The red light ahead turned on, and the Rolls-Royce smoothly stopped at the white line at the intersection.

Once the engine’s roar faded, the only sound left in the car was the cold air from the air conditioning.

It filled Xia Liyang’s ears, which were beginning to feel warm.

Her delicate fingers stiffened slightly, curling up in his cool palm.

With her long, thick eyelashes fluttering, she responded with a slightly awkward tone, “Okay.”

Lu Huaicheng glanced at the girl beside him, noticing her slightly flushed ears. The corners of his lips curled up ever so slightly as he lowered his gaze to look out the window.

The lights of the custom starry sky ceiling in the Rolls-Royce quietly fell down.

It created a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere within the car.

The pleasant, crisp scent from the man’s suit and the slight roughness of his fingertips continued to invade her senses, causing her heartbeat to quicken.

Her previously stiff body began to warm up as well.

Xia Liyang couldn’t help but take a few deep breaths, bringing her somewhat dazed mind back to reality.

She wasn’t sure if this counted as holding hands with Lu Huaicheng or if he just needed her help to warm his hands.

When it came to moments like this, full of ambiguity, she always lacked the ability to judge.

But since their hands were already intertwined, she couldn’t waste this chance to seek more inspiration.

Xia Liyang, with her hand nervously clasped in Lu Huaicheng’s palm, blinked her long eyelashes and snuck a glance at the man beside her.

He was sitting casually with his legs crossed, his handsome profile sharp and defined. His deep, dark eyes seemed focused on the people passing by the car window outside.

Taking advantage of the moment, she pulled out her phone from her pocket with her free hand, quickly unlocked it, and with some effort typed in:

[How to flirt while holding hands with a man]

The green light ahead turned on, and the roar of the engine once again drowned out the sound of the air conditioning.

The Rolls-Royce smoothly turned the corner, the shadow of the overpass overhead falling onto the car, reflecting the silhouettes of the people inside on the window.

When Lu Huaicheng caught a glimpse of Xia Liyang sneaking a look at her phone with her head down, he narrowed his eyes slightly, discreetly tilting his head to glance at her screen.

He vaguely made out the words “holding hands” and “flirting.”

So she really didn’t know anything, relying on quick searches to try and flirt. That was kind of cute.

The curve of Lu Huaicheng’s lips widened a little as he casually averted his gaze.

Xia Liyang scrolled through several pages of search results before finally finding a feasible idea.

After mentally rehearsing it once, she quickly slipped her phone back into her pocket, steadied her heartbeat, and slowly relaxed the fingers curled in his large palm.

Following the suggestion from the search, she lightly traced circles on his palm with her rounded fingertip.

Because of her nervousness, her soft hands had started to sweat slightly, the moistness gliding over his dry skin.

The slick and tender sensation felt like an electric current, a faint itch spreading through his veins, lightly pricking his heart.

Even though he had a good idea of what she was trying to do, Lu Huaicheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously.

His deep eyes flickered with hidden emotions.

His long, strong fingers tightened briefly and suddenly captured her mischievous hand.

His dark gaze swept over her, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, his calm voice carrying a hint of teasing, “What are you doing, restless? Itchy hands?”

“…” Xia Liyang’s movements froze, her mouth twitching.

Couldn’t he tell she was trying to flirt with him!!!

Was it that her circling wasn’t quite right, or was the information from the internet just unreliable!!!

And how on earth could she explain this?

Didn’t she have any pride left!!!

Xia Liyang inwardly roared, feeling awkward, and gave him a small nod, forcing out a smile, “Yeah… a little.”

“What’s wrong?” Lu Huaicheng raised an eyebrow slightly, a deep amusement flickering in his dark eyes.

“Maybe I’m a little allergic,” Xia Liyang said, her brain quickly working to come up with a lie.

“Allergic to me?” Lu Huaicheng’s rough fingertips lightly grazed her wrist bone, his smile growing deeper.

Xia Liyang’s back straightened involuntarily, her heart fluttering with a subtle, tingling sensation as her brain slowed down.

She gulped awkwardly, stammering slightly, “How could I be allergic to you? It’s, uh, seasonal hives…”

Hearing this, Lu Huaicheng’s fingers paused for a moment before he finally burst out laughing.

“…” Xia Liyang’s pale face instantly turned a deeper shade of red.

Just then, the Rolls-Royce arrived at the subway entrance.

Although the driver, being very considerate, didn’t turn to remind them, Xia Liyang noticed that the car had stopped. She immediately withdrew her hand from Lu Huaicheng’s broad palm, her long eyelashes nervously fluttering. “Anyway, thank you for dropping me off at the subway. I’ll get off here.”

Without waiting for him to respond, she quickly turned, opened the car door, and practically jumped out of the vehicle as if she were escaping.

Lu Huaicheng’s dark eyes watched through the car window, the corners of his lips still holding a hint of a pleasant smile as her slender figure disappeared.

Only after she disappeared into the subway entrance did he lower his gaze and instruct the driver to start the car.

The next day, Saturday.

Xia Liyang was initially worried about how to face Lu Huaicheng when she went to clean. After all, their hand-holding and flirting the night before had been full of awkwardness.

But when she arrived at his house, it wasn’t Lu Huaicheng who greeted her—it was his assistant, Lin Shen.

“You’re here.” Lin Shen smiled warmly.

