Xia Liyang was taken aback and, out of panic, unconsciously tightened her grip on Lu Huaicheng’s hand.

Noticing her subtle movement, Lu Huaicheng’s brows furrowed slightly, and his dark eyes turned to look at Xu Songnian, who was stepping out of the elevator.

Xu Songnian, who was focused on his phone, initially didn’t notice anyone outside the elevator until he felt a sharp gaze directed at him. He paused, raised his eyes, and when he saw Lu Huaicheng, his brows knitted even deeper. When he finally noticed Xia Liyang beside him, he was momentarily taken aback and instinctively said, “Yang…”

However, before he could finish, Xia Liyang interjected, “Mr. Xu! What are you doing here? You wouldn’t happen to live in the same building as us, would you?”

Her words came out hurriedly, and her eyes blinked rapidly as she shot him a look, silently urging him to go along with her lead.

Otherwise, she was doomed.

Xu Songnian swallowed hard, lowering his gaze to the hands intertwined between the two, and his expression darkened.

After a moment of silence, he slowly raised the corners of his mouth, smiling as he said, “What a coincidence! Which floor do you live on?”

“The top floor,” Lu Huaicheng replied casually, his narrow eyes narrowing slightly. “I wonder which floor Mr. Xu is on?”

“…” Xu Songnian glanced at Xia Liyang and straightforwardly replied, “The 12th floor.”

“Oh, then the view isn’t that great,” Lu Huaicheng smiled faintly, suddenly letting go of Xia Liyang’s hand and wrapping his arm around her waist in a more intimate manner.

Xu Songnian’s expression instantly darkened, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.

The already tense atmosphere suddenly became charged and confrontational.

Xia Liyang’s breath caught in her throat, and she hurriedly tugged on Lu Huaicheng’s arm, pulling him toward the elevator. “Um, we have something to attend to, so we’ll head upstairs first. Goodbye, Mr. Xu!”

“…” Xu Songnian’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

However, upon noticing her anxious demeanor, which suggested she was afraid of exposing something, he silently swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. His knuckles tightened around his phone as he forced out a stiff smile. “Alright, goodbye.”

Once inside the elevator, Xia Liyang quickly pressed the close door button.

She didn’t even dare to glance back at Xu Songnian, who was still standing at the elevator doors.

When the doors finally closed, leaving just her and Lu Huaicheng in the confined space, she exhaled a sigh of relief and cautiously stole a glance at the man beside her.

Just in time, her gaze collided with his deep, dark eyes.

With no time to naturally avert her eyes, Xia Liyang could only awkwardly smile and say, “What a coincidence! I didn’t expect him to live in this building too.”

“Indeed,” Lu Huaicheng replied blandly, suddenly asking, “You’ve been living here for almost a month, right? Have you never run into him before?”

“…No, I really haven’t,” Xia Liyang replied with an awkward smile, trying to put on an innocent expression.

“In the two years you knew him before, you never visited his place?” His sharp gaze seemed to probe into her heart.

Xia Liyang couldn’t help but swallow nervously and quickly shook her head. “No, I really didn’t know he lived here.”

Lu Huaicheng’s dark gaze lingered on her pale face for a moment before he averted his eyes and casually said, “I’ll get you moved to a different apartment later.”

“…” Xia Liyang was taken aback, thinking about how many vacant properties he must own, and that he seemed overly concerned about her relationship with Xu Songnian!

Just because they lived in the same building, he wanted her to move? That was outrageous.

However, this might be a good opportunity to mention her resignation to him.

Xia Liyang bit her lip, carefully choosing her words. “There’s really no need to change apartments. I’m just friends with him, and I plan to…”

“He might not consider you just a friend,” Lu Huaicheng interrupted her with a furrowed brow, his tone serious.

“…” Xia Liyang was momentarily stunned, her brows knitting together as she couldn’t help but retort, “He considers me a friend too. Our relationship is completely innocent. Why do you keep holding on to this?”

“I’m holding on?” Lu Huaicheng scoffed, tightening his grip around her waist slightly, his brow furrowing as he stared at her with dark eyes. “As a man, I can tell how he looks at you. It’s only you who doesn’t seem to realize it or are pretending not to.”

“…” Xia Liyang opened her mouth, wanting to yell at him, “What do you know!”

I’ve grown up with him since childhood; how could I not understand him?!

What a ridiculous joke.

But she couldn’t say that out loud and could only remain silent, feeling frustrated.

Seeing her quiet, Lu Huaicheng’s irritation deepened.

She had clearly gripped his hand tightly in panic the moment she saw Xu Songnian.

Moreover, Xu Songnian’s expression had visibly darkened when he noticed him wrapping his arm around her waist.

“Just friends?” He thought she was blind!

It was utterly ridiculous.

As the elevator doors opened, Lu Huaicheng released his hold on her waist, his thin lips pressed tightly together as he stepped out of the elevator with a gloomy expression.

Xia Liyang lowered her eyelashes, following behind him unhappily.

As the corridor lights flickered on, the cold white light fell on Lu Huaicheng’s dark hair, making him look even more aloof and cold.

Without a word, he raised his hand and pressed the code on the door lock.

The beeping echoed harshly in the unusually quiet corridor, sounding somewhat jarring.

Xia Liyang stole a glance at his harsh profile and thought to herself, why had she dragged this out for so long? It would have been better to mention her resignation over WeChat.

That night, though rushed, would have been better than ending things in tonight’s cold atmosphere.

Thinking of this, the unhappiness in her heart transformed into a vague sense of sorrow, and she unconsciously bit her lip.

