren kept urging him, so he had no choice but to aim at the balloons and throw them. The result—Xu Yan missed all five of his darts.
Xu Yan: ...
Zhou Luming smiled and handed her two more darts, "Want to try again?"
Xu Yan threw two more darts, but missed again.
Zhou Luming had only 3 darts left. This time, he wouldn't give Xu Yan a chance. He stood behind the line, aimed at the smallest and most difficult balloon, and quickly threw the dart with a flick of his wrist.
puff--
puff--
puff--
He won the top three prizes in a row.
The stall owner smiled and said, "Wow, this is a little gift." He took out a small toy, which was a pufferfish.
Zhou Luming handed it to Xu Yan, saying, "This is for you."
Xu Yan was forced to move to the next game and tried to push it back, but Zhou Luming didn't give her the chance. She continued to move on to the next game and quickly found the ring toss booth.
Xu Yan chose to stand aside and watch this time, while Zhou Luming bought five small laps and went straight for the highest difficulty. Sun Ren was also watching from the side, and leaned over to Xu Yan and said, "Cousin seems to have practiced before?"
Xu Yan nodded, "She has a lot of athletic talent."
Sun Ren smiled and said, "It seems to be more than just athletic talent. Look, she's hitting every single one of them. The stall owner's face has changed. She's not getting cheap stuff, but some high-end skincare products. For example, this lipstick is a limited edition color, and that moisturizer costs several thousand yuan for such a small amount. My cousin is going to ruin their stall."
“She knows what she’s doing,” Xu Yan said.
Sure enough, Zhou Luming quickly "failed," and the stall owner's expression improved somewhat. She breathed a sigh of relief and handed over the item that Zhou Luming had won.
"Run! If we don't leave now, I'm afraid this street will blacklist me and won't let me come here again," Zhou Luming said to Xu Yan with amusement.
As the two stepped onto the escalator to go home, it suddenly stopped. People on the escalator screamed in surprise. The person on top tumbled down, and the person below also fell to the ground.
Almost instantly, Zhou Luming pulled Xu Yan into a hug, pressing her head against his chest...
The elevator accident resulted in minor injuries to three people, including Zhou Luming—she sprained her ankle, but not from the fall. After stabilizing Xu Yan, she quickly moved to grab the people next to her and in front who were about to roll down. If they were allowed to fall, they would crush those lying on the ground, causing a stampede with unimaginable consequences.
At the critical moment, Zhou Luming made a judgment and used his best instincts to prevent such a terrible incident from happening, but he was also honorably injured.
Thanks to Zhou Luming's protection, Xu Yan only suffered a minor scratch on the back of her hand. After the wound was disinfected and treated at the hospital, Xu Yan went to see Zhou Luming, only to find him limping towards her with one hand on a cane.
The hospital corridor was filled with the faint smell of disinfectant. People came and went around her. The moment Xu Yan saw Zhou Luming, she felt as if time had stood still between them.
This fool, he can still laugh at a time like this.
Xu Yan looked at Zhou Luming, who was greeting her enthusiastically, and felt both amused and exasperated.
When the accident happened, Zhou Luming instinctively chose to prioritize protecting himself, for which Xu Yan was grateful.
Despite his injuries, Zhou Luming, disregarding his appearance, stumbled along the busy hospital corridor, heading straight to find Xu Yan.
When the two met, Zhou Luming tilted his head and smiled at Xu Yan, greeting her, "I was just about to look for you. Are you injured? Have you had a full check-up?"
Xu Yan hadn't expected that upon their first meeting, the injured Zhou Luming would only care about her. Without warning, a tiny crack appeared in a dark corner of her heart, letting in a very faint ray of light.
"I'm fine, but are you alright?" Xu Yan stepped forward to support Zhou Luming, staring at her ankle. Her trouser leg covered it, but he could see that there was a medicated plaster on it, and he guessed that the skin underneath was bruised.
Zhou Luming was taken aback. This was the first time Xu Yan had taken the initiative to approach him. "I'm fine. The doctor said I can go home."
“But your home is on the sixth floor,” Xu Yan said, “and there’s no elevator, so it’s inconvenient for you to get home now.”
Zhou Luming smiled. "You know so much about where I live. Have you been plotting against me all along?"
Xu Yan said calmly, "You'll be moving into my place soon." Her tone left no room for argument.
Zhou Luming was stunned again, and for a moment thought he had misheard. "Live...live at your house? Are you inviting me to live with you? But this is moving too fast, I'm not mentally prepared yet."
Xu Yan said righteously, "You were injured while protecting me, so I have an obligation to take care of you."
“Okay,” Zhou Luming smiled sweetly, “Take me home first, I need to get some clothes to change into.” Going to Xu Yan’s house was an unexpected bonus, which made Zhou Luming’s plan to get closer to and seduce Xu Yan even easier.
