Qingjiang Hospital, VIP ward.

“So, Hastings, we’ve solved another case, haven’t we?”

After reading the final line, Lu Huaicheng’s slender fingers, wrapped in black gloves, closed *The ABC Murders*. His deep, serene eyes then turned to the woman lying on the hospital bed.

Her eyes were closed, and she lay there peacefully, her complexion rosy, breathing slow and steady.

If not for the feeding tube inserted below her nose, which sustained her life, she would have looked no different from a regular person asleep.

Except no one knew when, or if, she would ever wake up.

But as long as a person is alive, there is hope, even though she had been in a vegetative state since the year he turned seventeen.

Now, at twenty-seven, he was still waiting for a miracle.

So, whenever he had time, he would visit the hospital every week, reading her favorite detective novels aloud, hoping that this might increase her chances of waking up.

Lu Huaicheng stared at her serene face, the overhead fluorescent light casting shadows on his lowered eyelashes, obscuring the emotions in his dark eyes.

It wasn’t until two light knocks sounded on the ward door that he finally lifted his gaze slightly. “Come in.”

“Mr. Lu, the new contract from Mr. Chen has arrived. Do you want to review it now?” Lin Shen asked as he pushed open the door, glancing at Lu Huaicheng sitting by the bedside.

“No rush. Let him wait for a few days,” Lu Huaicheng replied leisurely as he stood up. After one last look at the woman on the bed, his voice softened considerably, “Mom, I’ll see you next week.”

Then, walking toward Lin Shen, his voice returned to its usual calm tone: “Contact the driver. We’re going back to Jiangwan Villa.”

“The driver’s already waiting downstairs. I contacted him as soon as you finished the last chapter,” Lin Shen said, holding the door open.

“You’re quite sharp,” Lu Huaicheng said with a faint smile.

“Well, after working with you every day, I’ve picked up a thing or two.” Lin Shen followed closely behind.

“I’m not as good at flattery as you are,” Lu Huaicheng chuckled.

As they exited the ward, Lin Shen continued his report: “One more thing: today’s cleaning at Jiangwan Villa was done by a new part-time worker, so I’ll need your feedback once you’ve seen the results.”

“Hmm.” Lu Huaicheng nodded slightly.

Lin Shen hesitated for a few seconds before adding, “This part-time housekeeper is a graduate student from Jiangcheng University. Her family is from a rural area, and her mother is sick. She’s a hardworking girl.”

“I see,” Lu Huaicheng responded indifferently, his handsome face cool and distant.

Seeing this, Lin Shen wisely decided to drop the subject.

Having worked with Lu Huaicheng for nearly two years, Lin Shen had learned when to speak and when to stay silent.

Now, it was up to the girl’s performance.

Because in Lu Huaicheng’s world, sympathy didn’t exist.

….

At 8 o’clock, the hands of the clock pointed towards the hour, and Xia Liyang faintly heard the sound of an approaching car engine outside the villa.

She immediately stood up from the sofa, quickly smoothing out the creases she had left on the cushion, and hurried to the entrance.

After waiting for a few minutes, she heard the beeping sound of the digital lock being activated.

Each beep heightened her nerves.

Although she was the hunter lying in wait, she wasn’t entirely sure how Lu Huaicheng would react to her unexpected presence.

She could only hope her previous assumptions about his personality weren’t too far off.

Otherwise, she might not even have the chance to speak before he threw her out in disgust, forever losing her opportunity to get the job.

As the door unlocked with a soft chime, Xia Liyang took a deep breath and tried to appear calm as she watched Lu Huaicheng step inside.

He looked just as tall and elegant as she remembered, wearing a pair of sleek black leather gloves.

His tailored suit accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, while his polished leather shoes remained spotless.

The warm yellow light from the entryway illuminated his jet-black hair, highlighting his sharp, noble features, making him even more strikingly handsome.

Noticing the lights were still on, his brows furrowed slightly before his sharp gaze landed on Xia Liyang standing in the shadow of the light.

