After sending this, Lu Huaicheng didn’t reply as quickly as before.

Xia Liyang immediately regretted her rashness, but it was too late to retract the message, so she hurriedly followed up: “I was just joking, don’t be mad.”

Finally, Lu Huaicheng replied: “I’m not mad, I just think you have quite an imagination.”

…

It was rare for her to overthink, and yet she still got teased by him.

It seemed she really lacked basic judgment when it came to romantic feelings!

Feeling a bit dejected, Xia Liyang tugged at the corner of her mouth. Seeing that he didn’t seem inclined to tell her the guy’s name, she didn’t dare press further.

And after thinking it over, it didn’t really matter who he ended up marrying. It wasn’t her business to find out.

So, she shifted the conversation, trying to appeal to his sympathy with a new tactic:

“Wow, the birthday party looks so lively, and the cake is so beautiful.”

“My birthdays are always just me eating noodles alone, and I never even have a cake.”

[Sad puppy face.jpg.]

Looking at her teary-eyed puppy face, Lu Huaicheng paused his long fingers for a moment, then glanced at the lively nightclub booth she had mentioned.

Glasses clinked, confetti floated down, and the music boomed. The beautifully decorated cake in Wen Yuchen’s hands had lost its shape, smeared all over his face by the playful crowd.

Expensive champagne was being sprayed, while bunny girls danced energetically, creating an atmosphere of indulgence and extravagance.

But no one dared to pull him into the chaos.

Even though he sat casually in the center of the booth with his long legs lightly crossed, looking laid-back and strikingly handsome, everyone in their circle knew about his severe cleanliness obsession. 

And more importantly, he wasn’t someone to mess with, nor could just anyone afford to.

Lu Huaicheng’s eyes reflected the flickering lights, and after a moment of thought, he calmly lowered his gaze and typed on his phone:

“When is your birthday?”

But just as he finished typing, Wen Yuchen, wiping cake off his face, sat down beside him. “Huaicheng, why are you just sitting here on your phone? It’s Saturday night, still working?”

“No, just dealing with something else.” Lu Huaicheng paused and turned off his phone, looking up.

“Oh.” Wen Yuchen tossed the napkin aside and gestured for a bunny girl to pour two glasses of champagne. “How about a drink?”

“Sure. Happy birthday.” Lu Huaicheng smiled, lightly clinking his glass against Wen’s.

“Man, time flies. We’re almost 30,” Wen Yuchen remarked.

“You’re rounding up a bit too much,” Lu Huaicheng chuckled.

“Pfft, once your birthday passes next month, you’ll be 28,” Wen Yuchen smirked, then casually asked, “By the way, did you hire a new housekeeper?”

“Yeah.” Lu Huaicheng took a sip of his wine.

“I heard she’s really pretty, like a celebrity. How come you never mentioned it?” Wen Yuchen gave him a curious glance.

“What’s there to mention about a housekeeper?” Lu Huaicheng laughed dismissively.

“Oh, so you didn’t deny the part about her being pretty. Guess it’s true then,” Wen teased.

Lu Huaicheng smiled ambiguously. “Why ask about this? Did Wen Yulin ask you to dig around?”

“No, she didn’t. She just mentioned it in passing, and I got curious. Is that so wrong?”

“You broke up with that little starlet recently, huh? Now you’re curious about my housekeeper?”

“Why do you sound like you’re afraid I’ll steal her from you?” Wen Yuchen narrowed his eyes playfully. “You’ve been living like a monk for so many years—don’t tell me you’ve fallen for a housekeeper?”

“Who are you calling a monk?” Lu Huaicheng shot him a disapproving look.

“You don’t smoke, drink, or date women. If you’re not a monk, then what are you?” Wen Yuchen shrugged innocently. “As Yulin’s brother, I think it’s great, but as your friend, I kinda feel bad for you—missing out on all the fun in life.”

“I’ll tell your sister that you want to introduce me to smoking, drinking, and women.” Lu Huaicheng smiled.

“…It was just a joke! Give me a break, man. Who knows, maybe you’ll be calling me ‘big brother-in-law’ one day.” Wen Yuchen quickly pleaded, then shifted the conversation back. “So what do you really think about this housekeeper?”

Lu Huaicheng was silent for a few seconds, then lowered his eyes, placing his champagne glass down with casual indifference. His tone was light and dismissive: “Just a distraction.”

“I figured. Yulin was worried for nothing,” Wen Yuchen laughed as he stood up. “Wanna join us for cards?”

“You guys start first. I’ll be there soon.” Lu Huaicheng picked up his phone from the table.

“Alright, but remember it’s my birthday, so let me win a few rounds!” Wen Yuchen chuckled.