Zhou Luming put his hand around the back of Xu Yan's head and placed it on her shoulder, using Xu Yan as a crutch, and hopped slowly out of the hospital with her support.
"Oh right, where did Sun Ren go?" Zhou Luming suddenly remembered. Now that she was injured and unable to drive, Sun Ren could temporarily act as her driver.
“I told him to wait for us at the hospital entrance,” Xu Yan said, “but we had to avoid him and go through the side entrance.”
"Is he really trying to harm me?" Zhou Luming frowned. "Aren't we being too hasty and wrongly accusing him?"
“He has a strong motive because without you, he and his mother could have received a larger share of the inheritance. You are now a thorn in the side of the entire Zhou family.” Xu Yan’s voice turned cold. “He went to the cemetery specifically to wait for you this morning, which is no coincidence. And our shopping trip to the mall was your spur-of-the-moment decision, and Sun Ren happened to be with us and unfortunately got into an escalator accident… He is quite suspicious.”
Zhou Luming thought for a moment, then patted Xu Yan on the shoulder, "Don't be afraid, I'll be your bodyguard."
Xu Yan: ...
Their target is you, Miss Zhou, not me. Who wants to be whose bodyguard?
and--
Xu Yan glanced down at Zhou Luming's ankle.
Judging from their current disheveled state, it's hard to tell who's protecting whom.
After exiting through the side door and walking around to the parking lot, I saw a familiar face waiting by the car door—it was Ms. Wang Anjing, the current Chief Technology Officer of Metaverse Games. She was wearing a form-fitting cheongsam, her posture graceful and her charm undiminished. This was completely different from when I had first met her.
Xu Yan handed the car keys to Wang Anjing and told Zhou Luming to sit in the back. Just when Zhou Luming thought she would sit in the back as well, Xu Yan hesitated for a moment outside the car, told Zhou Luming to fasten his seatbelt, and then sat in the front passenger seat.
"Thank you for your help this time. Please go to this address first, then come to my house," Xu Yan said.
"Okay," Wang Anjing replied with a smile.
Seeing that the two of them didn't seem inclined to explain the current situation to him, Zhou Luming asked, "I heard that Madam Song has taken over the position of Chief Technology Officer of Yuan Universe Company. How come she has time to be our driver?"
"Although I am married, I am not anyone's appendage. You can call me by my name or I can call you President Wang." Wang Anjing always had a faint smile on her face, gentle and warm. "Because the key code left by Li Li was cracked, the game of the metaverse was successfully upgraded and improved. Now the work has come to an end, and the company's operation is also very stable. I, as the chief technology officer, can also take the opportunity to take a break and stretch my muscles."
Zhou Luming obediently said, "Sister Anjing."
“From today onwards, Sister Anjing will also be our technical consultant,” Xu Yan said. “I’ve noticed that many of our projects involve computer technology, which Li Li used to handle for me. Now… I’ll have to rely on Sister Anjing.”
Wang Anjing said, "You're welcome. What you're doing is very meaningful, and I'm happy to be able to help. This is also Li Li's wish. I will continue to help him complete what he hasn't finished, and Song Tao also supports me in doing so."
After this incident, Zhou Luming became even more convinced that Xu Yan disliked driving. Not only did he usually insist on driving himself, but even in situations like this, he would not take the initiative and would instead seek help from others.
Back downstairs in Zhou Luming's apartment building, Zhou Luming stared blankly at the six-story building for a while, struggling internally. Normally, he could climb the stairs in one go without getting out of breath or tired at all, but hopping on one foot—he was a little unsure.
Xu Yan reached out and helped her up.
Zhou Luming jumped all the way to the fourth floor, panting and sweating. After resting for a moment, when she was about to jump up again, Xu Yan squatted down beside her and said, "I'll carry you."
Zhou Luming jumped on and looked at the back of Xu Yan's head, asking, "Am I heavy?"
Surprisingly, Xu Yan looked thin and frail, but it wasn't until we got close that we realized she had pretty good arm and leg strength.
"Have you gained weight?" Xu Yan said as she slowly climbed the stairs. "You've probably gained about two pounds since I first met you."
Zhou Luming: "Don't you dare say girls are fat!"
Xu Yan smiled silently.
It has to be said that Xu Yan's stamina exceeded Zhou Luming's expectations, and was extremely disproportionate to her size. However, Xu Yan still maintained a steady pace and carried Zhou Luming to the door of their home on the 6th floor.
Zhou Luming told Xu Yan to sit on the sofa and rest. He quickly cleaned up the suspicious items, then packed his clothes and daily necessities, filling a large suitcase.
When Zhou Luming came out of the bedroom, Xu Yan was still sitting on the sofa, seemingly untouched. Zhou Luming thought to himself, "If it were me, I would definitely take the opportunity to search the surroundings. After all, this is her home, and it holds many secrets. Who knows which detail might reveal that she isn't Zhou Luming?"