Xia Liyang’s heart raced unexpectedly at Lu Huaicheng’s interpretation, and her ears turned a bit red as she dodged his scrutinizing gaze, forcing herself to flirt back, “You’re so handsome; is it wrong to take a few more glances?”

“Not at all.” Lu Huaicheng’s smile widened slightly as he responded nonchalantly.

His dark gaze continued to fixate on her slightly flushed face, seemingly interested in how she would respond next.

But with her mind in a jumble, Xia Liyang couldn’t grasp his words.

She could only raise the water bottle in her hand and drink several gulps as a distraction.

Seeing this, Lu Huaicheng’s teasing gaze turned helpless. “Drinking so fast, be careful not to choke.”

His words made her nerves tighten, and as soon as he spoke, Xia Liyang’s hand trembled, causing her to indeed choke.

“Cough… cough…” She hurriedly turned away, her thin shoulders shaking as she coughed violently.

Lu Huaicheng frowned, stood up with his long legs, and gently patted her back a couple of times. “I warned you, didn’t I?”

His palm was warm, and even through the soft leather gloves, she could feel the warmth he transmitted.

It reached deep into her heart.

Making her even more flustered.

Xia Liyang couldn’t help but turn back and glare at him. “If you hadn’t suddenly mentioned it, I wouldn’t have choked!”

“…” Lu Huaicheng was momentarily taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to get angry with him.

But seeing her drop the formalities and openly express her buried emotions made him inexplicably pleased.

He relaxed his furrowed brow and smiled slightly. “Is it my fault then?”

“…” Xia Liyang finally realized she had inadvertently expressed her inner thoughts. Looking at his warm smile, she felt like she was doomed.

After all, this man was the type who looked gentle while doing terrifying things.

She quickly put down the water bottle and waved her hands rapidly. “No, no, it’s not your fault; I just drank too fast. You were completely right to warn me.”

“Just now you were saying ‘you,’ and now you’re back to ‘you’ again?” Lu Huaicheng raised an eyebrow, his gaze deepening.

“…” Xia Liyang’s expression froze, and she awkwardly bit her lip, momentarily at a loss for words.

Fortunately, Lu Huaicheng didn’t dwell on the topic, instead, he casually sat back down in his chair and lazily instructed her, “Continue reading that chapter.”

“Okay.” Xia Liyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart and quickly picked up the book she had placed on the bedside.

There was only one page left of this chapter to read.

Soon, Xia Liyang reached the end and obediently lifted her face to look at Lu Huaicheng across from her. “This chapter is finished; should I continue reading?”

“No need.” Lu Huaicheng paused, his deep black eyes scrutinizing her, “Are you interested in this part-time job?”

Xia Liyang was taken aback. “Are you saying I passed the interview?”

“Mm.” Lu Huaicheng nodded slightly. “Lin Shen should have mentioned the working hours and salary to you.”

“Yes… but he didn’t tell me the specific hourly rate; I think he said it needed to be discussed further?” Xia Liyang hesitated, blinking.

But Lu Huaicheng didn’t directly answer her question; instead, he asked her, “How much is your mother’s surgery fee?”

“…” Xia Liyang’s brain quickly processed this, and she reported what she thought was a reasonable amount.

“Well, that’s roughly your salary for a month. If you agree to accept this part-time job, I can advance you that amount tomorrow,” Lu Huaicheng said casually.

Upon hearing this, Xia Liyang was stunned.

She had always thought he was indifferent to her so-called mother’s need for money for surgery.

Unexpectedly, he had arranged a solution for her.

It turned out that he wasn’t as indifferent as she had previously thought.

Regardless of whether this part-time job could promote her interaction with him, refusing his kindness would seem somewhat ungrateful.

Xia Liyang’s emotions were mixed as she bit her lip, forcing a grateful smile at him. “Of course I will accept it. Thank you for your help, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Huaicheng observed her quietly for a few seconds, then raised an eyebrow slightly. “Do you have any questions about this part-time job?”

“Um…” Xia Liyang glanced at the woman in the hospital bed. After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously probed, “Can I ask about her condition? Since you asked me to read Agatha Christie’s detective novels, is she also a fan of Agatha’s books? Perhaps I can choose some lesser-known works by her for her.”

“Yes,” Lu Huaicheng paused before honestly referring to her, “My mother used to love Agatha Christie. Of course, she would also read detective novels by other authors. If you have any interesting recommendations, you can tell Lin Shen to buy them.”

