Seeing Lu Huaicheng’s reply, laced with a hint of dissatisfaction, Xia Liyang’s mouth twitched slightly.

Didn’t this count as a caring greeting, thinking of him every day?

Being criticized as a chatbot by this man was really something.

But what should she talk to him about?

While she was still agonizing over it, a message from Song Jinhe suddenly popped up: “I finally finished my thesis defense and I’m free! How’s your progress lately?”

Xia Liyang paused and quickly gave her a brief update on recent events, then sent her a screenshot of the conversation with Lu Huaicheng.

“You came just in time, help me think of how to reply to him!”

Song Jinhe: “Wow, you’re really something.”

Xia Liyang: “Weren’t you the one who told me to start with ‘Good morning’ and ‘Good night’?”

Song Jinhe: “Starting is meant to open up a conversation, not for you to send it and leave it at that!!!”

Xia Liyang: “Oh, I see.”

Song Jinhe: “Plus, you made several mistakes earlier! Don’t play hard to get, especially since your relationship isn’t equal to begin with. You even gave him attitude? My goodness!”

Xia Liyang: “…That was Xu Songnian’s advice. He said men like that kind of thing.”

Song Jinhe: “Don’t trust him. I always felt his feelings for you weren’t purely platonic.”

Xia Liyang: “You’re overthinking it. We’ve been friends since we were kids. There’s nothing extra there.”

Song Jinhe: “Could it be that I’m not overthinking, but you’re just too oblivious?”

Xia Liyang was slightly taken aback. She thought carefully about her interactions with Xu Songnian but still found the idea absurd. “No way.”

Seeing her firm denial, Song Jinhe didn’t press the issue further: “Just reply to Lu Huaicheng and say you didn’t want to bother him too much. See how he responds.”

So Xia Liyang followed her instructions and sent a message to Lu Huaicheng, nervously waiting.

Soon, she received his reply.

Lu: “It won’t. I’ve set your messages to Do Not Disturb, so I’ll only reply when I have free time.”

…

Xia Liyang’s mouth twitched, unsure whether to feel happy or sad about that.

After Xia Liyang sent the screenshot to Song Jinhe, she received a “speechless” emoji in response.

Then, Song Jinhe comforted her: “It’s fine, at least he hinted that you can send him messages whenever you want.”

Xia Liyang, feeling conflicted, typed: “That’s true.”

Song Jinhe: “You can share little things from your life with him, like what delicious food you’ve eaten or interesting things you’ve seen. You could even send selfies or ask him about his likes, showing him that you care.”

Xia Liyang: “Copied to my notes.”

Song Jinhe: “The key is to make your presence felt, so he gets used to you always being around. That’s something men can’t resist! And even if you’re going to play hard to get, that should come later. Xu Songnian is really leading you astray!”

Xia Liyang thought about it and replied: “Maybe he’s not that experienced either. He’s only had one relationship, back in college.”

Song Jinhe: “In any case, you should ask me from now on! I’m free until I start work in August.”

Xia Liyang: “Alright! Teacher Song is still the most reliable.”

Song Jinhe: “Of course!”

Although Song Jinhe gave her some conversation ideas, Xia Liyang wasn’t used to sharing her life with others. Plus, most of the things happening in her daily life weren’t exactly suitable to share with him.

For example, whenever she had writer’s block, she would take her sports car out for a spin.

Or, she would find a new steakhouse by the river that was super delicious!

Or, thanks to him, she would be overflowing with inspiration!

After racking her brain for a while, Xia Liyang decided to start by asking him about his preferences. So, she sent him a WeChat message: “Mr. Lu, what kind of food do you like?”

Lu: “Nothing in particular.”

Xia Liyang: “Is there anything you don’t like?”

Lu: “Cilantro.”

Xia Liyang: “What a pity, I’m a cilantro lover. Do you prefer sweet or savory rice dumplings?”

Lu: “Savory.”

Xia Liyang: “Sorry, I’m a sweet dumpling fan…”

Xia Liyang: “Do you prefer sweet or salty tofu pudding?”

Lu: “Sweet.”

Xia Liyang: “Goodbye.jpg”

Lu: “…Picking a fight?”

Xia Liyang quickly realized she had unintentionally steered the conversation off track, and hurriedly replied: “No, no, I just wanted to learn more about you!”

Then she changed the topic: “When is your birthday?”

Lu: “June 12.”

Xia Liyang: “Ah! That’s next Saturday.”

Lu: “Yeah.”

Xia Liyang: “Are you having a birthday party?”

Lu: “No, I’ll be in Beicheng with my family.”

Xia Liyang paused, thinking that he was originally from Beicheng? But his food preferences suggested he was from Jiangcheng, and his mother also lived in a hospital in Jiangcheng.