“No problem.” Lu Huaicheng smiled faintly, then opened his chat with Xia Liyang.

His lowered brow cast a shadow over his eyes, making his expression hard to read.

After a brief moment, his long fingers tapped the screen, deleting the message he had typed earlier.

He then turned off his phone and stood up, heading to the card table.

Meanwhile, Xia Liyang, who had finished cleaning and returned home without a reply from Lu Huaicheng, started to feel frustrated.

Why did it seem that every time she thought there was a little progress, he would precisely pour cold water over her hopes?

Was she flirting with him the wrong way these past two days?

Frowning, Xia Liyang slumped onto the sofa, feeling the corner of the ointment in her pocket poke her leg.

Absolutely done.

Annoyed, she pulled out the ointment from her pocket and tossed it straight into the trash can beside the coffee table.

If she hadn’t already experienced the sweet inspiration for her romance novel that came from him, she would’ve deleted this difficult man from her life right now.

Xia Liyang took a deep breath, trying to calm the frustration that was building up inside her.

However, the next day, when Xu Songnian came over to deliver the yak jerky, she couldn’t resist grabbing his hand, slowly drawing circles in his large palm with her smooth, rounded fingertip.

“What are you doing?” Xu Songnian’s body tensed up.

“Do you feel anything?” Xia Liyang lightly lifted her long lashes, revealing her clear, innocent eyes.

“…I don’t feel anything.” Xu Songnian’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his gaze briefly averted.

“So, it’s my technique that’s the problem, huh?” Xia Liyang sighed heavily and let go of his well-defined hand.

“What are you talking about?” Xu Songnian furrowed his thick brows, looking at her distressed face, a bad feeling rising in his chest.

“Nothing,” Xia Liyang turned around, putting away the yak jerky and changing the subject. “What should we eat for lunch?”

“…How about pizza?”

Xu Songnian quietly observed her for a moment, holding back his curiosity. But over the next few hours, he kept trying to bring up the topic again, rambling on endlessly.

Until she couldn’t take it anymore and reluctantly told him about her hand-holding and flirting with Lu Huaicheng.

Xu Songnian’s frown deepened, and just as his thin lips were about to move, he was lightly glared at by Xia Liyang: “You’re not allowed to make any comments! I’m in a really bad mood right now, and I don’t want to argue with you.”

“…” Xu Songnian was a little speechless, then gave a helpless smile, saying, “What do you think I’m going to comment on? I just want to give you some advice. After all, I’m a man too.”

“Oh.” Xia Liyang’s tense expression relaxed a bit as she took a bite of pizza and asked casually, “So, what do you think my problem is?”

Xu Songnian lowered his eyes, stroked his chin as if in deep thought for a moment.

Then he looked up and said seriously, “I think you should stop trying physical flirting. Most men don’t like women to be too forward, so you should act more reserved going forward.”

“So you mean I should stay passive?” Xia Liyang swallowed her pizza and gave him a questioning look.

“Exactly.” Xu Songnian paused before continuing his strategy, “You could even act a bit cold toward him. This technique is called ‘playing hard to get,’ and most men fall for it.”

“Oh.” Xia Liyang nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll try that next week then.”

“Yeah, the key is: if he doesn’t move, you don’t move either,” Xu Songnian advised once more.

“I got it.” Xia Liyang’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she patted his shoulder cheerfully, “Now that’s the best friend I know! Thanks for the tips!”

“No need to thank me.” Xu Songnian smiled faintly, but his eyes flickered a bit uneasily.

The truth was, the reason he was teaching her this was because he didn’t want her to have any more intimate contact with Lu Huaicheng.

A man like Lu Huaicheng, who was always so distant and lofty, would never fall for her ‘playing hard to get.’

If she stopped making moves, he definitely wouldn’t make any either.

If she acted cold, he’d probably just think she was being ungrateful.

In the end, she would naturally drift away from him, and she wouldn’t be able to get any more inspiration from him.

By then, he could subtly hint to her, and maybe she’d finally come around to his side.

With Xu Songnian’s advice, Xia Liyang became much quieter when she went to Lu Huaicheng’s house to clean.

Her long lashes hung down, and she silently mopped the floor, not even glancing at him as he sat on the sofa reading a book.

Even when she asked him to move his legs so she could pass, her voice was faint like a whisper.

It was as if there had never been any connection between them.

He was just her employer.

Lu Huaicheng couldn’t help but frown slightly, his thin lips parting as he spoke first: “Did you use the ointment I gave you the other day?”

Xia Liyang paused slightly, politely raising her head to give a brief response, “I used it.”

