Lu Huaicheng looked at her quietly, his gentle eyes reflecting the warm yellow light above, with a subtle hint of ambiguity in his deep-set features.

Xia Liyang’s heart skipped a beat, her long lashes instinctively lowering to hide the panic in her eyes.

“I cut the sugar by half. How is it still sweet?” she muttered softly, feeling like he was teasing her again.

Lu Huaicheng didn’t respond, but his smile deepened as he casually released her slender wrist.

Xia Liyang quickly withdrew her hand holding the fork, scraping off another layer of cream to taste it herself.

There was barely any sweetness left!

He found it sweet, really?

Xia Liyang’s lips twitched as she raised her head slowly, biting the fork. “Mr. Lu, you really can’t tolerate even a bit of sweetness, huh?”

“Mm.” Lu Huaicheng’s smile remained, though his gaze turned a shade deeper as he lazily reminded her, “Aren’t you going to use a different fork?”

“…” Xia Liyang froze, realizing in her flustered state, she had forgotten to switch forks, and had shared the same one with him.

Unable to resist, she put down the fork in her hand and awkwardly said, “It’s fine, I don’t mind that you used it.”

“…” Lu Huaicheng raised an eyebrow, giving her an amused glance.

“I mean, you probably don’t have any infectious diseases, like H. pylori or anything…” Xia Liyang forced a laugh, realizing the more she explained, the more off-track she was going.

Lu Huaicheng’s smile deepened, amusement evident in his voice, “Rest assured, I don’t.”

Xia Liyang’s ears turned slightly red as she suddenly recalled a common trope from romance novels—an indirect kiss when the male and female leads share the same utensil or drink from the same bottle of water!

So, had she just achieved an indirect kiss with Lu Huaicheng?

But somehow, it felt like the pink bubbles of romance that should be rising had all been burst by her earlier words!

Damn it! She had missed another great chance to experience a moment of flirtatious tension.

Xia Liyang was filled with regret and desperately wanted to salvage the mood, but couldn’t find a good way to start.

After a brief struggle, she awkwardly blurted out, “Uh, did we just indirectly kiss?”

“…” Lu Huaicheng was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter.

And it was the kind of laughter that just wouldn’t stop.

Watching him lean against the kitchen island, his broad hand supporting himself, eyebrows relaxed, and shoulders shaking with laughter, Xia Liyang’s embarrassment deepened, her face burning.

Though she wasn’t sure which part of her words had triggered him, she was convinced his laughter was mostly mocking her.

If she’d known, she wouldn’t have forced the situation.

Not only had she failed to create any romantic atmosphere, but she had turned herself into a comedy act.

“Um…” Xia Liyang took a deep breath, trying to pretend nothing had happened. “You should eat your cake, I’ll go get your birthday present.”

“Why? Not interested in discussing the indirect kiss anymore?” Lu Huaicheng stifled his laughter, tilting his head lazily as he glanced at her.

“There’s really nothing more to discuss.” Xia Liyang averted her eyes, her voice stiff, “I was overthinking it.”

“Indeed,” Lu Huaicheng nodded lightly, sounding casual. “After all, it was just you using my fork. At most, it counts as you indirectly kissing me, not us having an indirect kiss.”

Surprised that he was seriously analyzing the logic behind it, Xia Liyang was stunned for a moment before blurting out, “Then why don’t you use my fork to eat some cake too? Then it would count as an indirect kiss.”

Lu Huaicheng chuckled softly, his voice slightly husky, “What’s the point of an indirect kiss?”

“…” Xia Liyang was at a loss for words.

To be honest, she didn’t know what was so special about it either.

She just wanted to experience it and get some inspiration!!!

But she couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t just asking out of curiosity—it felt like there was a deeper meaning behind his words.

Before she could think it through, Lu Huaicheng had already averted his gaze and calmly opened a new fork to eat the cake she had cut for him.

Seeing this, Xia Liyang stopped overthinking it and hurried to the living room to fetch his gift.

Lu Huaicheng glanced up slightly, watching her slender figure disappear into the distance.

He then cast a quick glance at the fork she had left on the cake plate.

For some reason, his hand instinctively reached out and picked it up again.

The image of her bright eyes, seriously asking if it counted as an indirect kiss, flashed through his mind.

His hand paused, and after a brief moment, he put the fork down.

Taking a step forward, he followed her into the living room.

Xia Liyang was crouching by the sofa, just pulling out the gift bag she had hidden behind it when she heard footsteps behind her.

“Mr. Lu, why did you follow me…” Xia Liyang froze for a moment and turned around, surprise evident on her face.

“I’m done eating,” Lu Huaicheng said leisurely, sitting down on the sofa, his dark eyes sweeping over the paper bag in her hand.

Noticing his gaze, Xia Liyang quickly handed him the bag. “Here, your gift.”

Lu Huaicheng took it with his slender fingers and pulled out the square box wrapped simply in blue paper.

“Sorry, I didn’t have much money to buy you a gift that suits you, so I made one myself. It might be a bit rough…” Xia Liyang bit her lip lightly, giving a disclaimer in advance.

“It’s fine. The thought is more important than the price.” Lu Huaicheng smiled and began unwrapping the paper.

But when he saw the gray scarf inside, his expression subtly shifted.

He raised his eyes and, with a hint of teasing in his tone, said, “A scarf in the summer, how creative.”

