After Xia Liyang said goodnight, Lu Huaicheng just stood there, quietly watching her, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Xia Liyang didn’t linger on the stairs. She turned and walked inside, feeling a bit uneasy. Once she got inside her apartment and went to the floor-to-ceiling window to close the curtains, she noticed that Lu Huaicheng was still standing outside.

The dim glow from the streetlamp cast a faint light over his figure, highlighting his tall, slender form, giving him an air of quiet loneliness.

Perhaps sensing her gaze from above, he suddenly lifted his head, looking toward her window.

Though the distance and dim lighting obscured his expression and gaze, Xia Liyang felt her heart suddenly beat faster, and she hastily pulled the curtains shut, shutting him out into the night.

But that night, she couldn’t sleep soundly at all. In a half-awake state, she had a chaotic dream.

In the dream, she was back on Lianzhou Island, in the courtyard of the seaside villa. Lu Huaicheng held her by the waist against the railing, one large hand on the back of her head as he kissed her passionately.

She was wearing that retro, red polka-dot swimsuit, and she could feel the rough texture of his shirt against her exposed skin, prickling and tingling, leaving her breathless.

The scene shifted, and she was falling onto a soft mattress, his heated breath enveloping her as he held her close, the warmth of his skin pressing against hers.

Outside the window adorned with roses, she could see the first light of dawn.

Xia Liyang woke suddenly, realizing that the sun was indeed streaming through her bedroom curtains.

She instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes from the light, her cheeks still faintly warm.

Oh no—did she just have a dream about Lu Huaicheng?!

This was getting ridiculous!

Rubbing her temples, she sat up, her face cooling down only after a while. Still, she couldn’t understand why she would have such a dream.

Was it because of the chance encounter with him last night?

Yes, that must be it.

It was best not to overthink or dwell on it.

After all, it was unlikely they would meet like that again.

…..

On the day Wen Yulin returned to the country after graduation, her family held a celebration at their villa on the outskirts. The gathering was small, mostly close relatives and friends.

After dinner, once most people had left, Lu Huaicheng approached Wen Yulin, handing her a rectangular gift box. “Congratulations on your graduation.”

“Thank you, Ge!” she exclaimed, accepting it happily but with a small complaint, “You sat too far from me today! I didn’t even get to talk to you during dinner.”

“I arrived a bit late today, so it was not appropriate for me to join the main table,” Lu Huaicheng explained gently.

“It doesn’t matter,” Wen Yulin muttered, opening the box.

When she saw the ordinary Montblanc pen inside, her bright eyes dimmed a bit.

She had thought this rectangular box would contain a bracelet or necklace.

She hadn’t expected it to be just a pen with no romantic implications.

It felt like a gift an elder would give.

“Ge, your gift is really old-fashioned.” Wen Yulin forced a smile.

Lu Huaicheng gave a noncommittal smile, glanced at the empty courtyard outside the window, and asked, “Are you free now? Would it be convenient to take a walk with me in the courtyard?”

Wen Yulin was slightly taken aback. This was the first time he had initiated such an invitation; could it be he was finally going to discuss their engagement?

Before returning to the country, she had heard from her family that Uncle Lu’s health was declining, and he was urging Lu Huaicheng to marry soon, to settle down and take over the family business.

Thinking of this, her earlier disappointment was swept away, and she nodded expectantly. “Sure!”

On this hot summer afternoon, the two of them walked under the camphor tree in the courtyard, seeking shade.

Lu Huaicheng, with his hands in his pockets, looked deep in thought and slightly serious.

He glanced at Wen Yulin’s small face, both expectant and shy, and suddenly regretted not following Wen Yuchen’s advice.

But it would be better for him to say what he had to say himself.

After all, he had watched her grow up as a sister; he owed her a formal explanation.

With a slight frown and a serious expression, Lu Huaicheng spoke directly, “You may have heard that my father is pushing for a marriage alliance with your family. But I’m sorry; I don’t have such intentions, so please don’t dwell on it.”

“…” Wen Yulin froze, feeling as if she’d been thrown into an icehouse in the middle of summer, and asked in a trembling voice, “Ge, what do you mean by ‘no intentions’… Do you mean not for now?”

“Not now, not in the future either,” Lu Huaicheng said slowly.

“But, then, who are you planning to marry? Aren’t the Wen and Lu families the most suitable match?”

“But I still hope you can marry someone you love and who loves you back,” Lu Huaicheng said, lowering his gaze, without directly answering her.

“I know you don’t love me, but I don’t care! I just want to be with you!” Wen Yulin said, tears welling up, “Ge, can’t you fulfill my wish just once?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that.” Lu Huaicheng’s eyes flickered with complexity, and he said in a low voice, “I already have someone I like.”

At this, the tears Wen Yulin had been holding back finally fell, and she cried while asking, “Is it… that housekeeper you used to have?”

“…” Lu Huaicheng didn’t answer, just took a tissue from his suit pocket and handed it to her.

But Wen Yulin didn’t take it, continuing to sob, “Why won’t you say anything? Are you afraid that if you admit it, I’ll go looking for her?”

