Lu Huaicheng’s expression slightly stiffened, his hand hovering in the air.

Outside the bedroom, the sound of the bathroom door opening was heard.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he quickly rearranged the clothes on the upper layer of the suitcase, covering the red polka dot bikini along with the box of condoms.

Then he stood up as if nothing had happened, leaning casually against the edge of the dressing table, glancing at Xia Liyang, who hurriedly walked in.

In a calm and elegant voice, he said, “No rush; there’s still plenty of time.”

“I’m just afraid you’ll have to wait too long, Mr. Lu,” Xia Liyang smiled, bending her eyes as she threw her electric toothbrush and sunscreen into the suitcase, closed the lid, and raised her bright face, “Alright, we can set off now.”

“Let me take the suitcase,” Lu Huaicheng smiled gently, reached out to drag her upright suitcase closer, and with the other hand, held her hand.

His palm was dry and warm, making Xia Liyang’s heart flutter lightly. Feeling a bit shy, she lowered her long eyelashes, gently responded with an “mm,” and followed him out the door.

The flight time from Jiangcheng to Lianzhou Island was nearly two hours.

There were not many passengers in first class, and it was quiet enough to only hear the roar of the engine.

As soon as the seatbelt sign went off, Xia Liyang loosened her somewhat tight seatbelt, turned on the entertainment system display screen in front of her, and tried to find a movie to pass the time.

She slid her slender fingers across the screen for a while, faintly sensing the man next to her casting his gaze upon her. She paused her movements and turned her face.

When she collided with his slightly probing dark eyes, she suddenly realized that her previous series of actions had been too smooth, completely unlike a poor student who had never flown before.

Xia Liyang’s nerves tightened, and she quickly smiled awkwardly at him, softly saying, “Mr. Lu, how do you use this display screen? Can we watch movies or something?”

Lu Huaicheng’s gaze was deep; he quietly observed her for a moment before smiling and saying, “I thought you would be more interested in the view outside, so I specifically arranged a window seat for you.”

“…Actually, I’m a bit afraid of heights. Looking outside makes me feel anxious,” Xia Liyang said, swallowing nervously as she explained.

Perhaps because she was about to resign soon, the tension she had maintained in front of him for a long time had relaxed a bit, resulting in her overlooking some of the details of her pretense.

“In that case,” Lu Huaicheng paused slightly, his voice warm and caring, “would you like to switch seats with me?”

“No, no, I can just not look outside,” Xia Liyang waved her hands awkwardly, smiling shyly. “Just teach me how to find a movie on this display screen.”

As Lu Huaicheng leaned over to help her adjust the screen, Xia Liyang pretended not to know and searched for the headphone jack for a long time.

Until Lu Huaicheng noticed her actions, lowered his gaze, and pointed out the correct position for her.

“Oh, this is quite well hidden,” Xia Liyang said, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Yeah.” Lu Huaicheng restrained his gaze, sliding his long fingers across the screen as he said, “There aren’t many movies available on the plane. See if there’s anything that interests you.”

“Is there the last part of that series we watched together before?” Xia Liyang tilted her head.

Lu Huaicheng frowned slightly as he looked for it: “No.”

“Alright then…” Xia Liyang’s long eyelashes drooped in disappointment.

Although she wasn’t particularly fond of such romantic art films and had even fallen asleep during the first one, since they had watched the first two together, she still wanted to see the last one with him.

It would mark a perfect conclusion to their relationship.

Noticing the disappointment reflected in her eyes, Lu Huaicheng’s brows relaxed, and he softly comforted her, “It’s okay, there will be plenty of time in the future. I promised you I would make time to watch it together.”

“Mm.” Xia Liyang smiled obediently at him.

Yet in her heart, she felt a sense of loss, thinking, where would there be plenty of time in the future?

She would have to say goodbye to him tomorrow.

When the plane landed, it was already evening.

Lianzhou Island was not large, and it took only about half an hour to get from the airport to the seaside city.

The sun had not yet sunk into the ocean, and a magnificent sunset stretched across the horizon.

To Xia Liyang’s surprise, Lu Huaicheng did not take her to any hotel; the taxi stopped in front of a seaside villa.

The building, with its white walls and red tiles, resembled a small villa from the past.

Curious, Xia Liyang followed Lu Huaicheng out of the car. As soon as she stepped onto the entrance steps, she saw a woman who looked like a housekeeper come out to greet them.

She appeared to be in her fifties, with her hair neatly styled in a bun at the back of her head, her face kind, and she smiled as she said, “Mr. Lu, you’re back.”

“Mm, Aunt Zhang, I’m back.” Lu Huaicheng smiled gently.

“This must be Miss Xia. She’s really lovely,” Aunt Zhang glanced at Xia Liyang beside him.

Xia Liyang smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to say next.

She remembered Lu Huaicheng saying that Lianzhou Island was his mother’s hometown. He wouldn’t really bring her to his family’s old residence, would he?

As she pondered, Aunt Zhang cheerfully said, “Come in and rest. I’ve prepared some tea for you.”

The villa’s interior was elegantly decorated, exuding a sense of old money from the last century.

Xia Liyang sat a bit stiffly on the sofa, lowering her thick long eyelashes as she took a sip of the tea in her hand.

The fragrant aroma spread across her palate.

“Do you like it?” Lu Huaicheng lazily leaned against the back of the sofa, glancing at her.

“Mm, I can taste some fruity notes,” Xia Liyang gently fluttered her long eyelashes and lifted her gaze to ask him, “What kind of tea is this?”

“Biluochun. Aunt Zhang’s family are tea farmers from Wusu, so they help reserve some for me every year.”

