Before the May Day holiday, Xia Liyang received a call from Lin Shen, informing her that Lu Huaicheng would be out of Jiangcheng for the next five days. She only needed to clean before he returned, and her salary would be triple the usual rate, allowing her to take a nice break.

“I understand,” Xia Liyang replied, trying to make her voice sound filled with cheerful gratitude over the phone. “Thank you, Mr. Lin.”

“It’s nothing,” Lin Shen smiled reassuringly and asked her, “Aren’t you going back to your hometown for May Day?”

“…No, I have other part-time jobs to do,” Xia Liyang quickly thought of a reason.

“That’s really not easy,” Lin Shen sympathized, pausing for a moment. “Is your mother’s health okay?”

“My mom… is doing well, her condition has stabilized for now,” Xia Liyang said, feeling guilty as she bit her lip, afraid he would ask more. She quickly found an excuse to hang up the phone.

However, Lin Shen was indeed a good person, kind-hearted and empathetic.

Unlike his boss, who only had a superficially warm and friendly demeanor but was deeply filled with arrogance and indifference.

Xia Liyang put down her phone and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

It was already ten at night, and the riverside villa was still shrouded in darkness.

She wondered if Lu Huaicheng had already left Jiangcheng.

She had thought she would at least see him a couple of times during the May Day holiday, but who knew she wouldn’t see him at all and would have to go clean for a day.

Although the pay was three times the normal rate, she really didn’t need the money!

If she hadn’t worried that someone else wouldn’t do a good job and mess up her work, she would have seriously considered hiring someone else to clean for her that day.

Xia Liyang sighed lightly, staring at the dark villa for a moment before feeling dejected and pulling the curtains closed.

……

After hanging up, Lin Shen returned to the VIP lounge.

“Mr. Lu, the flight to Beicheng is about to take off.”

“Mm.” Lu Huaicheng took a last glance at the financial report data on the screen before closing his laptop and standing up. “Has the person been notified?”

“Yes, the notification has been sent.” Lin Shen nodded and added, “She seems quite happy about it.”

“Is that so?” Lu Huaicheng paused slightly, glancing at him.

“It seems so, especially with the triple pay,” Lin Shen smiled.

“Looks like money is more important to her,” Lu Huaicheng commented blandly.

“…” Lin Shen was slightly taken aback, not quite understanding what Lu Huaicheng was comparing before he saw him stride toward the boarding gate.

….

On the first day of the holiday, Song Jinhe rushed over to Xia Liyang’s house from school.

“Come on, throw me a flirtatious glance,” she said, plopping down on the sofa, smiling as she patted Xia Liyang’s shoulder, acting like a teasing elder.

“…You’re crazy.” Xia Liyang couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her.

“I’m just trying to help you find the problem! You have to show me how you flirted with Lu Huaicheng,” Song Jinhe said seriously.

“Oh.” Xia Liyang bit her lip, recalling for a moment before reluctantly blinking at her.

Not really noticing that she was trying to flirt, Song Jinhe tilted her head in confusion. “Did you just flirt?”

“I did!” Xia Liyang tried to blink exaggeratedly again.

As a result, Song Jinhe burst out laughing. “Sorry, but that flirtatious glance you threw really isn’t very good. No wonder he gave you eye drops.”

“……” Xia Liyang’s expression stiffened, slowly asking, “Is it really that exaggerated? You’re laughing so hard.”

“Anyway, it’s just weird.” Song Jinhe pressed her lips together to stifle her laughter and began to demonstrate the correct way to flirt. “You need to blink like this, and definitely control the intensity. Your gaze is also very important; it should be enchanting and alluring, not blank.”

“How can I make it alluring?” Xia Liyang furrowed her brows, feeling puzzled.

“Um…” Song Jinhe paused, not sure how to describe it. “Just practice by imitating more; you should be able to find the feeling.”

“I’ve practiced quite a bit before.” Xia Liyang smiled bleakly and asked in despair, “Isn’t there another method? I really don’t think I have the talent for this; I can’t grasp such an abstract skill.”