So, his father must be in Beicheng?

After hesitating for a moment, she decided not to pry into his family matters and typed: “Ah, I won’t see you next Saturday then. I wanted to celebrate your birthday.”

Lu: “How did you plan to celebrate?”

Xia Liyang was taken aback. She had only been making polite conversation and hadn’t expected him to ask.

She quickly brainstormed and replied: “Maybe I could bake you a cake or something.”

Lu: “You can bake? Did you work part-time at a bakery before too?”

Xia Liyang: “Not really… Of course, I’d learn for your sake! I actually have a natural talent for cooking!”

After all, he wouldn’t be in Jiangcheng that day, so a little bragging wouldn’t hurt.

But a few seconds later, she received his response: “Is that so? I’d like to see your talent.”

“I’ll be back in Jiangcheng on Sunday afternoon. You can come then and make the cake. Just tell my assistant what ingredients you need, and he’ll prepare them in advance.”

???

Xia Liyang froze, and before she could refuse, it was too late. She had no choice but to agree reluctantly.

The problem was, she wasn’t good at baking at all!

It looked like she’d need to buy some cake molds and practice at home all week.

And since it was his birthday, she figured she should also give him a gift.

The more Xia Liyang thought about it, the more troubled she became. Her fake identity didn’t seem appropriate for buying him something expensive, but getting something cheap would make it look like she didn’t care.

After consulting with Song Jinhe, she suggested making him something by hand.

However, Xia Liyang felt like all her energy that week would be spent practicing how to bake the cake, leaving no time for anything else.

While browsing Taobao, she found something interesting: a scarf-making kit labeled “Super Easy for Beginners,” with reviews claiming it could be finished in two hours.

She chose a dark gray one and placed the order.

….

Because of business, Lu Huaicheng flew to Beicheng on Tuesday.

He was busy until Friday evening, when he finally had a moment on his way home to check Xia Liyang’s recent messages.

He noticed she had improved significantly. Not only had she sent him multiple cake pictures to choose from, but she had also mentioned preparing a surprise birthday gift for him, which she was working on diligently.

Even though she hadn’t received a reply from him, she hadn’t pestered him for ignoring her.

She only reminded him again that morning: “Mr. Lu, don’t forget to pick a cake when you have time.”

Lu Huaicheng smiled slightly and scrolled through the messages. He selected a photo of a cake with a “Midsummer Night Ocean” theme and sent it to her.

After turning off his phone, he lifted his head and said calmly to the driver in the front seat, “Go to Xinguang Center first, then back to Yihe Courtyard.”

“Got it, young master Lu.”

The black Cullinan’s turn signal flashed as it made a U-turn at the intersection and headed towards the most upscale mall in Beicheng.

When Xia Liyang received Lu Huaicheng’s message, she was struggling with a half-knitted scarf.

“Two hours to finish, easy!” they said. 

Heaven knows how much time she had wasted on this frustrating scarf!!

Feeling a little frustrated, she glanced at her phone and saw that Lu Huaicheng had picked the most complicated cake design, which only made her even more upset.

He better not say a single sarcastic word about the things she painstakingly made, or she wouldn’t be able to resist throwing them in his face.

Suppressing her irritation, Xia Liyang reluctantly replied with a “polite nodding” emoji.

But within half an hour, she received several more messages from Lu Huaicheng.

What’s going on?

Xia Liyang frowned, reluctantly put down the scarf, and opened her phone.

Lu: “Necklace photos.”

Lu: “Bracelet photos.”

Lu: “Hairpin photos.”

Lu: “Earrings photos.”

Lu: “Help me pick one.”

Xia Liyang was slightly taken aback and uncertainly typed, “Are you giving this to a girl?”

Lu: “Yes.”

…

Xia Liyang’s lips twitched, suddenly feeling like swearing.

Is he deliberately trying to annoy her?!

What normal person asks their romantic interest to help pick out gifts for another woman?!

But of course, she couldn’t actually curse at him, so she picked the most expensive-looking necklace, thinking that at least it would cost him a bit.

Judging by how quickly Lu Huaicheng replied with a “Good,” the cost didn’t seem to be much of a concern for him.

Still frustrated, Xia Liyang hastily finished knitting the scarf and tossed the remaining yarn into the trash.

Anyway, he didn’t know how long the scarf was supposed to be.

And by the time he could use it, she would probably have quit and disappeared.

……

That year’s birthday party was once again organized by Zhou Yuling and was held at a private restaurant in the suburbs.

After the customary words of thanks, Lu Huaicheng became quiet at the table, only responding briefly when his father asked about the business in Jiangcheng.

