Feeling the warmth of the man’s hand, Xia Liyang froze for a moment, then suddenly lifted her eyes to meet his deep black gaze.

Her heart skipped a beat, and an electric sensation spread through her entire body like a tingling warmth.

Is this what they call a “head pat” in romance novels?

It felt like there was an inexplicable tension in the air.

While she was lost in thought, Lu Huaicheng had already withdrawn his elegantly shaped hand and casually placed it back into his pocket.

Then he turned away, striding into the study.

Xia Liyang glanced at his tall and upright figure, her mind still savoring the subtle feeling she experienced when he touched her hair.

Fleeting ideas began to emerge in her mind, like strands floating in the ocean, easily disappearing if not captured in time.

No, she needed to record this feeling quickly!

Xia Liyang thought to herself, and as Lu Huaicheng returned, she quickly grabbed the phone from his hand, feigning a pained expression, and awkwardly said, “Sorry, Mr. Lu, I suddenly have a bit of a stomachache. Can I use your bathroom?”

“…” Lu Huaicheng paused for a moment, his eyes reflecting a complex expression as he looked at her for a few seconds before saying lightly, “You can use the bathroom in the guest room upstairs.”

“Thank you!” Xia Liyang theatrically pressed her hand against her stomach, bending slightly as she hurriedly ran upstairs in her slippers.

As soon as she entered the guest bathroom, she quickly locked the door and opened the notes app on the phone to jot down the ideas that had just flashed through her mind.

Almost half an hour passed without her realizing it.

Completely unaware of the passage of time, Xia Liyang remained focused, her fingers tapping away on the phone screen while sitting on the toilet.

It wasn’t until someone gently knocked on the bathroom door that she snapped back to reality, nervously lifting her head.

“Are you okay?” Lu Huaicheng’s slightly concerned deep voice came from outside.

“I’m fine, Mr. Lu,” she hurriedly replied, feeling a bit flustered as she added, “I’ll be out soon.”

“Is your stomach still hurting?” he asked.

“It’s much better…” She looked at the blurry silhouette behind the frosted glass, feeling a bit embarrassed as she bit her lip.

“That’s good.” The silhouette outside shifted slightly and then disappeared.

Xia Liyang let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, glancing at the time on her phone.

Wow, it had been so long; no wonder he came to check on her.

Not daring to delay any longer, she quickly finished jotting down her last idea and hurriedly opened the bathroom door, jogging downstairs.

Downstairs, Lu Huaicheng was leaning casually against the kitchen island, his features deep and handsome, quietly waiting for the coffee machine beside him to finish.

Hearing her footsteps, he lazily raised his eyelids, glancing at her with a half-smile as he teased, “I almost thought you’d fainted in my bathroom and I’d have to call an ambulance.”

Xia Liyang’s clear face turned slightly red, feeling a bit embarrassed as she said, “Sorry, Mr. Lu, for making you worry.”

Lu Huaicheng chuckled, picking up the white porcelain cup that had just been filled with coffee with his elegant fingers.

“By the way, I rushed in there so fast earlier that I didn’t get a chance to thank you for the phone you gave me,” Xia Liyang said, fluttering her long lashes as she sincerely bowed deeply to him. “I really appreciate your help!”

Her gratitude was genuine, with no pretense involved.

After all, thanks to him, she had written over 800 words of interactive content.

He was her inspiration muse!!!

Lu Huaicheng leisurely took a sip of his coffee and chuckled, saying, “You’re welcome.”

He merely gave her a phone; was it really necessary to be this grateful?

She was truly just a girl who hadn’t seen much of the world.

Xia Liyang straightened her back and stole a glance at Lu Huaicheng, who was casually sipping his coffee.

Seeing him relaxed, his handsome face lit up with pleasure, he seemed to be in a good mood.

Seizing the opportunity, she remembered a method she had learned from a video and reached out her delicate hand to gently tug at the hem of his shirt.

“Mr. Lu, can I add you on WeChat?” Her eyes sparkled as she blinked innocently, her tone sweet and flattering.

Lu Huaicheng paused slightly, slowly lowering his gaze, his dark eyes scanning her with a depth that was hard to read.

Xia Liyang’s breath hitched, and her hand, gripping his shirt, trembled slightly before she quickly pulled it back behind her as if she were a startled little turtle.

Lu Huaicheng couldn’t help but curve the corners of his lips, asking her with a teasing tone, “Why do you suddenly want to add me on WeChat?”

“Because…” Xia Liyang bit her lip, quickly brainstorming as she explained hesitantly, “My mother’s condition has been unstable recently. The hospital back home said they might call me back at any time, so if I add you on WeChat, I can notify you in case I can’t come to clean on time.”

“For matters like this, contacting my assistant is enough. Why do you need my WeChat?” he replied, narrowing his slanted eyes slightly and speaking in a low tone.

“…” Xia Liyang opened her mouth but couldn’t come up with any suitable excuse after a long pause. She finally mustered her courage and spoke straightforwardly, “Because I want to chat with you more.”

Her clear and elegant eyes fixed on him, their brightness reflecting the bright light overhead, as if they were gently shimmering with water.

Lu Huaicheng met her gaze without flinching for a few seconds, a playful smile rising at the corners of his lips: “What do you want to chat about?”

