Quite the charmer

Lu Heng's expression remained cold. Xia Zhi couldn't see his face in the darkness, but she could still feel the icy air he gave off, keeping everyone at a distance.

[Host No. 438, receive your punishment. Host No. 438, receive your punishment!]

Xia Zhi: "..."

That damned bitch again...

She had no energy to complain.

Xia Zhi soon discovered she couldn't move. Apart from her mouth and eyes, the rest of her body was no longer under her control.

Could this punishment be...

Little Sponge said, [Host, your punishment this time is the Immobility Spell. It still lasts an hour.]

Xia Zhi secretly sighed in relief. Thankfully, she just couldn't move. Unlike last time, she wasn't itching so badly she wanted to peel off a layer of skin. Thank you for showing mercy, you lousy system. Thank you.

Little Sponge reminded her, [Host, don't celebrate too soon. What if you still haven't recovered by the time you get home and can't get out of the car yourself? Lu Heng will definitely get suspicious. How will you explain it?]

Oh, right.

That is a bit of a problem.

The villain is so shrewd. He'll definitely suspect me. What if he guesses something and has people drag me off to a laboratory to dissect me like a monster?

Seriously, that sick bastard is capable of anything.

Lu Heng sneered. She was calling him a sick bastard again. Then he kicked the seat in front of him hard.

"Jiang Cheng, are you a snail? Why are you driving so slowly?"

Jiang Cheng jolted in fright. "Yes, President Lu."

There were hardly any cars on the road, and Jiang Cheng was already driving very fast. Afraid that he would drive too fast and expose her, Xia Zhi hurriedly said,

"There's no rush, no rush. Safety first."

She prayed silently, Slow down, slow down. It would be best if a tire blew out or something broke down.

"Aheng, if you're sleepy, take a nap in the car."

Lu Heng shot Xia Zhi a cold glance in the darkness, a mocking curve on his lips. "What? Didn't you call me 'honey' so affectionately over the phone? Can't bring yourself to say it in person?"

Xia Zhi gave a dry laugh. "I'm a little embarrassed."

Mostly, his expression was so sour that she didn't dare joke around.

Lu Heng sneered. "You can actually feel embarrassed?"

He had never seen such a thick-skinned woman.

Just then, Xia Zhi's phone rang.

Uh.

Oh, crap.

I can't move.

What do I do?

Forget it. I won't answer. I'll check who it was later and call back.

So Xia Zhi silently waited for the caller to hang up.

The loud ringtone echoed through the car over and over, every ring tormenting Xia Zhi.

Lu Heng asked coolly, "Why aren't you answering? Afraid to pick up? Is it your lover?"

Xia Zhi laughed twice. "Of course not. Aheng, you're so funny."

Lu Heng thought of the set of photos Zhou Chijun had sent him. The sight of Xia Zhi entangled with Fu Ting'an stung his eyes.

"Really?"

"You know better than anyone whether you have one."

This fickle woman.

He had thought she was different from the original Xia Zhi. Now it seemed there was no difference.

After ringing for a while, the phone finally stopped, and the world became so quiet.

Xia Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could enjoy it for long, her phone rang again.

Xia Zhi: "..."

Damn it.

Who's being so annoying?

"Xia Zhi, are you sure you don't want to answer?"

It wasn't that Xia Zhi didn't want to answer. She couldn't. "Aheng, my arm's gone a little numb. Could you get my phone for me?"

She had thought the villain would ignore her, but to her surprise, he asked, "Where is it?"

Xia Zhi said, "In my bag."

Xia Zhi was sitting on Lu Heng's right, and her bag was on her right, so he had to reach across her to get it.

Lu Heng leaned over, his tall figure completely enveloping Xia Zhi. As he drew closer, she seemed to catch the faint scent of aftershave on his face, clean and masculine.

Although Lu Heng leaned close to Xia Zhi, his body didn't touch her at all.

Once he had the bag, he quickly returned to his seat, as though Xia Zhi were something filthy that mustn't be touched.

He fished the phone out of the bag. Seeing the caller ID, his stern face remained expressionless. He switched on the speakerphone but said nothing.

Lu Kuo's hurried voice came from the other end. "Xia, I heard Aheng was on a night flight. Have you picked him up?"

Xia Zhi quickly said, "Yes, I have. Aheng, he..."

Before she could finish, Lu Kuo interrupted her. "I've been busy all day and almost forgot something important."

"Those photos of you and Fu Ting'an have spread through the whole circle. Aheng may well know about them, too. You'd better figure out how you're going to explain them to him."

Lu Heng sneered inwardly.

So this is my wonderful older brother, even tipping her off.

Xia Zhi was puzzled. "What photos?"

Lu Kuo paused. "Let's just say they're not very decent, and they're very clear. There's no doubt it's you and Fu Ting'an. Whatever anyone else says, I'm willing to trust you one more time."

Indecent photos?

Xia Zhi was secretly alarmed and instinctively glanced at the man beside her, but the light was too poor for her to make out his expression.

"Lu Kuo, there's nothing between Fu Ting'an and me."

Lu Kuo said, "Then explain the photos properly to Aheng."

Xia Zhi nodded. "I will."

Lu Kuo's voice grew a little graver. "Xia Zhi, I hope this is just a misunderstanding. If it isn't, cut things off completely with Fu Ting'an as soon as possible. I don't want Aheng to get hurt."

Xia Zhi promised, "I swear, whatever you saw, there's absolutely nothing between Fu Ting'an and me."

Lu Kuo said, "Good."

"I have to go. I have another operation in ten minutes."

After he hung up, the car fell deathly silent.

Xia Zhi's mind was in turmoil. What photos of her and Fu Ting'an could have made Lu Kuo react so strongly?

Could they be from Tang Fangjing's birthday party that night?

I only had a brief tussle with Fu Ting'an then. Someone with ulterior motives actually took photos in secret and spread them everywhere?

Tang Fangjing's face was the first to spring into Xia Zhi's mind.

It must have been that damned two-faced bitch.

Could the villain be angry about the photos, rather than me using the male lead's car?

That makes sense. No matter how twisted someone is, he wouldn't turn evil just because I used his older brother's car. It must be because of Fu Ting'an.

Hearing her thoughts, Lu Heng was so angry he laughed. "Xia Zhi, you're quite something. You've only had a few days, and you're already getting along so well with my brother. Quite the charmer, aren't you?"

"But get this straight. My brother is my brother. He's not related to you by blood at all."

Xia Zhi couldn't help arguing, "Tang Fangjing isn't related to you by blood either, and you're much closer to her than I am to your brother."

Lu Heng said, "She and I grew up together. Is that the same as your situation?"

Xia Zhi muttered, "Then you're even closer. Childhood sweethearts, no less."

For some reason, anger blazed in Lu Heng's chest. He leaned closer, suddenly seized Xia Zhi's chin, and turned her face toward him.

"Xia Zhi, do you understand boundaries?"