The man’s large hand was slender and distinct, pressing lightly against her soft, tense fingers. His warmth touched her skin, subtly transferring a tingling feeling to her heart.

Xia Liyang’s chest warmed slightly, her gaze lowering for a moment in slight embarrassment.

After a moment, she managed to calm her speeding heartbeat and edged a bit closer to him. Her thin shoulder brushed lightly against his solid arm, and her long lashes lifted again, revealing eyes that sparkled with a glint of playfulness. “I’m still cold; could I stay a bit closer to you?”

“Am I a heater?” Lu Huaicheng looked down, laughing lightly.

“That’s not what I meant…” Xia Liyang’s breath caught, unable to think of a better excuse. So she simply said, her voice soft, “I just want to be closer to you. Is that not allowed?”

“And what if I say no?” Lu Huaicheng raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile tugging at his lips.

“If not…” Xia Liyang dragged her words, blinking as she replied, “then I’ll just catch a cold and rely on you anyway.”

“Have you learned to threaten me now?” Lu Huaicheng’s deep voice was tinged with humor as his thumb gently rubbed her wrist.

A faint electric current flowed through her smooth skin, coursing through her entire body.

Xia Liyang’s heart trembled slightly, and she straightened her back, forcing a calm tone. “Could something like this really threaten you?”

Lu Huaicheng glanced at her for a moment, then closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat. His voice was low and casual. “Fine, do as you like. I’ll take a nap.”

“Alright, then you rest,” Xia Liyang let out a quiet sigh of relief.

After a pause, she imitated his gesture, gently stroking the back of his hand with her fingers. She glanced at him discreetly.

His lashes stirred slightly but never opened.

He must’ve had a tiring week, but he still remembered to come and cheer her up. That was already quite thoughtful.

Xia Liyang’s lips curved upward unconsciously as she held his warm hand and leaned lightly against his firm arm, gazing out of the window.

The street lights along the overpass flickered one by one, and the tall buildings rose and fell in the background, like a slow, extended movie sequence.

Noticing his breathing deepening beside her, Xia Liyang turned her head, openly gazing at him.

His thick lashes lay like dark feathers over his closed eyes, his nose straight and his lips thin. The shifting light outside cast gentle shadows on his handsome profile, accentuating his sharp features with an inexplicable softness.

He must be asleep…

Does this mean she could take the opportunity to get closer?

With that thought, Xia Liyang quietly scooted even closer until her bare arm fully touched his, causing his nearly unwrinkled shirt sleeve to crease slightly.

His warmth traveled through the slight space between them, heating her face a bit more.

Nervously, she bit her lip. Seeing he hadn’t reacted, she boldly tilted her head, leaning it on his broad shoulder.

Her slightly damp, smooth hair slid over his neck like silk, lightly touching his forearm where he had rolled up his sleeve.

Lu Huaicheng’s breathing shifted slightly.

Yet his eyes remained closed, his face calm and steady.

Only the faintest smile appeared at the corner of his lips as her citrusy fragrance lingered close to him.

Resting her head on Lu Huaicheng’s shoulder, Xia Liyang breathed in his fresh, light scent, filling her senses.

In the quiet car, only the continuous hum of the engine and the sound of the air conditioner could be heard. She began to notice her own heartbeat, growing louder, until it was clear, beating in her ears.

So, sneaky, intimate moments really made her heart race like this!

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Xia Liyang’s mind. She quickly sat up, ready to jot it down on her phone.

But then, she noticed the Rolls-Royce changing lanes and exiting the overpass at an all-too-familiar ramp.

Wait—was Lu Huaicheng taking her to his villa?

So she’d been out on a drive in the middle of the night, only to leave her car back at school?

Xia Liyang’s mouth twitched slightly as she looked out the window.

The car drove past Riverside Villa without slowing down, heading instead toward a high-rise residence in the back.

Seeing that they were getting closer to her apartment building, Xia Liyang felt her temples begin to throb.

When the Rolls-Royce entered the underground parking garage of her building, her entire body froze, and her palm, still holding his hand, started to sweat.

Damn! What was going on?

Could he have discovered her real address and brought her here to confront her?