So it was indeed his mother.

She must be nearly fifty, yet she still looked so young. It could only be because she had been lying there for so many years that the pace of aging had slowed down.

Xia Liyang’s mood became heavier, and a hint of sympathy unconsciously surfaced in her clear eyes.

The pity in her gaze inexplicably pierced Lu Huaicheng’s heart.

When his mother had first had her accident, he often saw similar looks from the people around him.

Each time, it reminded him, as he was nervously preparing for the college entrance examination, that his mother had already become a vegetative state, and she would never smile at him again, never gently remind him to put on warmer clothes, nor accompany him to study late at night.

Even though she was still alive.

The most painful thing in life is to feel a semblance of hope while that hope is actually closer to delusion.

Lu Huaicheng’s gaze darkened as he sneered, “You’re already struggling to take care of yourself, so save that unnecessary sympathy for yourself. At least I have money to give my mother the best care.”

In fact, the best care often brings the longest suffering.

Isn’t it truly painful?

Xia Liyang moved her lips but couldn’t express her thoughts to him.

After all, to him, she was just a part-time worker trying to take advantage of him.

To her, he was merely a tool for inspiring her writing.

In this false relationship, the most out of place element was genuine emotion.

Xia Liyang quickly organized her thoughts and smiled awkwardly at him. “I understand. I’ll help choose some interesting detective novels for your mother in the coming days.”

“Hmm.” Lu Huaicheng glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. This place is too far from the city. You should take my car back to school.”

“…” Xia Liyang was taken aback and hurriedly waved her hands. “No, no, I can still catch the last subway.”

“You’ll have to walk twenty minutes on a dark road to get to the subway station, right?” He stood up and glanced down at her, his tone leaving no room for disagreement. “It’s not safe.”

“Then just drop me off at the subway station. After all, your direction doesn’t align with my school, and I don’t want to take up your time…” Xia Liyang bit her lip nervously. She didn’t want to be left at school and then have to deal with the hassle of taking a taxi back home.

Lu Huaicheng’s deep black eyes stared at her for a moment before he nodded in agreement.

As night fell, the empty corridor outside the hospital room was even quieter than when they arrived.

Only their footsteps echoed softly in the silence.

At first, Xia Liyang followed behind Lu Huaicheng somewhat awkwardly.

But when he turned back to urge her to hurry, she quickened her pace to walk alongside him.

She stole a glance at the man beside her.

He had draped his suit jacket over his arm, and his loosened tie was stuffed into his pocket, with a couple of buttons on his collar undone.

The light from the overhead fluorescent lamps made his skin appear even whiter, and his deep features, combined with the shadows cast by his long lashes, gave him an oddly soft and lazy expression.

Xia Liyang couldn’t help but muster the courage to inch closer to him, her arm brushing lightly against his crisp shirt sleeve.

Lu Huaicheng cast a brief glance at her, and the corner of his mouth subtly curved up.

He neither spoke nor avoided her, simply lowering his gaze as if granting her permission to get closer.

Feeling a surge of confidence, Xia Liyang was contemplating what to do next when they arrived at the elevator doors.

The elevator opened, and five or six people were already standing inside.

She felt a bit shy to flirt with him in front of so many people and retracted her arm awkwardly, staring blankly at the descending numbers on the elevator panel.

When the door opened on the third floor, two medical staff members wheeled in a surgical stretcher, preparing to enter the elevator.

“Excuse me, could everyone please step aside?”

Xia Liyang hurriedly took a step back but accidentally stepped on Lu Huaicheng’s foot. She lost her balance and bumped her shoulder against his solid chest.

“Be careful.” Lu Huaicheng frowned slightly, reaching out to steady her tilted waist.

She was wearing a short t-shirt that day, and with the sudden movement, her slender waist was exposed.

It just happened to be covered by his large hand, gloved in leather.

The stark contrast between his dark gloves and her fair skin was striking.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lu!”

Xia Liyang held her breath and quickly found a new place to stand straight.

Nervously, she glanced back at the man behind her.

His deep features cast shadows under his brow, emphasizing the intensity of his gaze.

She couldn’t quite discern the emotions in his dark eyes.

But she could feel his hand, resting on her waist, tightening slightly.

The touch of the leather gloves was soft yet slick.

And it carried a subtle warmth.