Xia Liyang’s heart tightened when she was caught by his deep, dark gaze. She quickly stepped into the light and respectfully bowed slightly, “Hello, Mr. Lu. My name is Xia Liyang. I’m here for the part-time housekeeper interview today. I apologize for not leaving on time. This job is very important to me…”

Afraid he might interrupt her, she spoke quickly, her voice trembling slightly. Her long, thick eyelashes fluttered nervously, and her clear eyes shimmered with a hint of tears, making her appear pitiful.

At first, she was worried she wouldn’t be able to act vulnerable, especially since he seemed gentle and patient when answering questions during his lectures.

But now, facing him alone as an intruder, she felt the sharpness hidden behind his gentleness and the undeniable pressure that came from his superior position.

It immediately put her in the right frame of mind for the role.

However, Lu Huaicheng only slightly relaxed his furrowed brows before coldly interrupting her, “My assistant already told me about your situation. You don’t need to repeat it.”

“…,” Xia Liyang was momentarily stunned but quickly adjusted, feigning surprise, “Was it Mr. Lin? I never mentioned my situation to him…”

In fact, she had anticipated that since Lin Shen gave her his phone number, he would likely say a word or two on her behalf to Lu Huaicheng.

And she was confident in her work abilities, not believing Lu Huaicheng could find any fault.

But what she wanted wasn’t just for him to hire her.

Since the cleaning schedule he set barely overlapped with his time at home, even if she got the job, she wouldn’t have many chances to meet him.

Without face-to-face interactions, her plan to gather material for her novel would fall apart.

So her main purpose in waiting for him tonight was to persuade him to change the scheduled cleaning time.

“Yes, he did a background check,” Lu Huaicheng said, lightly taking off his black leather gloves with his long fingers, revealing a pair of well-proportioned hands.

The cold pale skin at his knuckles was slightly reddened from the friction of the gloves.

He elegantly placed the gloves neatly on the entryway cabinet and, without looking at her again, spoke in a calm tone, “So, you can go home and wait for further notice.”

At this moment, Xia Liyang realized that although he didn’t overtly show his cold arrogance, deep down, he was still proud and aloof.

But as long as he maintained a surface level of gentlemanly politeness, she still had room to maneuver.

Since he didn’t like her playing the pity card directly, she decided to change her approach.

Xia Liyang bit her lip, thinking as she lowered her head in fake remorse and sorrow. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lu. I didn’t know about the background check, and I wasn’t planning to tell you about my family’s situation. I don’t need your sympathy or pity. I just wanted to express how much I value this job and hope to receive your feedback. Even if I don’t succeed this time, I’ll know how to improve next time.”

As expected, after she spoke, Lu Huaicheng’s movement of loosening his tie paused briefly. He lifted his eyes slightly and reassessed her.

He had assumed she was waiting here to leverage her family difficulties and beg for leniency on the hiring standards to secure the job.

But he disliked being charitable in such matters.

He could donate to schools, help hospitals raise funds, and support disaster relief, but he didn’t want to keep useless people around him.

In fact, when Lin Shen brought up her family background to help her, it left a bad impression on him.

Lin Shen knew very well that he had a strict, uncompromising standard for hiring and rarely spoke on behalf of anyone.

So, Lu Huaicheng assumed that Lin Shen must have felt sorry for her after she poured out her difficulties to him.

Especially after returning home and seeing her pure, captivating face, he became even more convinced of his assumption.

However, after hearing her words, he realized he might have misjudged her.

Sensing his gaze, Xia Liyang lifted her face again, maintaining a poised and humble expression, forcing herself to meet his eyes with an honest and sincere look.

But his eyes were too beautiful, the light reflecting in his deep, black pupils like an unfathomable pool. She found herself almost drowning in his gaze, briefly losing focus.

It wasn’t until he raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, “Did you attend one of my lectures?” that she snapped back to reality, her heart skipping a beat.