“Mr. Lin.” Xia Liyang politely nodded to him, relieved yet slightly disappointed at the same time.

She couldn’t help but glance toward the study where Lu Huaicheng often stayed.

Noticing her gaze, Lin Shen said, “Mr. Lu has something to attend to today, and he won’t be back until late.”

“Oh.” Xia Liyang pressed her lips together and withdrew her gaze.

“But Mr. Lu asked me to give this to you.” Lin Shen reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a tube of ointment.

“…” Xia Liyang blinked, looking down at the label on the ointment.

It was a treatment for hives and allergies.

Her mouth twitched slightly; she felt insulted.

Was her flirting really that bad?

Did he not notice at all that she was trying to flirt with him!

Feeling conflicted, Xia Liyang accepted the ointment and forced a smile, thanking him.

“You’re welcome, I’m just passing it on for Mr. Lu.” Lin Shen paused for a moment, then handed her a part-time contract for the hospital. “Please take a look and see if you have any questions.”

Xia Liyang quickly skimmed through it, then uncertainly asked, “So, can I decide which day of the week I go?”

“Yes.” Lin Shen nodded, adding, “You just need to inform me a day in advance, and I will arrange for the hospital to accommodate you.”

“I understand.” Xia Liyang nodded, thinking that although Lu Huaicheng could be difficult, he was still quite considerate when it came to her so-called difficulties.

After signing the contract, Lin Shen asked her for a recommended book list for purchases and then left.

Xia Liyang cleaned the empty villa by herself, feeling a strange emptiness in her heart.

She wondered what Lu Huaicheng was busy with so late on a Saturday night.

Could he be on a date with some rich, beautiful woman again?

Xia Liyang paused while holding the mop, and the image of the girl she saw at the French restaurant popped into her mind.

That time, the girl had called him “Ge,” and he had been very patient with her.

They seemed close, but not like a couple.

Could that girl be the daughter of the Wen family, the one Xu Songnian had mentioned, his potential marriage partner?

Xia Liyang stood there speculating for a while until her phone vibrated in her pocket, bringing her back to reality. She pulled it out and checked the message.

It was from Xu Songnian: “My mom just came back from Tibet and sent me a box of yak jerky. She told me to give you half. Will you be home tomorrow?”

Xia Liyang: “I’ll be home. Thank Auntie for me.”

Xu Songnian: “No need to be polite. She still thinks about when you’ll come home.”

Reading his message, Xia Liyang felt warmth in her heart.

When she was little, when Li Qingying was busy living her carefree life outside and Xia Yanyu was overwhelmed with his research institute work, it was Xu Songnian’s mom who took care of her daily needs.

Their families lived right across from each other, and his dad and her dad were colleagues and close friends at the research institute.

So, she actually liked Xu Songnian’s mom more than her own unreliable mother.

But since she still hadn’t resolved her issues with her dad, even if she missed them, she couldn’t go back.

Xia Liyang sighed, closed the chat with Xu Songnian, and glanced at Lu Huaicheng’s avatar, which had been pushed down.

Should she try to message him?

Hesitating for a moment, her fingers hovered over the screen before she typed, “Mr. Lu, are you busy with work tonight?”

After sending the message, she thought he might take a while to reply, so she put down her phone and prepared to continue mopping the floor.

But before she could even bend down, her phone vibrated again.

Surprised, Xia Liyang pulled out her phone and saw his reply: “No, it’s a friend’s birthday party.”

Xia Liyang thought for a moment and typed, “Is it a male friend or a female friend?”

Lu: “Does it matter if it’s male or female?”

Xia Liyang hesitated for a moment, then decided to be direct: “Of course it matters. If it’s a female, I’ll be jealous!”

Lu: “You didn’t seem jealous when you left the restaurant quickly last time.”

Xia Liyang felt her heart tighten and quickly replied: “But I felt bad for a long time after I got home. I just didn’t have the guts to tell you.”

Lu: “Really?”

Xia Liyang: “Crying kitten emoji”

After sending the emoji, Lu Huaicheng replied after a moment: “Male.”

He also sent a picture of the birthday party.

Judging by the lighting and decor, it looked like a private room in a nightclub, with both men and women present, all dressed stylishly.

Xia Liyang zoomed in on the picture, carefully scanning it but not spotting the girl from the restaurant.

However, the man in the center, holding a cake, had a pair of phoenix eyes that looked quite similar to that girl.

So, she cautiously asked, “The guy holding the cake, I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before?”

Lu: “Where?”

Xia Liyang: “I can’t remember exactly, but he looks familiar.”

Lu: “You’ve probably only seen his sister, at the French restaurant.”

So it was true.

Xia Liyang pursed her lips and pretended to suddenly realize as she typed, “Oh right! They do look quite alike!”

Lu: “Mm.”

Xia Liyang: “Is he the friend whose birthday you’re celebrating?”

Lu: “Mm.”

Xia Liyang: “What’s his name?”

Lu: “You don’t want me to be close to other women, but you’re asking about other men?”

Xia Liyang froze, her fingers suspended in mid-air.

Her original intention was to confirm whether his friend’s surname was Wen, to figure out if the girl was his potential marriage partner.

She didn’t expect him to turn it around like that.

After thinking for a moment, she cautiously typed, “Mr. Lu, are you jealous too?”