Lu Huaicheng: “…”

Seeing his continued silence, Wen Yulin cried harder, feeling both hurt and resentful, “I just want to know what kind of woman you like! What do I lack?”

“In matters of the heart, it’s not about who is better than whom. I’m really sorry.” Lu Huaicheng paused and handed her a tissue, “Please, wipe your tears.”

“I don’t need your tissue! And I don’t want your apology either!” Wen Yulin sniffled hard and finally said, “I don’t want to see you again.”

Then she quickly turned and stormed toward the bathroom in anger and sadness.

Lu Huaicheng’s hand, still holding the tissue, hovered in mid-air for a moment before he slowly lowered it and strode back to the villa.

Sitting by the window, Wen Yuchen shifted his gaze from the running figure of Wen Yulin outside to Lu Huaicheng as he walked in.

“I’m sorry,” Lu Huaicheng said to him with a face full of remorse.

“Ah, it couldn’t be helped,” Wen Yuchen shrugged. “Once her heart is broken, she’ll feel bad for a while, then start looking at other guys; it could be a good thing.”

“Sorry,” Lu Huaicheng sat down beside him, still a bit uneasy.

“Alright, are you going to keep apologizing?” Wen Yuchen gave him a sideways glance.

“…” Lu Huaicheng pressed his lips tightly.

“Ah,” Wen Yuchen sighed, “at least you didn’t marry her while still thinking about someone else, or I’d be seriously upset with you.”

“But I didn’t expect you to give up on the marriage alliance altogether. Doesn’t this make things harder for yourself? Do you really like her that much?”

“Yes.” Lu Huaicheng nodded.

“Didn’t take you for a romantic,” Wen Yuchen chuckled, “So, what’s your plan? I can tell your dad isn’t keen on handing over the family business; that’s why he’s pushing marriage and keeping you in Jiangcheng to stall.”

“True,” Lu Huaicheng paused, “I need to think of another approach. First, I have to find out about the relationship between Li Yuan and Zhou Yuling; only then can I report the mistakes in Lu Mingyu’s project to the board and start to weaken his influence in the company.”

“Yes, that seems to be the only option for now. If you need people in Beicheng, let me know. I’ll keep helping you,” Wen Yuchen patted his shoulder.

“Thank you…” Lu Huaicheng looked at him gratefully.

“Oh, and if you have trouble pursuing your little housekeeper, I can help you with that too,” Wen Yuchen teased with a grin.

“No need for that.” Lu Huaicheng’s mouth twitched slightly, and he corrected, “And she’s no longer a housekeeper; besides, she’s about to start her doctorate. So, don’t keep calling her that.”

“Whew, she’s not even yours yet, and you’re already protective,” Wen Yuchen shook his head, his brows slightly raised as he asked, “Looks like you’ve got a plan then?”

“Yes,” Lu Huaicheng nodded lightly.

….

During this time, Xia Liyang had just wrapped up revisions for her publication and was now preparing for her thesis defense. Finally, before July arrived, she graduated successfully.

On Friday, Xia Liyang returned to her school for the last time to attend the graduation ceremony.

After the ceremony, wearing her long graduation gown almost trailing to her ankles, she walked out of the auditorium, holding a tote bag filled with various graduation mementos in one hand while video chatting with Song Jinhe on her phone.

“I’m so mad! That horrible boss wouldn’t give me even one day off, so I couldn’t make it to your graduation!” Song Jinhe vented, squatting in her office building’s restroom.

“It’s fine; we can still celebrate over dinner this weekend, no big difference,” Xia Liyang chuckled, comforting her.

“Did Xu Songnian not come today either?” Song Jinhe asked curiously.

“He wanted to come, but I stopped him. His firm has been busy recently, so I suggested we all meet this weekend,” Xia Liyang explained.

“Alright, then we’ll definitely have to eat something good this weekend!” Song Jinhe agreed, nodding.

“No problem, I’ll set up a group chat soon so you two can plan,” Xia Liyang said, smiling as she ended the call.

Looking up, she unexpectedly caught sight of Lu Huaicheng.

He was wearing a white T-shirt and light-colored casual linen pants, holding a bouquet of pink rhododendron roses in his well-defined hands, standing elegantly under the sycamore tree in front of the auditorium.

The dappled shadows from the tree branches fell across his shoulders, the sunlight framing his sharp profile with a halo of light.

It made him look refined, with deep, striking features and an air of detachment—a surreal image.

For a moment, Xia Liyang thought she was seeing things and squinted to get a better look at him.

He smiled slightly, holding the flowers as he approached her, his voice as clear as jade, “Miss Xia, congratulations on your graduation.”

“…Thank you,” Xia Liyang murmured, somewhat dazed, as she took the flowers he handed her.

“You’re welcome,” Lu Huaicheng smiled.

“Mr. Lu, why are you here?” Xia Liyang asked, blinking in confusion.

“Because it’s your graduation ceremony,” Lu Huaicheng said after a slight pause, his deep eyes gazing warmly at her. “I didn’t want to miss it.”