Looking at the friend verification notification on his screen, Lu Huaicheng was momentarily stunned.

He clicked on Xia Liyang’s profile picture with some disbelief, looking it over multiple times.

Only then did he confirm that she was indeed no longer his friend.

What was going on?

Why did she suddenly delete him?

The last time they met, wasn’t everything fine between them?

And the night before they parted, she even took the initiative to sleep with him.

Could it be that he went overboard that night?

But she clearly seemed to enjoy it; afterward, she had nestled in his arms for quite a while.

Lu Huaicheng frowned deeply, pondering for a long time, but couldn’t find a reason why she would suddenly delete him.

Unless, when it was his birthday, he did so much for her that she got the wrong impression—that she could throw little tantrums with him.

So, she used this method to protest that he hadn’t reached out to her or spent time with her for a month.

And she was waiting for him to notice and come back to make it up to her.

At this thought, Lu Huaicheng couldn’t help but chuckle, closing WeChat.

Did she really think he couldn’t live without her?

Who gave her that confidence?

She said she had to go home for the harvest, and he kept her job for her—that was already the biggest compromise he could make.

He really didn’t like this kind of childish behavior.

Lu Huaicheng’s mouth pressed into a thin line as he dialed Lin Shen’s number.

“Find me another part-time housekeeper.”

“…Still a temporary one?” Lin Shen asked for confirmation.

“Not temporary, I want someone long-term. Start recruiting immediately.” Lu Huaicheng’s tone was calm, but it carried an inexplicable sense of suffocating pressure.

Lin Shen’s nerves tightened, and he quickly nodded in agreement.

He didn’t even wait until the next day, contacting the agency right away to have them call back all the applicants who had previously passed the screening for interviews.

So, in the following days, there were new people coming to clean every day.

But none of them met Lu Huaicheng’s standards.

Even those who did everything perfectly according to his requests still felt slightly lacking to him.

After all, when Xia Liyang was there, she would take care of even the details he hadn’t mentioned.

On Saturday night, looking at the disorganized production dates on the bottled water in the fridge, Lu Huaicheng’s irritation, which had been simmering for nearly a week, finally reached its peak.

He slammed the fridge door shut and walked straight out of the villa, hoping to catch some fresh air in the yard.

But when he saw the turtle lying by the pool, he remembered her squatting there, her crisp voice calling it “Xiao Wangba.”

He paused for a moment, then walked out of the yard.

The early autumn night was already slightly cool.

Lu Huaicheng wore only a thin shirt, his brow slightly furrowed, his hands in his suit pockets as he wandered aimlessly.

Unconsciously, he ended up at the nearby mid-rise building.

He looked up at the dark windows on the top floor.

After hesitating in place for a long while, he took a long stride into the building.

The elevator doors opened, and the hallway lights turned on.

Lu Huaicheng unlocked the code and pushed the apartment door open.

The spacious flat was completely empty, devoid of any warmth.

The bags he had given her were still stacked in the corner of the living room.

The shopping bags with swimsuits were still by the dressing table.

The straw hat he’d said looked bad on her, which she hadn’t taken with her, was still lying on her bed.

Everything was exactly as it was before they left for Lianzhou Island.

Except the roses in the vase, which were changed weekly, had all withered, their heads drooping.

Lu Huaicheng quietly walked to her dressing table and suddenly noticed a square box on it.

It looked like the box he’d used to give her the necklace before.

He paused, his slender fingers picking it up and opening it.

Seeing the four-petal diamond necklace inside, his movement froze, his brows knitted tightly.

She had worn this necklace around her neck when they went to the Island.

So, she had actually returned from her hometown.

Returned, but hadn’t come to find him.

And she’d even returned his necklace.

The more Lu Huaicheng thought about it, the stranger it seemed. He took out his phone from his suit pocket, opened her WeChat profile, and typed into the verification message: “What’s with the necklace,” resending her a friend request.

The next second, however, a message popped up on the screen: “Failed to add contact; the other party has added you to their blacklist.”

Lu Huaicheng was taken aback, only then realizing that she wasn’t just throwing a tantrum to make him come back and appease her.

But rather, for some unknown reason, had chosen to leave him completely.

His gaze darkened, and his knuckles whitened as he gripped the dazzling necklace tightly in his hand.

…..

Xia Liyang’s life at her family’s home in Beicheng for a month was peaceful and routine.

