Xia Liyang’s heart pounded as she hadn’t expected Lu Huaicheng to remember her. After all, there were many girls asking him questions during that lecture, and she hadn’t spoken much to him.

Could it be that he noticed her because she was wearing a mask?

But even so, with her mask covering most of her face, how could he recognize her by just her eyes?

Besides, that day she had her hair down, and she had deliberately lowered and disguised her voice.

Maybe he just knew she was a student from Jiangcheng University and was asking casually.

She couldn’t lose her composure and reveal anything.

Especially since she had dressed quite extravagantly that day. 

If he truly remembered, her fabricated background would be exposed immediately.

Xia Liyang quickly steadied her heartbeat and pretended to be confused, asking, “Have you given a lecture at our school?”

“Two weeks ago,” Lu Huaicheng replied, staring sharply into her eyes as if he could see through everything.

Xia Liyang swallowed lightly and widened her eyes, putting on an effortful look of surprise. “Oh, I didn’t hear about that. What was the topic of your lecture?”

“Finance,” Lu Huaicheng answered in an indifferent tone.

“Oh! No wonder no one in my department mentioned it. I’m a Chinese Literature major, so it’s a bit far off.” Xia Liyang chuckled awkwardly and then blinked her long eyelashes, feigning curiosity. “Did someone in your class look a lot like me?”

Lu Huaicheng’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly, his deep gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds before he smiled and said, “Maybe I remembered wrong.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Liyang silently breathed a sigh of relief and seized the opportunity, blinking her clear, bright eyes as she asked him, “Mr. Lu, can I wait until you’ve checked my work before leaving?”

Lu Huaicheng paused slightly, glancing at her puppy-like, pitiful expression.

After a moment of silence, he finally gave a slight nod.

“Thank you, Mr. Lu!” Xia Liyang quickly bowed and then respectfully stepped back against the wall, her eyes curving into a crescent as she smiled. “I’ll wait here by the entrance. I’m really sorry for taking up your valuable time.”

“It’s no problem,” Lu Huaicheng responded with a gentle smile. He was starting to understand why Lin Shen had spoken up for her.

However, this wouldn’t shake his strict hiring standards. If she didn’t meet the requirements, he’d still send her away.

After all, he was a businessman, not a philanthropist.

Lu Huaicheng lowered his head and removed his leather shoes, glancing at the neatly placed slippers by the door.

They were perfectly aligned, just as he had requested, with the toes facing the door, and even the gap between the two slippers was precisely centered on the door mat.

He couldn’t help but twitch his lips slightly in approval as he changed into the slippers and strode into the villa.

Although his home was spacious, the areas requiring the part-time housekeeper’s attention were not extensive.

Rooms like the kitchen, the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, and the outdoor garden were handled regularly by professional cleaners.

Xia Liyang, who came every other day, only needed to do daily chores like mopping, sweeping, and wiping down surfaces.

However, his standards for these tasks were meticulous and demanding, which often led previous cleaners to miss one or two details and fail to meet his expectations.

Before long, Lu Huaicheng had finished inspecting everything and returned to the entrance, looking quite satisfied.

Even though Xia Liyang had anticipated the result, she still pretended to be nervous, clutching the corner of her shirt and cautiously asking, “Mr. Lu, is there anything I need to improve on?”

“No, you’ve done very well,” Lu Huaicheng didn’t hesitate to praise her.

She had followed all of his requirements without missing a single detail, and even added her own touches that catered perfectly to his obsessive need for order.

“So, does that mean I’ve passed the interview?” Xia Liyang’s clear, bright eyes sparkled, and her long lashes fluttered like a butterfly taking flight.

“Mm, Lin Shen will contact you later to sign the contract,” Lu Huaicheng said with a refined smile. He then reminded her, “However, if you don’t maintain these standards after starting the job, you’ll still be let go.”

“I understand! I’ll definitely do my best and live up to your expectations!” Xia Liyang nodded eagerly, but her face soon showed a hint of difficulty. “It’s just that I have classes during the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Is there any chance you could adjust the cleaning schedule? I can still come on Saturdays as usual.”

However, Lu Huaicheng didn’t follow her script at all and suggested she switch to Wednesdays and Fridays instead.

Biting her lip, she continued with her story, “I’m sorry, but I help my professor with research on Wednesdays and Fridays, so it’s hard to change. Could I come in the evenings instead?”

Lu Huaicheng’s brow furrowed slightly, clearly unwilling to compromise.

Sensing this, Xia Liyang quickly waved her hand, pretending not to mind. “But if you’re worried that I’ll disturb your rest by coming in the evenings, I can skip my classes! It’s no problem!”

“…”

Lu Huaicheng paused, his eyes unreadable as he glanced at her without responding.

“After all, I can always make up my coursework later. Right now, making money is more important,” Xia Liyang forced a bright smile, though she was starting to feel a bit embarrassed. “Mr. Lu, please just forget I mentioned it. Don’t let this affect your decision to hire me…”

“It won’t,” Lu Huaicheng finally replied, though his tone was flat and devoid of any extra emotion.

Xia Liyang couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, but she pretended to be relieved, patting her chest and bowing again. “Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I’ll be leaving now, and I hope you rest well.”

With that, she turned around, looking slightly dejected, and squatted by the door to change her shoes.

Even though her act of appearing strong and seeking sympathy didn’t seem to work this time, she could feel that he hadn’t left yet, his gaze still on her.

So, she slowed down as she tied her shoelaces and even pretended to stumble slightly while standing up, as if the soles of her shoes had worn out.

But the person behind her remained completely unresponsive, only saying indifferently, “Be careful.”

“…”

Damn it! Was her acting too obvious, or had she overestimated his empathy?

If the cleaning schedule couldn’t be changed, then all her effort today was for nothing. She didn’t care about the wages he’d pay her anyway!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She aggressively twisted the doorknob in frustration.

But unexpectedly, the doorknob came off in her hand.

Xia Liyang froze, holding the doorknob awkwardly as she turned back to face him.

Lu Huaicheng was momentarily taken aback, his sharp features softening as he let out a low laugh.