“How’s the effect?” he asked again.

“My hands don’t itch anymore.” She replied dryly, her expression indifferent.

“…” Lu Huaicheng’s gaze darkened. After watching her quietly for a moment, he lowered his head and returned to his book.

Even though it was just a few simple questions, this seemed to be the first time he had initiated a conversation with her while she was cleaning.

It seemed like Xu Songnian’s method was working!

Xia Liyang secretly smiled to herself as she kept her head down, and for the next hour, she didn’t glance at him once.

After finishing her cleaning, she gathered her things and gave him a polite but distant bow: “Mr. Lu, I’ll be heading out now.”

Lu Huaicheng slowly lifted his gaze, his deep, mysterious eyes studying her before he responded, his tone as light as a breeze, “Alright, take care.”

When she got home, unlike before, Xia Liyang didn’t text him to let him know she was safe or say goodnight.

She had hoped that maybe this would make him take the initiative to check in on her.

But even by midnight, his WeChat remained silent.

Feeling a bit impatient, she couldn’t resist sending Xu Songnian a message to update him on the night’s events.

Xu Songnian quickly replied: “Don’t worry, you’ve only left him hanging for one night. Plus, he did start a conversation with you.”

Xia Liyang: “That’s true.”

Xu Songnian: “Just keep it up. It’ll definitely work.”

Xia Liyang: “Got it.”

Reassured by Xu Songnian’s advice, Xia Liyang kept Lu Huaicheng waiting for half a month.

During that time, she made four visits to Qingjiang Hospital, and on one of them, near the end, she saw Lu Huaicheng there visiting his mother.

But she didn’t say much to him, and after finishing the chapter she was reading, she bid him farewell.

He also didn’t offer to drive her to the subway or take her back to school like before.

It seemed their relationship had cooled completely, as her ‘playing hard to get’ approach continued.

Unable to hold back any longer, Xia Liyang asked Xu Songnian for advice again, wondering when this strategy would finally work, as Lu Huaicheng didn’t seem to be affected at all.

“If he isn’t responding to this, maybe it’s because he’s just not interested in you. Even if you try different tactics, it might not work…” Xu Songnian said slowly.

“Really? But Song Jinhe said he probably had some feelings for me before.” Xia Liyang frowned.

“Even if he did have some feelings before, maybe he’s already grown tired of it. Look, he doesn’t even care that you’re ignoring him,” Xu Songnian patiently explained.

“So, what should I do?” Xia Liyang asked, feeling a bit distressed.

“My suggestion is to keep trying for another two weeks. If things don’t change, it might be time to move on. After all, you’ve already gotten some inspiration from him, so it’s not a total loss.” Xu Songnian advised, as if looking out for her best interest.

“Alright…” Xia Liyang hesitated but nodded.

Lately, Song Jinhe had been too busy with her graduation thesis, so Xia Liyang didn’t want to bother her.

And Xu Songnian’s reasoning did make sense.

“It’s past six now. How about we go downstairs and grab something to eat?” Xu Songnian glanced at his watch.

“I don’t feel comfortable around this area, so I’ll just go home and eat,” Xia Liyang smiled, waving her hand.

“Then let’s go to that popular BBQ place near your house. I don’t have anything else to do tonight, and I don’t need to go back to the office,” Xu Songnian suggested.

“Alright,” Xia Liyang agreed.

Because it was a Friday night, there was a long line outside the BBQ restaurant. The two took a number and sat down on the only remaining wide chair.

The early summer night brought mosquitoes, and in no time, Xia Liyang’s exposed legs were covered in several bites.

“You’re still as attractive to mosquitoes as ever,” Xu Songnian sympathized, noticing her constantly scratching her legs. “I’ll go buy you some mosquito repellent.”

“No need, the supermarket is too far, and our number is about to be called,” Xia Liyang stopped him.

“Oh, right,” Xu Songnian suddenly remembered something and pulled out a neatly packaged bar of soap from his jeans. “A Thai client gave me this citronella soap this morning. I forgot to take it out, but it can help with the itching.”

As he spoke, he opened the package, rubbed some soap on his fingers, and bent down. “Give me your leg.”

“… You sure have a lot of tricks,” Xia Liyang turned slightly and extended her leg toward him.

“Well, I do run a handyman business,” Xu Songnian smirked, gently rubbing the soap on her mosquito bites with his cool fingers.

“Impressive,” Xia Liyang chuckled, her eyes curving in amusement.

The lively summer night passed as the two bantered, their relaxed smiles illuminated by the neon signs above.

No one noticed the Rolls-Royce Phantom slowly passing by, or the suited man in the backseat watching them through narrowed eyes.