As Lu Huaicheng pushed open the door and glanced at the gloomy Xia Liyang, she had her thick lashes lowered, her lips slightly pale from biting, yet she still refused to soften her stance and show him any affection.

He couldn’t help but exhale deeply and suddenly pulled her into the dark room, pressing her against the wall by the entrance.

Xia Liyang was taken by surprise, unable to process what was happening.

His hot lips suddenly landed on her cool, soft cheek, his breath fervently seeking her lips as he began to kiss her passionately.

Jealousy, insecurity, longing, and annoyance…

It was as if he poured all his emotions into this kiss, burning her to the core and making her tremble involuntarily, her heart feeling as if it were pierced by a fine needle, twitching slightly.

The emotions that had been bottled up in her heart finally found a release.

After a storm of kisses, Xia Liyang felt dizzy, leaning against Lu Huaicheng’s broad chest, her legs unsteady.

Listening to his rapid heartbeat, she gradually returned to calmness.

In the darkness, neither of them spoke first.

All that could be heard were their hurried breaths, which gradually slowed down.

Until Lu Huaicheng’s clearly defined hand crossed her shoulder and turned on the light on the wall.

The suddenly bright light made Xia Liyang squint, and she instinctively hid her face against his warm chest.

Lu Huaicheng’s hand dropped to her back, and he lowered his head to kiss her disheveled long hair, his voice returning to its usual clarity: “Now you know to burrow into my arms. What were you so angry about earlier?”

“I wasn’t angry with you; I just felt that you were unjustly accusing me,” Xia Liyang pouted her lips, still glistening from his kiss, and mumbled softly.

“Sorry, I just wanted to remind you not to lie to me about such things.” Lu Huaicheng paused for a moment, gazing at her with his dark eyes. “I don’t care who you’ve been with before; I just hope you’re honest with me now.”

Honesty…

That was the one thing she couldn’t offer him.

Xia Liyang’s emotions were complicated as she remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly, “I understand.”

Entering the living room, while Lu Huaicheng went to brew coffee, Xia Liyang quickly pulled out her phone and looked at a series of WeChat messages from Xu Songnian.

“I lost my key. I’ll come to your apartment to get the spare one.”

“Where did you go?”

“Why haven’t you come back?”

“I went downstairs to the convenience store to buy a bottle of water. It’s too hot.”

…

Damn, no wonder he suddenly came looking for her.

Xia Liyang’s mouth twitched as she quickly sent him the home password: “You can go to my apartment and get it yourself. It’s in the drawer at the entrance. I can’t get away right now.”

Xu Songnian: “Didn’t you say you were going to resign? Why are you still living in his house?”

Xia Liyang: “We’ll talk about it next time we meet.”

Xu Songnian: “Then come out to see me now.”

???

Xia Liyang paused, “Don’t be ridiculous. I really can’t get away.”

Xu Songnian: “Haven’t you finished collecting your materials? Is it really necessary to care about him?”

Xia Liyang: “That’s not the issue.”

Xu Songnian: “Then what is the issue?”

Xia Liyang hesitated, not understanding why he was so serious about this matter.

Could it be that he really had feelings for her beyond friendship, just as Lu Huaicheng suggested?

Xia Liyang was taken aback; she had been so flustered earlier that she hadn’t noticed the change in Xu Songnian’s expression.

Now that she thought back, he did seem a bit upset.

But before she could sort out her thoughts, Lu Huaicheng gracefully approached with a coffee cup in hand, walking toward the sofa where she was sitting.

Xia Liyang’s nerves tightened, and she hurriedly turned off her phone, placing it face down on her lap.

“Mr. Lu, aren’t you worried that you’ll have trouble sleeping after drinking coffee at night?”

Her eyes curved like crescent moons, and she forced a smile at him.

“I won’t. Coffee doesn’t have a stimulating effect on me anymore,” Lu Huaicheng replied casually, glancing at the phone she was hiding on her lap.

He felt that she seemed to be hiding something from him.

But seeing her sweet and soft smile, he didn’t press her for details, lazily sitting beside her and saying, “Come with me to Lianzhou Island tomorrow.”

“…” Xia Liyang was taken aback.

Though she didn’t know why he suddenly arranged a trip for her, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to tell him she couldn’t go because she needed to go home to harvest wheat.

She couldn’t help but press her lips together, hesitating to formulate her response.

Seeing her stunned silence, Lu Huaicheng added lightly, “To celebrate your birthday.”

Xia Liyang paused, looking up in surprise: “How did you know it was my birthday?”

She remembered the last time she had complained about nobody celebrating her birthday, he had barely acknowledged it.

Let alone asking when her birthday was.

“Didn’t you write it on your resume when you applied?” Lu Huaicheng said, lowering his gaze and leisurely taking a sip of his coffee.

“But why do you want me to go with you to Lianzhou Island? Are you going there for work?” Xia Liyang fluttered her long lashes, still a bit confused.

“Didn’t you say you’ve never seen the real sea?” Lu Huaicheng paused, lifted his gaze back to her, and spoke gently, “So I’m taking you to see it. Perhaps this way, you can understand that I’ll be busy in Beicheng for a while after this.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Liyang felt a mix of emotions.

She didn’t even remember lying to him, yet he had been keeping it in mind all this time.

He even specifically returned from work to take her to see “the sea she had never seen” on her birthday.

Looking into his deep and warm eyes that were gazing at her.

Xia Liyang’s carefully prepared refusal, along with her resignation, became stuck in her throat.