At sunset, Xia Liyang said goodbye to Song Jinhe and went home.

Too lazy to cook, she ordered pizza and started brainstorming the outline of her novel while eating.

With the inspiration she got from Lu Huaicheng, the romantic plot between the male and female protagonists was flowing more smoothly than before.

However, when she was setting up the male character, she couldn’t help but unconsciously project Lu Huaicheng’s personality onto him, leading the character’s traits to resemble him more and more.

After several rounds of writing and revisions, she was still unsatisfied.

Just as she was at a loss, her phone, lying on the bed, suddenly rang with a video call invitation.

Xia Liyang paused her typing, turned her chair around, and picked up the phone.

It was Song Jinhe.

As soon as she answered, a large bouquet of vibrant, beautiful flowers filled the screen.

Then Song Jinhe’s laughing face appeared, half-hidden behind the flowers. “Here’s the bouquet from your dear Mr. Lu. Just wanted to show you!”

“What do you mean by ‘my’…” Xia Liyang lightly pressed her lips together and took a closer look at the flowers in the video.

The bouquet had a similar color scheme to the one she had previously sent, but it included more expensive flowers like Cappuccino roses, large delphiniums, and orchids.

“Well, it’s obviously because of you that he sent me flowers!” Song Jinhe chuckled, teasingly, “I have to admit, he has good taste, and he put in quite a bit of effort. He doesn’t seem so bad after all.”

“You wouldn’t switch sides just because of a bouquet of expensive, beautiful flowers, would you?” Xia Liyang’s lips twitched.

“No way, Xia Xia, your flowers still win my heart.” Song Jinhe immediately corrected herself, “It’s all that jerk’s fault for losing my flowers. Unforgivable!”

Xia Liyang was amused by her, her eyes curving as she smiled, “Now that’s more like it.”

“By the way, what kind of flowers did he send you? They must be the super deluxe version!” Song Jinhe asked curiously.

“He didn’t send me any.” Xia Liyang shook her head.

“Huh? Maybe he sent them straight to your school?” Song Jinhe was taken aback.

“Probably not. He never asked for my dorm address, and he doesn’t know where my home is either,” Xia Liyang replied.

“What’s going on? He said he’d make it up to you!” Song Jinhe frowned, her initial favorable impression of him disappearing completely.

“He probably just said it casually and didn’t take it seriously,” Xia Liyang paused briefly and said indifferently, “Actually, watching him squirm is my greatest joy. If he did send me flowers, I’d have to trim them, find a vase, and take care of them. It sounds like a hassle.”

Song Jinhe’s expression became speechless, “You’re really, completely unmovable.”

Xia Liyang just smiled without commenting, “Let’s stop wasting time talking about him. I actually wanted to ask you for advice on character design for a romance novel.”

Song Jinhe: “What kind of character design problem?”

Xia Liyang explained her dilemma to her.

“Why don’t you create a male lead similar to Lu Huaicheng? Considering your lack of experience, having a real person as a reference could help keep the character consistent,” Song Jinhe suggested.

“What if he sees it in the future? That’d be super awkward, especially since he has read my novels before,” Xia Liyang frowned.

“I think you’re worrying too much. What CEO would go out of his way to buy romance novels!” Song Jinhe laughed and added, “Besides, he’s probably not your book fan. The only reason he read Temptation Punishment was probably because it was a bestseller, and he just happened to buy it.”

“That’s true,” Xia Liyang slowly nodded, “I’ll continue using him as a reference, then.”

“Good, send it to me when you’re done, and I’ll review it for you.” Song Jinhe smiled.

“Okay, love you!”

Feeling enlightened, Xia Liyang hung up the video call. Just as she was about to continue typing, she received a call from Lin Shen, asking her to send over her class schedule.

She was momentarily confused and asked, “Is it for Mr. Lu?”

“Yeah,” Lin Shen didn’t hide it, “He wants to know your free time.”

He had never asked for her schedule before.

Could it be that he needed it to arrange the date he had promised her?

Thinking of this, Xia Liyang couldn’t help but smile slightly and happily agreed.

Luckily, she hadn’t lied about her class schedule before.

Otherwise, she would’ve had to trouble Xu Songnian to forge a new one for her.

…..

On Tuesday, Xia Liyang had her master’s classes all day.

Not planning to head home after class, she didn’t drive to school and simply called a taxi.

Before leaving, she suddenly remembered Lu Huaicheng’s request for her to wear the necklace. She quickly opened the desk drawer.

