Chapter 397: Chapter 397: I’m Sleeping Here Tonight
Seven o’clock in the evening.
Lake Heart Villa District.
Lan Yan stood outside the door and pressed the doorbell.
Soon, a servant came to open the door.
When the servant saw Lan Yan, they immediately asked, “Are you Miss Lan Yan?”
Lan Yan responded with a soft “Mm.”
At once, the servant opened the door enthusiastically and said, “Mr. and Mrs. Dong have been waiting for you for quite some time. Please come in.”
Lan Yan nodded. “Thank you.”
The servant led her into the living room and called out, “Mrs. Dong, Mr. Dong, Miss Lan Yan has arrived.”
Hu Yunqin heard this and quickly stood up to greet her.
“Yanyan, you’re here! Come in, come in,” Hu Yunqin beckoned warmly.
Lan Yan walked over and exchanged glances with Dong Jian, who was seated on the sofa.
The man sat upright, their eyes met, and his lips curled into a faint smile.
The feeling Dong Jian gave her was not of someone easily trifled with.
Hu Yunqin held her hand enthusiastically and introduced, “Yanyan, this is your Uncle Dong. Go ahead, greet him.”
Lan Yan followed her lead politely, though without much warmth, and said, “Uncle Dong.”
Dong Jian nodded. “Apologies for not being able to come back immediately to meet you earlier. I had some matters to attend to.”
Lan Yan responded with a soft “Mm.”
She couldn’t quite think of anything else to say.
This was when Hu Yunqin noticed Lan Yan had arrived alone.
“Yanyan, didn’t Xiao Xiao come with you?”
“Mm, he was busy and couldn’t make it.”
“Oh, I see. That’s fine—there’ll be other opportunities next time,” Hu Yunqin said.
Then she pulled her to sit down.
Hu Yunqin: “We need to wait a while longer before dinner is served. Let’s sit and chat in the meantime.”
Not long after, Dong Xiaoxiao made her appearance.
“Oh, sister, you’re here!”
Lan Yan turned toward the voice and saw Dong Xiaoxiao standing at the stairs, exuding an air of superiority.
Lan Yan flashed a faint smile in her direction.
“Xiaoxiao, come down quickly and chat with your sister,” Dong Jian said.
Dong Xiaoxiao replied, “Alright, Dad.”
She walked directly to where Lan Yan was seated. After sitting beside her, she warmly linked arms with her.
“Sister, why did you come alone?”
Lan Yan tilted her head and cast her a glance, “Who else would my dear sister like me to bring?”
Dong Xiaoxiao replied unabashedly, “Of course, brother-in-law.”
Lan Yan smiled coolly and said, “He was busy and couldn’t make it.”
“Is that so?” Dong Xiaoxiao remarked with a meaningful tone. “But I’ve invited a very important guest tonight. I’ll introduce them to you later.”
Doubt flickered in Lan Yan’s clear eyes.
Could it be that Dong Xiaoxiao invited Xiao Si?
That was her suspicion.
But then again, would those two even have a way of contacting each other?
Lan Yan didn’t really want to continue the conversation, so she responded nonchalantly before letting it drop.
However, Dong Xiaoxiao seemed intentionally full of questions.
She said, “Sister, do you and brother-in-law get along well?”
“Sister, brother-in-law is also a doctor. You both must have a lot in common, right?”
“Sister, how did you meet brother-in-law?”
“…”
Lan Yan really wanted to grab a towel and stuff it into her mouth—too annoying.
Suddenly, the villa’s doorbell rang again.
Dong Xiaoxiao quickly let go of her and said, “It must be the friend I invited. Sister, I’ll go open the door.”
Lan Yan: “…”
She’s just opening the door—why bother explaining it to her?
After a short while, Dong Xiaoxiao led someone into the room.
When Lan Yan saw the familiar face, she froze for a moment.
Although she had suspected it moments ago, seeing it happen for real still caught her slightly by surprise.
“Dad, Mom, Sister, let me introduce the important guest I invited tonight—Xiao Si.”
After her introduction, Dong Xiaoxiao blushed and glanced bashfully at Xiao Si.
Meanwhile, Hu Yunqin looked toward Lan Yan, her expression calm as ever.
Lan Yan hadn’t been informed about Dong Xiaoxiao inviting Xiao Si.
If she had known, she would’ve stopped her. After all, now was not the time to anger Lan Yan.
However, Dong Jian had never met Xiao Si. He wasn’t aware that the “brother-in-law” Dong Xiaoxiao had mentioned earlier was actually this very man.
At this moment, he instinctively assumed that Xiao Si was just a friend of Dong Xiaoxiao.
Xiao Si exuded a refined and composed demeanor, an aura that carried nobility, making it clear he wasn’t someone raised in an ordinary family.
Dong Jian was surprised by how quickly Dong Xiaoxiao, who had just arrived in Yue City, managed to acquaint herself with someone like him.
Xiao Si looked toward Dong Jian and Hu Yunqin and politely greeted them.
Dong Jian nodded in satisfaction and said, “Please, sit down, Xiao Xiao. No need to remain standing.”
“I hope you don’t mind me calling you that?” Mr. Dong asked.
Xiao Si replied, “Not at all.”
With that, he glanced at Lan Yan, who had already turned her gaze away.
Under the scrutiny of everyone’s gaze, he walked straight to her and gracefully sat in the empty space beside her.
He deliberately brushed his arm against hers, shamelessly making contact.
Lan Yan: “…”
Xiao Si tilted his head toward her, his eyes full of warmth.
He suddenly said, “When you contacted me earlier, I was indeed tied up with something, but later, Dong Xiaoxiao came to find me and said you’d be eating alone at home. Thinking you might be lonely, I decided to come keep you company.”
With these words, the atmosphere took a nosedive.
The smile lingering on Dong Jian’s lips froze instantly.
Some things suddenly became crystal clear to him.
Lan Yan turned her head to look at Xiao Si, blinking her eyes in astonishment.
Xiao Si raised his hand to rub the back of her head gently. “No need to feel touched.”
The intimate gesture left Lan Yan momentarily stunned.
Dong Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, was thoroughly infuriated the moment Xiao Si chose to sit beside Lan Yan. Jealousy burned vividly in her eyes.
Watching the two flaunt their affections right in front of her, she was so livid she nearly exploded.
Her original intention had been to humiliate Lan Yan by secretly inviting Xiao Si.
After all, she knew Lan Yan wouldn’t bring Xiao Si along voluntarily, but she’d been prepared in advance.
Yet now…