The more Xia Liyang thought about it, the more panicked she felt. She almost wanted to drop his hand and jump out of the car to run away.

However, as the car came to a stop, Lu Huaicheng slowly opened his eyes.

He glanced over at Xia Liyang, who looked tense and fearful, and his thin lips parted as he spoke in a calm tone, “What’s wrong?”

His voice was low and slightly hoarse, carrying a trace of laziness from just waking up.

Xia Liyang, whose mind was racing, was startled by his sudden question.

After a small “ah,” she nervously bit her lip and replied in a trembling voice, “N-nothing. You’re awake?”

“Mm.” Lu Huaicheng’s dark eyes lingered on her for a moment before he let go of her slightly sweaty hand and sat up straight.

“Let’s get out,” he said, tilting his head to open the car door.

“Where… where is this?” Xia Liyang swallowed hard, trying to feign curiosity.

“Don’t you recognize it?” He stepped out of the car, glancing down as he adjusted the wrinkles in his shirt.

“…” Xia Liyang’s breathing hitched, thinking she was doomed.

Had she really exposed herself in front of him?

So, should she come clean now or try to bluff her way out and run?

But before she could decide, Lu Huaicheng raised his head and added in a casual tone, “I meant the road we took to get here.”

Hearing that, Xia Liyang paused, and her previously held breath relaxed a little.

She gave a sheepish smile and cautiously replied, “It was a bit dark outside, so I couldn’t see clearly, but it seemed like we came from your place?”

“Yes.” Lu Huaicheng nodded slightly, smiling warmly. “So, relax. I didn’t bring you to some remote place.”

“…Mm.” Xia Liyang lowered her lashes, her soft voice barely audible.

Her mind was spinning.

He seemed to think her nervousness was because she was afraid he might try something.

It wasn’t because he had parked in the garage of her apartment.

So, he hadn’t discovered her real address?

But then why did he bring her here?

Following him into the elevator, Xia Liyang’s heart raced as she watched him press the button for a floor.

When she saw it was the top floor, her heart finally calmed a bit, though she still couldn’t understand his intentions.

Then he led her out of the elevator and unlocked the door to an apartment.

Warm yellow lights turned on, revealing a large flat identical in layout to hers, but decorated in a minimalist modern style, mostly in shades of black, white, and gray. It exuded a chilly tone, much like his own reserved demeanor.

With the apartment’s higher floor, the river view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows looked even more open and spectacular.

“This is…” Xia Liyang was taken aback, glancing at him in confusion.

“It’s also my place. I just rarely stay here,” Lu Huaicheng explained, his tone calm. “You can stay here from now on. This way, you won’t have to worry about dorm curfews, it’ll be easier to clean my place, and you’ll also have a place for the flowers I give you.”

“…” Xia Liyang opened her mouth, momentarily speechless.

He didn’t just give her flowers—he got her an apartment too???

And the apartment was right above hers???

Was he serious?!

Lu Huaicheng glanced at her stunned expression and chuckled. “Are you still mad at me?”

“…” Xia Liyang, with mixed emotions, shook her head, her voice faint, “I’m not mad, just… a bit overwhelmed.”

“It’s just an optional place for you to stay,” he said with a slight smile, “The door code is my birthday. Don’t forget it.”

“I won’t forget.” Xia Liyang bit her lip and tentatively asked, “Mr. Lu, will you be coming here often?”

“Do you want me to?” Lu Huaicheng raised his eyebrow slightly, his dark eyes deep and mysterious.

No!

Absolutely not!

She didn’t want to risk bumping into him in the parking lot or elevator.

The thought alone was suffocating.

But if she said that now, it would seem ungrateful.

While internally screaming, Xia Liyang forced a pleasant smile. “Of course, but it would be nice if you could let me know beforehand. I wouldn’t want you to see me looking disheveled.”

“Paying attention to your appearance, are you?” Lu Huaicheng smiled faintly.

“Everyone wants to show their best side to someone they hold in high regard.” She blinked, her tone sincere and sweet.

Lu Huaicheng’s eyes softened with a smile. “I understand.”

Then, he opened the shoe cabinet and took out a pair of women’s slippers.

“Change into these.”