She hadn’t planned on wearing it, so the packaging was still intact, the ribbon untouched.

Thinking that when she resigned, she would probably return these things to him, and he might be able to sell them second-hand to recoup some of the money.

Even though their relationship was mutually beneficial, she still didn’t want to take too much financial advantage of him, feeling a vague sense of guilt.

Carefully, she unwrapped the outer box and took out the necklace inside.

The rose gold four-petal flower pendant, encrusted with diamonds, glittered brilliantly in the morning sunlight, exuding luxury and elegance.

Feeling a bit self-conscious, Xia Liyang tucked the pendant under the collar of her chiffon blouse, hiding its sparkle.

Throughout the day, no one she was familiar with noticed her new necklace.

After class, Xia Liyang packed up her books and, as she walked out of the classroom, received a message from Xu Songnian.

He asked if she was still at school, as he had just finished meeting a client nearby.

She slowed her pace a little and tapped out a reply: “I’m at school, just left the classroom.”

Xu Songnian: “Wanna grab hotpot together?”

Xia Liyang: “I still have to go to Lu Huaicheng’s house to clean later, so I don’t have time for hotpot. Let’s do it another time.”

Xu Songnian: “So, are you skipping dinner?”

Xia Liyang: “I’ll just grab something quick at the cafeteria.”

Xu Songnian: “Then I’ll join you. It’s been a while since I ate at the cafeteria.”

Xia Liyang: “Alright, I’ll wait for you at the third cafeteria.”

Xu Songnian: “OK.”

However, she wasn’t sure what Xu Songnian meant by “nearby.”

By the time he arrived at the cafeteria, Xia Liyang had already eaten most of the food on her tray.

She looked up at him. He was sweating, with his bangs damp and stuck to his forehead. She couldn’t help but ask, “Did you run here or something? Why are you so sweaty?”

“No, it’s just so hot out. Walking a few steps makes you sweat,” Xu Songnian said, his gaze flickering slightly.

“Quick, sit down and cool off, the air conditioner is blowing directly here.” Xia Liyang shifted to the side to make space.

“Thanks.” Xu Songnian sat down carelessly, placing his tray on the table. “Did I arrive too late? The sweet and sour ribs, which are really popular here, are already sold out.”

“They’re always in high demand.” Xia Liyang paused briefly, then picked up the last two pieces of sweet and sour ribs left on her plate with her chopsticks. “I have two pieces left. I’ll give you one.”

“That generous, huh?” Xu Songnian raised an eyebrow, a slight smile curving his lips.

“Otherwise, you’d have come all this way for nothing, without getting to taste the ribs.” Xia Liyang smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling like crescent moons.

Xu Songnian’s dark eyes flickered slightly. He turned his face a little and snickered, “It’s rare for you to show me such kindness.”

“What’s so rare about it!” Xia Liyang pouted in dissatisfaction, leaning toward him and dropping the bigger piece of rib into his tray.

“Oh, you’re even giving me the bigger piece.” Xu Songnian’s smile widened, and he glanced at her sideways.

“I don’t want someone complaining about being treated unfairly.” Xia Liyang huffed lightly and straightened up.

As she did, the pendant on the necklace around her neck swayed slightly, peeking out from her slightly open collar. The dazzling glimmer momentarily caught the attention of the man beside her, piercing his dark eyes.

Xu Songnian’s smile froze slightly as he hesitantly asked, “How come you’re wearing a necklace? You usually don’t care for these things.”

“Oh, this.” Xia Liyang paused briefly, casually replying, “Lu Huaicheng gave it to me and insisted I wear it.”

“He asked you to wear it, so you just did?” Xu Songnian’s expression darkened slightly.

“I’m still gathering material from him, so there’s no need to make things difficult between us!”

Xia Liyang glanced at him, noticing his furrowed brows as if he still didn’t quite understand. She added, “Also, he saw us together before, so he’s probably still thinking I’m seeing other men on the side. Wearing the necklace is my way of showing loyalty to him.”

“Oh.” Xu Songnian’s lips tightened, and his expression turned even more grim.

“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden? Why do you look so upset?” Xia Liyang asked, puzzled as she looked at him.

“Nothing.” Xu Songnian lowered his head and picked up the rib she had just given him, suppressing the emotions swirling inside as he calmly asked, “How long are you planning to keep gathering material?”

