Xia Wan Tang's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she immediately grabbed her phone to send a message to Wen Xuan Xuan.
She asked her to have dinner together that evening with Ling Yu Chen and his best friend.
Wen Xuan Xuan immediately agreed and wanted to come find her right away.
Seeing that it was almost five o'clock, Xia Wan Tang sent her the location.
For over a week, she had been with Ling Yu Chen every day, either at the company or at Ling Lu Mountain.
Although it was sweet and happy, a boyfriend was a boyfriend, and a best friend was a best friend.
There were many things she could only talk to Wen Xuan Xuan about, and she felt more casual and free with Wen Xuan Xuan.
When Ling Yu Chen came downstairs, he saw Xia Wan Tang smiling brightly while holding her phone.
She didn't know who she was chatting with, and didn't notice him until he got close.
"Then come quickly, I miss you."
As soon as the voice message was sent, Xia Wan Tang turned off her phone. Just as she was about to put it down, the screen illuminated with Ling Yu Chen's face.
She shivered in fright and immediately turned around.
She saw Ling Yu Chen staring at her, his eyes cold and his expression calm.
"You, when did you get here? You scared me to death."
Xia Wan Tang complained and patted her chest to calm her racing heart.
Ling Yu Chen's deep eyes stared at her and he asked, "Who do you miss? Hmm?"
"Xuan Xuan, I asked her to dinner tonight," Xia Wan Tang shifted her gaze away, unconcerned. "Didn't you agree just now?"
Ling Yu Chen pursed his thin lips, wondering if he had agreed too quickly.
"Oh right, I just sent Xuan Xuan the location here, and she said she's coming over."
As Xia Wan Tang spoke, she looked back again. Ling Yu Chen had already walked around the sofa and to her side.
"The security will definitely stop her later, can you tell them first?"
Ling Yu Chen sat down directly beside her, his clothes brushing against her arm and finally settling on her skirt.
He opened his thin lips and said coldly, "There's an intercom at the entrance. You can tell them yourself."
"Okay, I'll go then."
Xia Wan Tang was in a happy mood and didn't notice Ling Yu Chen's emotions at all.
Staring at her cheerful retreating back, Ling Yu Chen's eyes were full of resentment.
After contacting the security room, Xia Wan Tang returned to the living room.
Ling Yu Chen was no longer on the sofa. She looked around the room and found him by the window.
He was facing the window, leaning forward slightly, his elbows resting on the windowsill, and the window was slightly open.
A lit cigarette was held between his long, slender fingers.
Hearing movement, Ling Yu Chen turned his head, his dark eyes locking directly onto Xia Wan Tang.
Xia Wan Tang's heart inexplicably raced, and she quickly averted her gaze, walking towards the sofa.
Ling Yu Chen extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray, stared at Xia Wan Tang, and walked towards her.
He stopped in front of her, looked down at her, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "You're that happy just for dinner?"
The question was sour, as if his heart had drunk vinegar.
She hadn't smiled so brightly in all the days they had been together.
And she had never said she missed him.
Unfortunately, Xia Wan Tang was slow-witted and didn't understand at all.
She said, "Of course I'm happy, she's my only best friend."
Ling Yu Chen chuckled and sat down beside her, unhurriedly rolling up his sleeves with elegant movements.
Thinking that Wen Xuan Xuan had indeed treated her well, he didn't dwell on it further.
He then picked up the laptop on the table and started working again.
Xia Wan Tang, bored, idly scrolled through videos or social media on her phone.
She and Ling Yu Chen were still trending.
However, the comments were no longer so chaotic. There were almost no malicious words, but quite a few sour remarks.
After reading a few comments, she found them uninteresting and exited directly.
She thought that it wouldn't matter much once the hype died down in a few days.
Just as she was about to find a TV show to watch, her phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, her heart leaped, and her blood turned ice cold.
She didn't answer, but stared with cold eyes.
Ling Yu Chen heard the phone ring a few times without an answer, so he turned his head to look.
Upon seeing her unusual expression, his heart sank, and his gaze deepened. "What's wrong?"
Xia Wan Tang looked up at him, her eyes immediately reddened, and she felt inexplicably wronged.
The wronged look made Ling Yu Chen's breath hitch, and his sharp eyebrows softened immensely.
"I'm here for you, don't be afraid."
With that, he directly took her phone.
The caller ID was Grandma. Ling Yu Chen looked at it with dark eyes, a layer of cold frost quickly forming in his cold gaze.
He didn't need to think to know that it was someone from the Xia family who could make Xia Wan Tang so flustered.
He pressed the answer button, and a torrent of abuse immediately came from the other end.
"You little slut, your father raised you for over twenty years for nothing, you ungrateful wretch with a rotten heart.
You got your parents sent to prison, are you happy now? Aren't you afraid of retribution, of being struck by lightning..."
Tears welled up in Xia Wan Tang's eyes, accumulating and threatening to fall.
The scolding made her face contort, and she clenched the hem of her skirt tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"Shut up?"
Ling Yu Chen's voice was chilling, so cold it felt like falling into an ice cellar. This was the first person who made him want to curse.
The other end of the line fell silent, perhaps not expecting a man to answer.
Before the other party could speak, Ling Yu Chen said coldly, "I will record all subsequent conversations. If you don't want your entire family to go to jail, you'd better behave yourselves, while I still don't want to make trouble."
"Hey, you..."
"Grandma, quickly shut up..."
Yuan Jin Gui, the mother of Xia Lin Feng, clearly wanted to say more, but was stopped by Xia Yi Chen.
The call was hung up before she could finish speaking.
Although he was incompetent, he knew Ling Yu Chen's power.
He let out a sigh and casually tossed the phone aside.
When he looked at Xia Wan Tang, his expression had softened. He gently comforted her, "It's okay now. You don't need to answer such calls in the future. If anyone from the Xia family dares to show up, I'll be here!"
"Mhm."
Xia Wan Tang's voice was muffled; her good mood was completely ruined.
Actually, she wasn't this fragile before.
She didn't know why, but just one phone call had made her like this.
Ling Yu Chen also lost the mood to work. He closed the laptop and put it aside, reaching out to Xia Wan Tang and saying, "Let's go, I'll take you out to play."
"Where to?"
Although Xia Wan Tang was confused, she still placed her hand in his palm.
Their movements were natural, indicating they were both accustomed to each other's presence.
Ling Yu Chen didn't say anything, but led her outside.
Seeing this, Xia Wan Tang didn't ask further and just followed him.
The Ling family's backyard had many entertainment facilities. Just visiting one of them could help clear her mind.
Ling Yu Chen took her to a greenhouse where flowers were cultivated. There were many flowers here, which he assumed women would like.