Xia Liyang hadn’t thought about this topic and momentarily froze, her brain short-circuiting under the depth of his unwavering gaze.

All she could manage was to draw out her words, saying, “About… life… and ideals…”

At this, Lu Huaicheng paused in surprise.

Then, he lowered his deep-set brows and chuckled softly.

“Life and ideals.” He repeated her answer, the coffee cup in his hand trembling slightly with his laughter.

“…”

Xia Liyang bit her lip in embarrassment, thinking about how she had chosen such a poor topic—why did she have to mention life ideals!!!

Was she out of her mind?!

Noticing her earlobes turning red, Lu Huaicheng stifled his laughter, placed the coffee cup down, and took out his phone from his suit pocket. He opened the WeChat QR code and slowly held it out in front of her.

“I look forward to you chatting with me about life and ideals.”

His voice was warm and elegant.

But it also carried a hint of teasing.

“…”

Xia Liyang felt even more embarrassed and lowered her head, wanting to dig a hole and hide.

She quickly took out her phone to scan his WeChat QR code, her tone awkward as she said, “Alright, could you please accept it?”

“Hmm.” Lu Huaicheng’s eyes curved slightly as his long fingers tapped, quite readily accepting her friend request.

Seeing his gray-and-white landscape avatar pop up on the WeChat interface, Xia Liyang felt a little relieved.

Just as she was preparing to regroup and try another way to flirt with him, she saw Lu Huaicheng glance at the silver watch on his wrist and pick up the coffee cup that had been sitting on the island counter. “I have a video conference. You can leave after you finish scanning.”

Ah, that meant she couldn’t continue with her plans tonight.

Xia Liyang was momentarily stunned.

But then she thought about it—she had already gained new inspiration tonight and had added him on WeChat.

That was actually enough!

Thinking this, she happily nodded, her eyes narrowing in a smile as she said, “I understand.”

Lu Huaicheng glanced at her cheerful expression, which seemed to reveal that she was straightforwardly admitting she was interested in him for his money. Did she even bother to pretend she was reluctant to leave him?

He couldn’t help but let out a soft scoff through his nose, slightly displeased, before walking to the study and shutting the door.

Without Lu Huaicheng around, Xia Liyang finished her work several times faster than usual, humming a cheerful tune as she returned home.

Once at home, she organized her notes on her phone and took a shower.

After changing into a camisole nightgown, she relaxed on the bed and pondered how to send a message to Lu Huaicheng on WeChat.

She first opened his Moments to take a look but found there was nothing there.

Initially, she thought he had blocked her, but upon closer inspection, she realized he had set his visibility to only half a year.

This meant he hadn’t posted anything in the past six months.

She had planned to look for potential topics to chat about, but it seemed that wouldn’t work.

Xia Liyang pouted and flipped over.

She had never casually chatted with boys on WeChat before.

It had always been about business when necessary and silent otherwise.

So now that she needed to take the initiative to message him, she was feeling a bit lost.

After thinking for a long time, she reluctantly sent a help message to Song Jinhe.

Soon, Song Jinhe replied: “It’s simple! Start by letting him know you’re home and then wish him goodnight. Don’t forget to add some cute emojis.”

Xia Liyang thought for a moment and glanced at the clock on her bedside table.

If she were returning to the dorm, she would have just arrived at this hour.

So she opened the blank chat with Lu Huaicheng and typed: “I’m back in my dorm.”

Then she added a cute puppy emoji.

However, Lu Huaicheng didn’t respond for a long time, possibly still in his meeting.

Feeling sleepy, Xia Liyang didn’t want to wait any longer and sent two more messages: “I’m getting ready to sleep. Goodnight, Mr. Lu.”

“Sleepy puppy.jpg”

She turned off her phone and got up to turn off the lamp beside her bed.

Just as her head hit the pillow, her phone, which she had tossed aside, vibrated, illuminating her bedside.

Xia Liyang lazily stretched out her arm to grab her phone, squinting to check the message alert.

It was Lu Huaicheng.

She couldn’t help but perk up, sitting up in bed to swipe her phone and read his message.

Lu: “Aren’t you supposed to chat with me about life and ideals?”

…

Was she really unable to get past this hurdle!!!

Xia Liyang’s mouth twitched as she considered her reply: “It’s too late to discuss such profound topics…”

Worried that he might tease her again, she quickly followed up with a question: “Have you finished your meeting?”

Lu: “Hmm.”

Xia Liyang: “Then you should rest early too. Goodnight!”

But this time, she waited a long time without receiving a single word in reply.

She couldn’t tell if he was busy again or if he was even too stingy to say goodnight.

Xia Liyang couldn’t help but feel confused about his attitude toward her.

If he had no affection for her, why would he ruffle her hair, give her his phone, and add her on WeChat?

But if he was interested in her, then why didn’t he want her to wash his clothes, didn’t give her any extra glances, and didn’t reply to her messages?

He was always hot and cold with her, giving mixed signals.

Although she was usually good at reasoning and analyzing, at that moment, her rational mind couldn’t come up with a clear answer.

Was this what they often referred to as ambiguous tension in romance novels?

If so, she didn’t particularly like this feeling.

It was as if her heart was being squeezed by someone.

Its rhythm no longer felt free.