“Almost done, things have been going pretty well between us recently.” Xia Liyang smiled.

“Going well as in?” Xu Songnian asked casually, though he quickly regretted it.

What if she said they’d kissed or even slept together? He wasn’t sure if he could keep up the calm facade if she said that.

So, before she could answer, he hurriedly added, “Never mind, it’s none of my business,” and quickly changed the subject. “How about I drive you to his place later?”

“No need. If he sees you again, I’ll never be able to explain it. I’ll just take the subway like usual.” Xia Liyang waved her hand dismissively.

After finishing most of the food on her tray, she stood up. “I’m heading off. You take your time, and I’ll leave you the last rib since you don’t seem to be in a great mood.”

“…” Xu Songnian paused for a moment, looking at the rib she had placed in his tray with a complex expression.

After a few seconds of silence, he smiled lightly and looked up. “Thanks. I’ll treat you to hotpot next time.”

“Two pieces of ribs for a hotpot meal? That’s quite a bargain.” Xia Liyang laughed.

After she walked away, the smile that had been hanging on Xu Songnian’s lips gradually faded. His brow furrowed, and his gaze darkened as he stared at the two pieces of ribs in his tray, lost in thought.

…..

Just after getting off the subway, Xia Liyang received a message from Lin Shen with the temporary code to Lu Huaicheng’s house door.

It seemed that Lu Huaicheng still wasn’t home.

She slowed her pace a bit, feeling a twinge of disappointment.

While cleaning, she intentionally took her time, hoping he’d return before she left.

But by the time the clock on the wall pointed past 10 p.m., the house was still silent, with no sign of him coming back.

Unable to resist, Xia Liyang took out her phone and sent him a WeChat message: “Mr. Lu, why haven’t you come back yet?”

But like a stone sinking into the sea, her message received no reply.

Even when she went back on Thursday to clean, he was still absent.

None of her subsequent messages were answered either.

And as for the date he’d promised to arrange, that was out of the question.

What was this man up to?

He made her wear the necklace, and now he had vanished.

She had even thought their relationship was progressing well.

Was it all just in her head?!

The more Xia Liyang thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Eventually, on Friday night, she gave up thinking altogether and decided to relax with a nice bath.

But just as she settled into the tub, her phone, lying on the counter, started ringing.

Frowning, she craned her neck to glance at the screen.

Seeing an unfamiliar number, she assumed it was a telemarketing call and didn’t bother to dry her hands to answer it.

Ignoring the persistent ringing, she sank into the soothing bath salts and closed her eyes.

It wasn’t until her phone pinged with a WeChat notification that she lazily turned her head to check.

To her surprise, it was a message from Lu Huaicheng.

And it only contained four words: “Pick up the phone.”

Xia Liyang was stunned, hurriedly drying her hands, and immediately redialed the unfamiliar number.

In just a few seconds, the call connected.

Nervously biting her lip, Xia Liyang softly asked, “Mr. Lu?”

“It’s me.” His voice, as calm and familiar as always, came through from the other end of the line.

“You finally remembered me?” Xia Liyang lightly gripped her phone, her tone a mix of teasing and reproach.

“Sorry, I’ve been a bit busy this week.” Lu Huaicheng paused for a moment, his voice slightly playful, “Are you mad?”

Xia Liyang thought for a bit, not answering directly, and instead, with a hint of grievance in her voice, said, “You didn’t reply with even a single word, I was starting to worry that something had happened to you. I was really concerned.”

Hearing this, a faint, almost inaudible laugh came from the other end of the line.

A moment later, he responded cheerfully, “I understand now. Next time, I’ll make sure to reply with at least one word.”

“How stingy,” Xia Liyang muttered softly, but the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but lift into a smile.

Lu Huaicheng chuckled lightly and said warmly, “Come downstairs now, I’m almost at your school.”

???

Xia Liyang froze, stunned for a few seconds, and suddenly sat up in the bathtub, splashing water everywhere.

“Why… why are you coming to my school?” she stammered, her nerves jumping.

“What do you think?” His voice was calm and elegant.

“I can never guess what you’re thinking.” Xia Liyang responded in a panic while hurriedly grabbing the towel from the rack.

It would take at least half an hour to get from her house to the school at the fastest.

This sudden visit was practically a surprise attack!

Perhaps sensing the panic in her voice, Lu Huaicheng didn’t keep teasing her and instead smiled warmly, “Of course, I’m coming to cheer you up.”