“I see,” Xia Liyang nodded, finally unable to hold back her curiosity. “Is this your…”

“Grandmother’s house.” Lu Huaicheng paused slightly, glancing at her straight back, and smiled lightly, saying, “But my grandmother has already passed away. Aunt Zhang was her caregiver in the past, so she is still helping manage this old house. And she just left, so you don’t have to be so formal; it’s just you and me here.”

“Mm…” Xia Liyang bit her lip, feeling inexplicably more nervous.

Perhaps it was the unfamiliar environment, or maybe her mind was preset to think that something might happen on this seaside trip.

To ease her tension, she suggested that she wanted to go out and see the sunset by the sea.

Lu Huaicheng turned to look at the sky outside the window and said leisurely, “Once we finish the tea, I’ll take you to the nearby beach to watch the sunset; the timing will be just right.”

But Xia Liyang just wanted to go outside for some fresh air, so she downed the tea in her hand and stood up impatiently. “Then you take your time drinking, I’ll go look at the sea from the yard!”

“…” Lu Huaicheng paused elegantly, holding the teacup, looked at her and chuckled, “Why are you in such a hurry? The sea is right there; it won’t run away.”

“I’m just a little excited since it’s my first time seeing it…” Xia Liyang laughed awkwardly to cover up.

His dark eyes lingered on her slightly tense face for a moment before he gently reminded her, “Remember to reapply sunscreen; the sun by the sea can be strong even in the evening.”

“Mm.” Xia Liyang hesitated and asked, “Where did you put my suitcase?”

Lu Huaicheng replied, “The first room at the top of the stairs.”

“Got it.” Xia Liyang smiled at him, then hurried upstairs.

There were three rooms upstairs, and she wondered if Lu Huaicheng had arranged for her to stay in the same one as him. 

Checking if his suitcase was with hers would clarify things.

Feeling a bit nervous, Xia Liyang pushed open the first room door, only to be greeted by a sight of pink roses filling the windowsill, golden balloons floating from the ceiling, beautiful ribbons hanging by the bed, and a warm glowing “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” decoration light.

Xia Liyang was taken aback, pausing at the door.

He even specially decorated the room for her?

Could it be because she mentioned she envied the lively celebrations and ceremonies for her friend’s birthday?

So he thoughtfully prepared such a surprise for her.

After standing there for a moment, Xia Liyang walked into the room with mixed feelings, glancing at the wall beside her, where her suitcase sat all alone.

It seemed he wouldn’t be sleeping with her that night after all, making her secretly packed items unnecessary.

Xia Liyang breathed a sigh of relief but felt increasingly complicated inside.

She walked to the windowsill, peering over the wall of roses toward the sea not far away.

The calm waves lapped against the shore, and a slightly salty sea breeze blew in through the open window.

Her hair was lifted by the wind, brushing against her cheek.

It made her nose itch, and she felt a strange urge to cry.

Xia Liyang quickly tucked her hair back and squatted down to open her suitcase.

Thinking about going to the beach soon, she applied sunscreen and rummaged through her bag to change into her swimsuit.

However, as she pulled out her swimsuit, she caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar red color in the bottom layer.

Hmm? She didn’t seem to have brought any red clothes.

Xia Liyang paused, shifted aside some clothes in the upper layer, and then saw it was a vintage red polka dot bikini.

What’s going on?

Could it be that Lu Huaicheng put this in without her knowing?

Xia Liyang froze for a moment, and the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

After all, he had said that if she felt awkward wearing it outside, she could wear it for him inside.

Damn, this guy is sneaky!

If she felt awkward wearing it outside, how could she possibly feel comfortable wearing it in front of him?!

Xia Liyang’s mouth twitched slightly, her face heating up as she shoved the bikini back.

But her hand was pricked by the edge of the box of Durex she had packed.

Wait a minute…

If Lu Huaicheng also stuffed the bikini in, wouldn’t he have pricked his hand too?

So, had he already discovered what she brought?!

Ahhhhhhh!

This is way too awkward!!!

He can’t possibly think she wants to sleep with him, right?!

But she just wanted to be cautious, just in case!!!

Xia Liyang tightened her breath, took a long time to calm down, and then changed into her own swimsuit, throwing on a light cover-up as she went downstairs.

Lu Huaicheng sat leisurely, setting down his teacup. He glanced up at Xia Liyang as she approached.

Although it was a rather conservative swimsuit, it still fit her well, accentuating her beautiful figure and graceful lines.

Her skin was as white as snow, revealing faint curves.

Lu Huaicheng’s throat moved slightly as he smiled warmly, “Do you like the room?”

“Mm, I like it, thank you… but I found a red bikini in my suitcase. Did you put it in when I wasn’t around?” Xia Liyang nervously bit her lip, trying to indirectly test whether he had seen the box she brought.

“You found me out.” Lu Huaicheng’s smile widened a bit as he got up and walked over to her, wrapping his large hand around her slightly exposed waist.

The subtle tension from skin contact coursed through Xia Liyang like electricity.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and her voice seemed playful yet accusatory, “Hmm, I didn’t expect you would do such sneaky things, Mr. Lu.”

“Isn’t someone else being sneaky by bringing something too?” He lowered his brows, his deep black eyes gazing at her, his voice low and teasing.

“…” Xia Liyang’s heart raced, and her body stiffened.

He really saw it.

It’s over.

Xia Liyang struggled to catch her breath and awkwardly smiled as she explained, “I didn’t mean anything by it; I was just worried that you… you might have…”

“Have what?” He raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eyes.

It seemed he wanted to hear her say the ambiguous words herself.

Under his unwavering gaze, Xia Liyang’s face flushed, and her mind began to stall.

Finally, she mustered the courage to say two words:

“Improper intentions.”