Song Jinhe thought for a moment, her brows knitted. “Why don’t you try doing something for him?”

“Do what?”

“Something that could win his favor. Think about what he likes, and you can cater to his interests,” Song Jinhe explained.

“Oh.” Xia Liyang paused and directly got up to fetch the notebook where she recorded various information about Lu Huaicheng, quickly flipping through it. “He likes reading, keeping turtles, and…”

“Wait, he has turtles?” Song Jinhe exclaimed in surprise.

“Yeah, a golden money turtle. He even set up a pond for it in the yard, so I think he really likes that turtle,” Xia Liyang nodded.

“I think I’ve heard of those turtles; many executives like to keep them for good fortune,” Song Jinhe recalled.

“I guess so,” Xia Liyang chuckled. “But that turtle looks quite silly and cute. I’m a bit tempted to keep one too.”

“Sure! Turtles should be easy to take care of. Let me see if there are any for sale online.” The proactive Song Jinhe immediately pulled out her phone to search for them.

After browsing through a number of stores, it seemed there were no reliable sellers available.

In the comments, words like “scammer” and “this is definitely not a money turtle” often appeared.

“Could it be some rare species…” Xia Liyang leaned closer to look at Song Jinhua’s phone screen. “Why don’t you click on the one priced over 4000?”

“Buying a turtle for over 4000 seems a bit outrageous,” Song Jinhua hesitated before clicking on it.

“It really is a bit,” Xia Liyang agreed, nodding her head. She then searched for information about money turtles on her phone and found that there were different types, with most of those sold online being the Guangdong variety, which had a golden-yellow hue.

As Xia Liyang scrolled through the pictures of different types, she finally saw the kind that Lu Huaicheng kept.

“Wow! He has a Vietnamese money turtle, which usually costs hundreds of thousands!” Xia Liyang’s eyes widened as she continued reading, “And the clearer the rice-shaped pattern on the bottom of the shell, the more expensive it is. It can even sell for over a million…”

“Ah?” Song Jinhua was also stunned.

The two exchanged glances, and Xia Liyang shook her head with a smile, “Forget it; I can’t be this silly.”

“That really is outrageous,” Song Jinhua said, her mouth twitching.

“Okay, back to the main topic.” Xia Liyang picked up her notebook again and continued, “He also likes to drink coffee but doesn’t like to add sugar…”

“How do you know he doesn’t like sugar?” Song Jinhua interrupted her again.

“Because there are no sugar packets next to his coffee machine.”

“Does he add milk?”

“Yes, I always bring him fresh milk every time I go.”

“I just thought of something you could do!” Song Jinhua’s eyes lit up suddenly as she quickly flipped through her phone and shoved a video of coffee latte art in front of Xia Liyang. “It’s this!”

“This… looks a bit difficult,” Xia Liyang frowned as she watched the perfect rose being poured in the video.

“But there are specific teaching steps; you just need to practice following them. Don’t you have a coffee machine at home?” Song Jinhua encouraged her.

“Yes, but I don’t think I can get it to look that perfect in such a short time,” Xia Liyang hesitated.

“It doesn’t need to be perfect! The important thing is the thought behind you making that rose for him! No man can resist a woman doing something romantic for him.”

“Oh.” Xia Liyang watched the video again, then bit her lip and said, “I’ll give it a try. He won’t be in Jiangcheng for the next few days, so I have time to practice.”

“Go for it! I don’t believe he can remain indifferent to such a talented and beautiful girl like you!” Song Jinhua said confidently with a smile.

….

Meanwhile, at the Beicheng No. 1 Villa.

Lu Huaicheng, standing tall by the window while on the phone, sneezed slightly.

“Huaicheng, don’t stand by the window; be careful not to catch a cold. It’s much colder in Beicheng than in Jiangcheng,” Zhou Yuling, who was arranging flowers nearby, reminded him gently.