“Ah, it’s Huaicheng’s birthday, and you’re still talking about work,” Zhou Yuling playfully tapped Lu Zhiyuan’s arm, half-jokingly.

“Alright, alright, no more work talk.” Lu Zhiyuan chuckled, then asked if Wen Yulin had returned from abroad recently and whether they had dinner with her family.

“Yes, we did,” Lu Huaicheng replied indifferently.

“Wen Yulin is graduating next year, right? Did you talk to the Wen family about an engagement during the dinner?” Lu Zhiyuan asked.

“No,” Lu Huaicheng paused for a moment, then explained lightly, “There’s no rush. Yulin is still young.”

“She may be young, but you’re already 28. You should start considering your future,” Lu Zhiyuan frowned.

“I’ll think about it,” Lu Huaicheng replied vaguely, lowering his gaze.

“Huaicheng has always been sensible, so you don’t need to worry,” Zhou Yuling interjected with a smile. “Besides, there is a bit of an age gap between him and Yulin. If he minds that, Mingyu could marry her instead; they’re closer in age.”

“Mom, don’t matchmake people randomly. Yulin has liked Huaicheng since she was young,” Lu Mingyu laughed helplessly.

“Feelings can be cultivated,” Zhou Yuling shot him a look, clearly displeased that her son was undermining her.

Though she had been in the Lu family for nearly 10 years, Lu Zhiyuan had never given her an official status. He remained legally married to Chen Wanzhen, who was bedridden.

It wasn’t that he loved Chen Wanzhen, but he didn’t want to sever ties with her powerful family.

So, no matter how much she pleased Lu Zhiyuan, the likelihood of him handing over real power in the company to her son was slim.

She had to find a better marriage alliance for Lu Mingyu to give him a fighting chance against Lu Huaicheng.

“That’s true,” Lu Zhiyuan nodded thoughtfully.

Lu Huaicheng’s eyes darkened slightly, but he maintained a warm smile as he said, “Let’s talk about this after Yulin graduates next year. The Wen family feels the same way.”

Zhou Yuling glanced at him and forced a laugh, saying, “Huaicheng, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just thought you weren’t keen on marrying Yulin and didn’t want you to feel pressured, so I suggested it.”

“I understand,” Lu Huaicheng’s voice was calm as he completely hid any emotion, “I know you care about me.”

“Don’t mind me being nosy, but Mingyu has been working at the company for almost two years now. Maybe you could let him handle some of the less critical tasks in Beicheng, so you don’t have to keep running back and forth. I saw you coming home late the other night, and I don’t want you to overwork yourself,” Zhou Yuling fussed, appearing genuinely concerned.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lu Huaicheng replied with a faint smile, as though he truly appreciated her concern.

But once the dinner party ended, his expression turned cold.

Zhou Yuling might be able to fool Lu Zhiyuan with her acting.

But fooling him? Not in this lifetime.

Sunday.

As per Lu Huaicheng’s instructions, Xia Liyang cleaned the villa using the temporary passcode before he returned.

However, possibly due to the rainy weather causing traffic, he didn’t arrive at the expected time.

Bored, Xia Liyang sat on the sofa for a while, then suddenly remembered she hadn’t fed Lu Huaicheng’s turtle.

Then she quickly got up and took the prepared raw meat out of the fridge.

Seeing that the rain outside wasn’t heavy, she was too lazy to grab an umbrella.

She pulled the hood of her jacket over her head, changed her shoes, and went out.

The light rain created small ripples in the pond behind the bamboo grove. Xia Liyang placed the raw meat in the stone bowl beside her, but didn’t see the turtle’s shadow. She opened her mouth to call it out, suddenly realizing that Lu Huaicheng had never mentioned its name to her.

Or maybe it didn’t have a name at all.

After all, Lu Huaicheng didn’t seem like the type to name a turtle.

Xia Liyang pondered for a moment and directly gave it a name that matched its owner: “Xiao Wangba (little bastard). Where are you, Xiao Wangba? Come out for dinner!”

The next second, a turtle head really poked out from the pond.

“Hey, you really understand,” Xia Liyang said with a smile in her eyes, continuing to call it, “Come over, Xiao Wangba…”

But the turtle didn’t move towards her; instead, a rustling sound came from the bamboo grove behind her.

It sounded like clothes brushing against the bamboo leaves.

Xia Liyang couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness, a bad premonition rising in her heart.

Sure enough, when she turned around again, she saw Lu Huaicheng in a white shirt and black pants, tall and straight, supporting a large black umbrella.

His features were deep, with low brows and pitch-black eyes that gazed at her deeply, his low voice laced with a hint of a smile. 

“Who are you calling Xiao Wangba?”

^[1]T/N:

Wangba is used to refer to a turtle but can also be an insult when directed at someone.