Because Xu Yanxia knew she was not ready yet.
Fortunately, right at the moment Lu Jingming was about to speak, her phone suddenly vibrated. The loud video call ringtone instantly shattered the tranquility of the terrace.
She froze for a moment, then hurriedly took out her phone, only to see that it was Lu Jingxi calling.
She answered it immediately, and Queen Xixi's dazzling face instantly appeared on the screen—
"Xiao Xia!"
On the other end, Queen Xixi seemed a bit angry. She frowned and demanded, "You actually went to eat hotpot behind my back? And you even took my brother with you? And you guys posted on WeChat Moments together??? You two are too much!!!"
"???"
Xu Yanxia was stunned. Only then did she realize that during their hotpot meal that afternoon, President Lu, who never posted about his personal life on social media, had actually posted a picture of the hotpot?
She had no choice but to quickly explain to Lu Jingxi, "Madam ordered some clothes for me today, and President Lu took me to pick them up, so we just went to have hotpot first."
"You two are definitely making me jealous on purpose!"
Lu Jingxi was still huffing on the other end, "I don't care! When you get back someday, you have to take me to eat it too!!!"
"Oh, and the teppanyaki! I had no idea your teppanyaki was so popular! From yesterday to today, who knows how many fans have come to tell me about it! They all went to check it out and even showed off their photos to me. I'm literally dying of cravings!!!"
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "What's so hard about that? When you come back on your break, I'll treat you to all of them, one by one!"
"It's a deal! Whoever breaks the promise is a puppy!"
Saying that, Lu Jingxi on the other end felt a bit curious, "Where are you? Why does it look pitch black?"
Xu Yanxia told her, "I'm at the clubhouse over by East Lake. Isn't there a family dinner on Wednesday night? I came over early to check out the kitchen."
"What?"
Lu Jingxi was taken aback again. "You're actually the one cooking for Wednesday night's family dinner? Then I definitely have to make a trip back!"
Xu Yanxia smiled. Just as she was about to say she would welcome her back, Lu Jingming suddenly leaned in close to her and said to Lu Jingxi on the video call, "You called at this time just to talk about these things?"
His tone was filled with the utter displeasure of being interrupted.
Xu Yanxia quietly paused.
On the video call, Lu Jingxi raised an eyebrow and questioned her brother, "Brother, you're actually eavesdropping on us girls chatting? That's too much!"
Lu Jingming's face darkened. "How is it eavesdropping? I've been here the whole time, okay? Do you have anything else important to say? If not, hang up."
—One must know what a rare moment it had been just now!
In such a quiet environment, his incredibly important words had been right on the tip of his tongue!!!
Who would have thought his sister would answer him with self-righteous confidence, "Of course I do!"
Saying that, she turned back to ask Xu Yanxia, "Xiao Xia, I want to ask you, can I eat Qingbuliang sweet soup? My assistants each eat three or four bowls every day, and it's making me crave it to death!"
Lu Jingming, "???"
This girl actually made a video call at such an important moment for him, just to ask if she could eat sweet soup?!!
Xu Yanxia, however, told Lu Jingxi in all seriousness, "If you can control the sugar in the coconut milk, Qingbuliang is considered a relatively healthy food. I remember that a hundred grams only has a hundred calories. You can eat it as a staple food during meals, and try to use sugar-free coconut milk. Having a small bowl to satisfy your cravings is completely fine. If it's convenient, go for a half-hour walk after eating, and you'll burn it off."
"Okay!"
The foodie Queen Xixi on the other end immediately cheered up. "Then I'll ask my assistant to get some for me later. Let's leave it at that, Xiao Xia. I won't bother you anymore."
She added, "Oh, by the way, I just promoted your video from today again. It was shot really well, keep it up!"
Xu Yanxia smiled, "I will definitely do my best."
Saying that, they both waved goodbye to the camera and hung up.
The terrace finally quieted down again.
Lu Jingming silently took a deep breath, planning to speak again.
To his surprise, Xu Yanxia said to him, "It's getting late, and you still have to work tomorrow. Let's head back."
Saying that, she stepped toward the elevator.
Lu Jingming paused and hurriedly tried to call out to her, but suddenly, there was a sharp crack, as if something had snapped.
Immediately after, he saw Xu Yanxia's body tilt, and she was about to fall.
He instinctively rushed forward and reached out to wrap his arm around her waist.
Before he could even ask if she was alright, he saw her eyebrows furrow.
"What's wrong?"
He asked immediately.
Xu Yanxia hissed in pain. "I think I sprained my ankle."
What?
Lu Jingming quickly turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it downward. Only then did he discover that, for some reason, there was a hole in the flooring of the terrace. The heel of Xu Yanxia's right shoe was stuck right inside it, creating an awkward angle between her foot and the shoe.
And she was enduring the pain, trying to pull her foot out.
"Don't move, let me."
Lu Jingming immediately crouched down, helped her untie her shoelaces, and then scooped her up into his arms, carrying her toward the elevator.
Xu Yanxia was startled. "I can walk by myself, President Lu..."
"If it's really sprained, you shouldn't put any weight on it right now."
After he said this in a deep voice, the elevator doors opened, and he carried her straight to a guest room on the fourth floor.
A staff member on night patrol saw the two of them and was wondering whether to look away, but then heard the usually calm Lu Jingming say anxiously, "Help me open the door, Miss Xu has sprained her ankle."
"Oh, right away."
The staff member snapped out of it, hurriedly opened the door to the nearest guest room for them, and turned on the lights.
Lu Jingming placed Xu Yanxia on the sofa. By the light, he quickly checked her right foot and found that the outer side had already started to swell.
"It really looks like a sprain."
He frowned. "We should just go straight to the hospital for an X-ray."
"There's no need for the hospital."
Xu Yanxia was much calmer. "I've sprained it before. At most, it will swell for a few days and have some bruising, but the bones are fine."
Saying that, she turned to ask the staff member, "Do you have ice cubes here? If so, could you please bring me some, along with a towel?"
"Certainly, please wait a moment."
The staff member hurried out to get the items.
Lu Jingming felt a bit guilty and said, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have taken you out to the terrace just now."
He looked up at her. "Does it hurt?"
"It hurts a little,"
Xu Yanxia smiled. "But it's nothing major. You don't need to blame yourself; after all, it wasn't you who made me twist my ankle. But then again, there must be something wrong with the flooring on the terrace."
"You're right."
Lu Jingming took out his phone again and called Manager Wei from earlier. "Go check the terrace. Miss Xu just sprained her ankle up there."
"Oh, understood, President Lu. I'll go up right away."
Manager Wei hurriedly apologized to him over the phone. "I am so sorry, President Lu. May I ask if Miss Xu's injury is serious? Does she need to go to the hospital?"
Lu Jingming simply said, "I will take care of her. You go inspect the terrace first."
After hanging up, the staff member from earlier returned with the ice cubes and towel.
Xu Yanxia was just reaching out to take it, but Lu Jingming beat her to it.
"Let me help you."
As he spoke, he quickly wrapped the bag of ice in a towel, preparing to apply the cold compress for her.
"There's no need, I can do it myself..."
Xu Yanxia tried to politely decline, but he had already taken hold of her calf and placed the towel over the swollen top of her foot.
The moment their skin touched, Xu Yanxia instinctively shrank back a little.
