Chapter 203: Dependence
Lu Huaiyu saw that when Ning Li looked at the Ye family home’s main door, she felt repulsed.
Ning Li tilted her face slightly and looked at him with a deep uneasiness under her eyes as if she was afraid that he would leave her behind.
Lu Huaiyu could even feel her trembling hands as she gripped onto his shirt.
He held her tighter. “Okay, I’ll take you home.”
After he said that, he looked at Cheng Xiyue.
“Let’s go back to Yunding Fenghua.”
Cheng Xiyue was a little dumbfounded. When he heard that, he was in a dilemma.
“Second Master Lu, is this…appropriate? Little Ning Li’s drunk, so she’s not thinking straight. You can’t just follow along, right?”
Ning Li was now living with the Ye family. The last time she had secretly left home was late at night in the heavy rain. She had not wanted to go home, so she had stayed at Lu Huaiyu’s house then.
Now that she was drunk, it would be better if they sent her back to the Ye house. It would be awkward if she went home with Lu Huaiyu.
Besides, they were now at the Ye family’s doorstep!
“Why don’t we ask someone inside to come out and pick her up?”
Ning Li was leaning into Lu Huaiyu’s arms and seemed to have heard Cheng Xiyue’s words.
She lowered her head slightly and did not say a word. Her fingers merely tightened as she clutched Lu Huaiyu’s shirt.
Lu Huaiyu’s voice grew colder. “Let’s go back.”
This tone of his was stern and irrefutable.
Cheng Xiyue knew that Lu Huaiyu was stubborn once he made up his mind, so he had no choice but to agree.
“Okay, I’ll give them a call later then,” Cheng Xiyue said as he glanced at the rearview mirror.
He also felt that Ning Li’s current state seemed off.
What had the Ye family done to her that made her so persistent in following Lu Huaiyu home?
Lu Huaiyu gently stroked her face with the palm of his hand and coaxed her in an extremely soft voice, “Don’t worry, just go to sleep.”
Ning Li nodded gently and finally closed her eyes again.
…
Ye Ci watched from the window, but even after some time, she did not see Ning Li get down from that car.
She could not help but frown.
The car was already parked in front of the gate, so why the delay?
‘Could it be that Lu Huaiyu was also in the car?’
That would make sense since he had even held a celebration banquet for Ning Li this evening, so it would be normal to send her home.
At the thought of this, Ye Ci felt a surge of anger.
Ning Li and Lu Huaiyu had no real relationship with each other. That celebration banquet had been so unexpected.
However, the person who had done it was Lu Huaiyu, someone who did not need to care about the opinion of others.
That was also clear after seeing the attitudes of the Ji and the Cheng families.
After today, Ye Ci would become the laughing stock of the city, once news of this spread.
Ye Ci was so annoyed that she swept all the dolls by the bay window to the ground and looked at the car again.
Even if they were saying goodbye, why was it taking so long?
Just as she was debating whether to go down, she saw the car driving away.
Ye Ci was stunned and observed carefully for a while, but found that no one was in front of the gate.
Ning Li had not come out at all!
She had left, just like that!
Ye Ci could not believe what she had just seen. When she came to her senses, she turned around and hurriedly went downstairs.
When Aunt Zhao saw her in such a hurry, she hurriedly asked, “Second Miss, what’s going on?”
Ye Ci frowned and walked outside as she asked, “Did Sister Ning Li come back?”
Aunt Zhao looked around. “No.”
Ye Ci’s heart sank. She stopped in her tracks.
‘The car had already parked outside the gate, but Ning Li hadn’t emerged. Where was she going?’
There was no point in going after her at this time.
When Aunt Zhao saw her like this, she said, “Second Miss, don’t worry. It’s not the first time she’s been late.”
Ye Ci walked to the side, hesitated for a while, and called Ning Li.
…
Buzz…
Ning Li’s phone that had been placed in the suit jacket vibrated.
Lu Huaiyu looked at it and narrowed his eyes slightly before answering the call.
“Hello.” The man’s cool, low voice came through.
Ye Ci was stunned, then quickly figured out that it was Lu Huaiyu’s voice.
‘Why was he answering Ning Li’s phone?’
Ye Ci’s throat tightened. She cautiously said, “Second Master Lu? Is Sister Ning Li next to you? It’s very late and she’s not home yet, so I’m a little worried…”
“She’s with me.” Lu Huaiyu interrupted her and spoke frankly, “She’ll be staying at my place tonight and won’t be going back to your house.”
Ye Ci’s eyes widened slightly.
‘Ning Li was going home with Lu Huaiyu? But…’
“Second Master Lu, that will be too much trouble. We’re all waiting for Sister Ning Li to come home. Why don’t you ask Sister Ning Li to answer the phone…”
“She’s asleep and can’t talk now.”
The car passed over a speed bump.
Lu Huaiyu tightened his arms and pressed Ning Li’s head onto his chest.
Ye Ci could hardly believe her ears.
Ning Li was actually sleeping in the car right next to Lu Huaiyu!
“You guys don’t have to wait up.”
Ye Ci’s mind was in chaos.
‘If Ning Li had not intended on coming back in the first place, then what was the deal with the car just now? Besides, what did she have in mind when she didn’t come home and went to Lu Huaiyu’s house instead?’
“Umm…”
Before she could say anything else, Lu Huaiyu hung up the call.
He had already said what he wanted to say, so he was not bothered with continuing the conversation with Ye Ci.
Thinking of Ning Li’s expression when she had looked at the Ye family’s door earlier, Lu Huaiyu’s eyes seemed to have turned to frost.
Cheng Xiyue had noticed it as well. He moved his lips, but in the end, he did not speak.
Experience told him that when Lu Huaiyu looked like that, it was best not to provoke him.
In consideration of Ning Li, Cheng Xiyue did not drive fast and arrived at Yunding Fenghua half an hour later.
Ning Li had not woken up yet.
Lu Huaiyu got out of the car carrying her in his arms.
Cheng Xiyue poked his head out of the car window.
“Hey, is Little Ning Li going to be okay? Take care of her!”
Lu Huaiyu used his jacket to wrap Ning Li tighter.
Cheng Xiyue then felt that he was worrying for nothing.
Lu Huaiyu treated her like a precious treasure, so there was no use in saying all these.
“You’ve been running around all day, so rest early!”
Cheng Xiyue then drove away.
…
Lu Huaiyu carried Ning Li back to the villa and came to the guest bedroom on the first floor.
It was the same one that Ning Li had slept in previously.
He opened the door, went to the bed, and put Ning Li down.
The moment her body fell onto the soft mattress, the jacket slipped off and the warm bedside light fell on her smooth and fair shoulders.
Her soft and lustrous hair spread out messily on the pillow.
Lu Huaiyu only took a glimpse before looking away. He then pulled the quilt up to cover her tightly so that only her small face could be seen.
Ning Li’s eyelashes twitched as she opened her eyes in a blur.
“W-water…”
Lu Huaiyu went to the kitchen to get some warm water. He had just returned with the mug when he saw that Ning Li had already kicked off her shoes and walked out the door with bare feet.
He frowned slightly.
The villa’s floor heating had not been turned on yet, so the wooden floor was very cold, yet she had still walked out without a care.
He walked over to her and asked, “Aren’t your feet cold?”
When Ning Li saw him, the corners of her lips curled up into a small arc as if she was relieved to see him.
She walked over and took his hand. Shaking her head, she muttered, “It’s not cold.”