Xia Liyang looked down at the slippers placed at her feet, holding back for a moment before asking, “Did you offer this place to other women before?”

Lu Huaicheng paused, then laughed. “What do you think?”

“There are women’s slippers here—what else am I supposed to think?” she pouted, half teasing.

“They couldn’t have just been bought today?” His eyes sparkled with amusement.

“Who knows if you’re telling the truth.” She bit her lip, her long lashes fluttering slightly.

“I hate being lied to by those around me,” Lu Huaicheng said, his dark gaze unwavering on her. “So, I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Xia Liyang suddenly felt guilty and quickly averted her gaze, awkwardly responding with an “oh.”

She initially intended to playfully act jealous with him.

However, as the situation progressed, her feelings became mixed and complicated.

She tried to steady her nerves and looked at the clock on the living room wall, deciding to tactically retreat: “It’s still within the curfew time, so I won’t change shoes to go in. Can you take me back to school?”

After all, her Porsche was still parked behind the dorm building.

“Isn’t tomorrow Saturday? You’re supposed to come to my place to clean, so why go back to school?” Lu Huaicheng glanced at her.

“Well… I didn’t bring anything, and I don’t have clothes to change into tomorrow,” Xia Liyang said with an awkward smile.

“You don’t need to worry about that; I’ve prepared everything you’ll need,” Lu Huaicheng replied nonchalantly.

“…” Xia Liyang was taken aback and incredulously asked, “When did you prepare all this?”

“Just in the last few days,” Lu Huaicheng paused slightly, teasingly adding, “You didn’t think I only bought you a pair of slippers, did you?”

“…” Xia Liyang was at a loss for words, so she obediently bent down to put on the slippers and turned to look at Lu Huaicheng, who had also changed out of his black leather shoes.

Since things had come to this, she decided to make the most of tonight’s opportunity to gain more inspiration for her writing.

As he showed her around the various rooms, a butler-like person brought up all the starry roses from the trunk of the Rolls-Royce, trimming and arranging them into vases of various sizes, brightening up his coldly styled home.

Xia Liyang glanced at Lu Huaicheng, who seemed about to leave with the butler, and tugged at his shirt sleeve, blinking her eyes: “Mr. Lu, can you stay with me a little longer? After all, it’s very close to your home.”

Lu Huaicheng paused for a moment, lowering his eyelids, and gazed at her with deep eyes: “What do you want me to stay for?”

“Um… to watch a movie?” She pointed to the home theater he had just shown her and reminded him, “You still owe me a date.”

Her clear eyes reflected the bright light above, shimmering as if with a watery glow.

Lu Huaicheng’s dark eyes shifted slightly, and he chuckled: “Then go look in the Blu-ray cabinet for a movie you want to watch.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lu!” Xia Liyang nodded cheerfully, moving lightly towards the cabinet he mentioned and searching seriously.

She recalled the types of movies often watched by the protagonists in romantic novels.

It seemed horror films had the best effect.

However, he probably didn’t like horror movies, as there wasn’t a single scary disc in the whole cabinet.

As a compromise, she took a romance movie with an ambiguous cover and turned back to say, “How about we watch ‘Before Sunrise’?”

“Sounds good.” Lu Huaicheng was already comfortably seated on the sofa, his long legs casually crossed, his voice relaxed.

Receiving his approval, Xia Liyang smiled and bent down to put the disc into the player.

Lu Huaicheng’s dark eyes lifted slightly, glancing at her slender waist and the rounded, fair thighs exposed by her dress.

He swallowed lightly, stretching his long arm to turn off the floor lamp beside the sofa.

The moment the room fell into darkness, the lights at the start of the film gradually brightened.

As the dim light illuminated the man’s deep features and relaxed posture on the sofa, Xia Liyang, whose eyes hadn’t yet adjusted to the change, carefully groped her way towards the sofa, softly mumbling, “You turned off the light too early; I can’t see the path.”

Lu Huaicheng chuckled without comment. As she was about to reach the edge of the sofa, he casually let his long leg drop.

Then, using the same trick, he reached out and subtly tripped her foot.

Xia Liyang was startled and didn’t have time to react.

Before she knew it, she had plopped down onto his sturdy thigh.