She was over forty but well-preserved, with only faint fine lines at the corners of her eyes. Her long black hair was styled up, and she wore a simple yet elegant qipao, looking radiant.

“Thank you for the reminder, Aunt Zhou.” Lu Huaicheng smiled lightly, hung up the phone, and walked into the room.

“Just don’t think I’m nagging. I see you’re wearing such a thin shirt. You should’ve brought a jacket back to Beicheng. If you’re cold, go find a jacket in your brother’s room; you two have similar builds.” Zhou Yuling softly chattered, truly sounding like a concerned stepmother.

“How could I think you’re nagging?” Lu Huaicheng’s lips curved slightly. “It’s nice to have someone worrying about me.”

“Then you should come home more often and not be so absorbed in your work in Jiangcheng.” Zhou Yuling said with a smile.

“Mm, I’ll try,” Lu Huaicheng responded in a clear voice, “but I just got invited to a social event, so I won’t be back for dinner tonight.”

“Hey, you don’t even rest when you come home.” Zhou Yuling sighed helplessly. “I said your dad shouldn’t have arranged so much work for you right after you took over the company.”

Lu Huaicheng chuckled noncommittally.

As soon as he stepped out of the house, the smile faded from his lips.

The gentle, handsome features of his face gained a hint of coldness.

The dimming sky enveloped his tall figure, giving him an air of indescribable calmness and detachment.

Come home more?

This was hardly his home.

His home had shattered the moment his mother entered the hospital.

…..

In order to practice latte art and not waste the coffee, Xia Liyang drank as much coffee in this week as she had in the previous month.

Lying in bed at midnight, she felt her heart racing with excitement.

She could practically get up and run eight hundred meters.

Fortunately, after the holiday ended, she finally managed to pour a somewhat decent rose.

To be safe, she took a photo and sent it to Song Jinhua: “Is this level okay?”

Soon, Song Jinhua replied: “I think it’s good!”

Xia Liyang breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s great. I really don’t want to drink coffee again in the short term; I’m about to throw up.”

Song Jinhua: “Hahahahaha, this love story you’re writing is way too difficult.”

Xia Liyang: “I wonder whose idea it was in the first place.”

Song Jinhua: “Just say whether it’s useful or not!”

Xia Liyang: “I haven’t felt anything yet.”

Song Jinhua: “…Once he bites, you’ll be able to feel it.”

Although Xia Liyang was still somewhat skeptical about this, she couldn’t think of any other way to gain inspiration.

She could only continue with her plan to flirt with Lu Huaicheng.

But she wasn’t sure if Lu Huaicheng had encountered some troubling matters during his time away from Jiangcheng, or if she hadn’t cleaned well enough last time. When Xia Liyang saw him again, she felt that his overall aura was even colder and more distant than before.

Although he hadn’t been particularly warm toward her before, at least when she spoke to him asking for help, he would usually respond with a gentle smile and give her some acknowledgment.

Now, however, as soon as Xia Liyang attempted to chat with him for a few sentences, he subtly interrupted her.

Seeing this, she didn’t say anything more.

Until she caught a glimpse of Lu Huaicheng slowly getting up and walking toward the island counter where the coffee machine was located.

He had his back to her, his broad shoulders and narrow waist framed in the orange-yellow light, which made his demeanor seem a little warmer.

Xia Liyang pressed her lips together, hesitating for a moment, and then mustered the courage to speak again: “Mr. Lu, would you like some coffee?”

Lu Huaicheng paused for a moment, turned his head to glance at her, and spoke in a tone as light as a cloud: “Mm.”

“Then let me make you some coffee!” Xia Liyang fluttered her long eyelashes, her voice trembling slightly.

“You can make coffee?” Lu Huaicheng raised an eyebrow.

“I used to work in a café,” Xia Liyang replied with a nervous smile.

“Oh.”

Lu Huaicheng narrowed his long, slanted eyes slightly and said in a low voice, “Then why did you only think of making me coffee tonight?”