Xia Liyang’s heart raced; she couldn’t say whether it was from worrying about him getting angry or something else.

The elevator door closed again.

His hand on her waist subtly retracted and slipped into the pocket of his suit pants.

When they exited the elevator, Xia Liyang caught sight of the canvas shoe print she had left on his shiny leather shoes and felt even more flustered. She hurriedly looked through her bag, wanting to find a tissue to wipe it off for him.

Seeing her flustered, Lu Huaicheng smiled faintly: “No need; the car has arrived.”

“Oh…” Xia Liyang paused, then awkwardly glanced at him, “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s nothing.” Lu Huaicheng’s voice was warm, and he seemed genuinely unconcerned about the matter.

But Xia Liyang still felt a bit anxious. She thought a person as cleanly obsessive as him would surely be unhappy about having his shoes dirty.

Perhaps since they were still in the hospital, he was giving her some grace.

Once they got in the car, he might ask her to kneel and wipe his shoes for him.

So, as they walked toward the Rolls-Royce Phantom parked outside, Xia Liyang felt a bit like running away and awkwardly laughed, saying, “It’s still a bit of a detour to get to the subway station from here; I’d rather not trouble you. It’ll only take about 15 minutes if I walk fast.”

“Are you that unwilling to ride in my car?”

Sitting in the back seat, Lu Huaicheng crossed his long legs casually, his dark eyes scrutinizing her.

Xia Liyang felt her nerves tighten and replied softly, “It’s not that I don’t want to; I just don’t want to bother you…”

“I’m not the one driving, so what’s the trouble for me?” He scoffed.

“…”

That was quite reasonable; she had no retort.

Xia Liyang bit her lip, feeling a bit stuck, and finally complied, bending down to get into his car.

The air conditioning inside was set very low, at least ten degrees cooler than outside.

As soon as Xia Liyang sat down, she shivered from the cold and sneezed.

“…” Lu Huaicheng glanced at her sideways.

She awkwardly sniffed.

“Cold?” He raised an eyebrow slightly, his long fingers removing the black leather gloves, revealing a pair of well-proportioned hands.

“A bit…” Xia Liyang nervously fluttered her long eyelashes, fearing that his next words might be to ask her to help warm his shoes.

Lu Huaicheng quietly averted his gaze, picked up the suit jacket beside him, gave it a light shake, and draped it over her.

“If you’re cold, wear more.” His tone was indifferent, his gaze lightly sweeping over her slightly exposed waist.

“…” Xia Liyang was taken aback, finally realizing what happened. She pulled the suit jacket, which was about to slide off her shoulders, and cautiously draped it over herself. “Thank you, Mr. Lu.”

His suit was quite large, filled with his unique scent.

It was light, crisp, and lingering.

Without further ado, it wrapped around her.

Xia Liyang’s heart raced a few beats faster, and she sneakily glanced at the man beside her.

He had lazily leaned back against the seat, his eyes half-closed, with the light from the starry ceiling sparkling on his high nose bridge, making his aura somewhat elusive.

It seemed he really didn’t care about her dirtying his shoes.

He even lent her his suit jacket.

Did that mean she could continue flirting with him?

After pondering for a while, Xia Liyang tentatively tugged at his shirt sleeve, her voice soft: “Mr. Lu, won’t you be cold without your jacket?”

“Not cold.” He glanced at her briefly, answering somewhat absentmindedly.

“Oh.” Xia Liyang bit her lip again and cautiously touched the hand he had resting on his long legs.

Surprisingly, his hand felt cooler than hers.

She couldn’t help but curve her lips, as if she had finally found an opportunity to tease him, her eyes narrowing playfully as she said, “Mr. Lu, you’re lying; your hands are so cold.”

Lu Huaicheng’s body paused slightly, slowly turning his face toward her, his pitch-black eyes fixing on her somewhat smug face.

His gaze was deep, with a flicker of shadowy light in his eyes.

It carried a kind of captivating pressure.

Xia Liyang’s nerves tightened, and she instantly regretted her overly bold provocation.

She nervously avoided his penetrating gaze, and her hand, which had gently rested on the back of his hand, instinctively wanted to withdraw.

But he grasped her hand in return, holding her delicate fingers in place.

Xia Liyang stiffened for a moment, still not fully processing what had just happened.

He opened his long fingers, his broad palm slowly enveloping her delicate hand, his voice low and calm.

“Since you’re worried I’m cold, why not help warm my hand?”