“Um…you can save it for winter!” Xia Liyang smiled awkwardly, her eyes curving at the corners.

“And isn’t this a bit short to be a scarf?” He unfolded the scarf, raising an eyebrow.

“…” Xia Liyang felt her nerves tighten.

She had hoped he wouldn’t notice the scarf’s… lack of length before wearing it.

Who knew this man had such sharp eyes, immediately catching that it was too short?

“Well, you could wear it as a neck warmer,” Xia Liyang swallowed nervously, trying to salvage the situation. “Actually, it’s designed to be a neck warmer.”

“Really?” Lu Huaicheng chuckled, his sharp jawline tilting towards the discarded box lid. “Why don’t you take a look at what’s written on the box?”

Xia Liyang’s breath caught as she glanced at the lid, spotting a small line of text in the corner.

“DIY Scarf Kit”

She was doomed.

“Why did she have to take the easy way out by using the original box as a gift box!”

Xia Liyang bit her lip in frustration, realizing she couldn’t brush off this situation. She could only try playing the sympathy card.

She took a deep breath, her long eyelashes fluttering down, and said in a soft, pitiful voice, “I’m sorry, Mr. Lu. I’ve really been trying my best to knit this scarf, but I’m just not good at this kind of handiwork. I stayed up for a few nights but still couldn’t finish it before your birthday, so I…”

“So you ended up giving me a half-finished scarf as a makeshift gift?” Lu Huaicheng narrowed his long, sharp eyes slightly, his deep gaze fixed on her.

“I wasn’t trying to fool you…” Xia Liyang nervously clenched the hem of her clothes, her clear eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I was afraid that if I told you I wasn’t ready, you’d be upset.”

Lu Huaicheng didn’t say anything, merely leaned back lazily against the sofa, his black eyes watching her intently.

As if waiting to see what other excuses she could come up with.

Xia Liyang grew increasingly nervous under his gaze, straightening her posture slightly.

Lowering her watery eyes, she struggled with her words, her voice fragile: “Also, I pricked my finger with the needle halfway through, which delayed me a bit…”

The air fell silent for a moment.

Lu Huaicheng finally spoke, his lips parting slightly: “Let me see your finger, is it serious?”

Xia Liyang stiffened a bit and gave an awkward smile. “It’s fine, it’s mostly healed.”

However, Lu Huaicheng had already raised his distinctively slender wrist, signaling for her to give him her hand.

Reluctantly, Xia Liyang rubbed the hem of her clothes twice before cautiously extending her slightly reddened fingertips toward his large, well-defined hand.

Without a word, his calloused fingertips gently brushed over her reddened fingers.

The warmth from his touch traveled through her nerves, all the way to her heart.

The delicate sensation made her heartbeat tickle, her ears flush with heat. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but his fingertips held her in place.

“Why are you pulling away?”

Lu Huaicheng raised his dark eyes slowly, his thumb pressing against the soft spot between her thumb and forefinger, pulling her closer toward him.

Xia Liyang was startled, losing her balance and stumbling into his broad chest.

The faint, cool scent of the man filled her nose with a sudden intensity.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lu!” 

Xia Liyang’s slender hands pressed against his firm chest, nervously trying to stand up.

But his large hand held her slender waist firmly in place.

Xia Liyang froze, her body stiffening as she awkwardly lifted her puzzled face. “Mr. Lu…”

“Do you know what I hate the most?” Lu Huaicheng frowned slightly, and the dark, unreadable look in his eyes deepened.

“Physical….physical contact?” Xia Liyang swallowed hard, unable to guess why he had suddenly trapped her like this.

“No.” Lu Huaicheng paused for a moment, his cold voice lowering, “What I hate the most is being lied to by those around me.”

“…” Xia Liyang was taken aback, her voice soft and cautious, “I didn’t mean to lie to you. I was just afraid of making you upset. Since you don’t like it, I’ll always tell you the truth from now on, okay?”

She looked at him with clear, innocent eyes, her slender shoulders rising and falling slightly, her teeth nervously biting her lip, her body stiff as she nestled against him.

Her clear eyes were filled with unease.

Lu Huaicheng’s frown relaxed a little, his lips parting slightly as he spoke, “You can tell me the truth right now.”

Xia Liyang thought for a moment, picking a part of the truth she could reveal, and spoke pitifully, “Actually, it’s because when I was halfway through knitting, you suddenly asked me to help you pick out a gift for another girl. I felt really upset, so I didn’t want to keep knitting and just wrapped it up like that.”

“Mm.” Lu Huaicheng’s frown relaxed further. “And?”

“And you picked the most complicated cake design. I felt like you were making things difficult for me.” Xia Liyang’s long lashes fluttered as she spoke, her tone tinged with grievance.

“Mm.” Lu Huaicheng responded softly, his voice returning to its usual warmth. “Anything else?”

“No.” Xia Liyang shook her head gently, trying to meet his gaze with an honest and sincere look.

Lu Huaicheng studied her quietly for a moment, a faint smile reappearing on his lips. “In the future, tell me the truth when you’re upset. Don’t secretly take it out on me. Just tell me directly.”

“I understand,” Xia Liyang nodded obediently, then added softly, “But what right do I have to tell you about my grievances? I’m just your housekeeper.”

Lu Huaicheng’s dark eyes deepened, his large hand on her waist tightening slightly. He chuckled softly.

“Since when does a housekeeper get to lie on top of her employer?”