Every morning at 7:30, she’d wake up and go with Xia Yanxu to the cafeteria for breakfast, then return home to begin her day of writing.

Only when Xia Yanxu returned late at night would she shut down her computer, wash up, and go to bed.

So by the end of summer break, she had almost finished the draft for her first romance novel.

On the day she returned to Jiangcheng, Xia Yanxu took time off to take her to the train station.

“Take care on the way, and let me know you’re safe when you get there.” Xia Yanxu helped her take her luggage out of the trunk.

“I will. Dad, you should hurry back to work,” Xia Liyang smiled, pulling her suitcase.

“Alright.” Xia Yanxu paused, then asked somewhat awkwardly, “Will you be back for the National Day holiday?”

“I…” Xia Liyang opened her mouth, originally intending to say that it was too soon to return.

But seeing the faint hope in her dad’s expression, she changed her answer to, “I’ll see, and come back if I can.”

“Alright.” Xia Yanxu relaxed his expression and nodded.

“I’m leaving now.” Xia Liyang waved at him one last time before pulling her suitcase and entering the station.

But even after passing through security, when she turned back, she could still see Xia Yanxu standing quietly outside the train station through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Although she couldn’t make out the expression on his face anymore, his lonely and thin figure seemed even more desolate in the bustling crowd.

Xia Liyang’s nose tingled, and she quickly turned her head, striding toward the waiting area.

From Beicheng to Jiangcheng, the high-speed train took about five hours.

By the time she arrived, dusk had fallen, and light rain was falling from the sky.

In a sea of umbrellas in the pickup area, Xu Songnian raised his arm and waved, “Yang Yang, over here!”

“Thank you for coming to pick me up even in the rain.” Xia Liyang walked to his side.

“It’s harder to get a cab in the rain, so I definitely needed to come pick you up!” Xu Songnian shrugged, taking her suitcase.

After they got in the car, Xu Songnian fastened his seatbelt and said, “Oh, by the way, I’m off this Sunday. I’ll treat you to a nice meal to make up for your birthday.”

“That was over a month ago, forget it.” Xia Liyang glanced at him with a bit of amusement from the passenger seat.

“No way. Haven’t I always been with you for your birthday in the past? I can’t miss it this year either.” Xu Songnian put his hand on the steering wheel and started the car.

“…Alright.” Xia Liyang nodded reluctantly and added, “Just make sure to pick a restaurant far from here or your office; I don’t want to run into Lu Huaicheng again.”

Hearing this, Xu Songnian’s lips curved slightly, and he replied lightly, “As you wish, Boss Xia.”

The car got on the overpass, and as they neared the Jiangwan Villas, Xu Songnian glanced at the GPS and reminded her, “The back gate of your complex is under construction. Should I take this exit to enter through the front gate?”

Xia Liyang looked at the misty, rain-soaked street outside the window and nodded, “Yes.”

“Got it.” Xu Songnian casually turned the steering wheel.

When the car entered through the front gate, they passed by Lu Huaicheng’s villa.

Unconsciously, Xia Liyang turned her head to look at that familiar riverside villa.

The windows, shrouded in a curtain of rain, showed no light.

She wondered if he hadn’t come home yet or hadn’t returned to Jiangcheng at all.

And she wondered if he realized that she had blocked and deleted him.

Xu Songnian noticed her staring at the villa and raised an eyebrow slightly.

After a few seconds of silence, he teased, “Still thinking of coming back here to experience romantic life for your materials? His house is hiring new hourly help.”

“…Who wants to work for him again? I’d be out of my mind.” Xia Liyang snapped back, quickly averting her gaze.

Although she had expected Lu Huaicheng to hire someone new after she left, hearing it still made her feel a strange twinge of loss.

She couldn’t help but ask, “When did he start hiring?”

“Just two nights ago. His assistant suddenly contacted me, asking me to call back the candidates whose resumes had previously been approved.” Xu Songnian replied.

“Oh.” Xia Liyang pressed her lips together, thinking he might have only discovered two nights ago that she had blocked him.

And that he must have already returned to Jiangcheng.

But what did any of this matter to her?

After she got home, Xia Liyang unpacked her suitcase, placing all the things he’d given her, including that diamond four-petal flower necklace, back into the room on the top floor.

Before leaving, she stood in the hallway and gave the empty apartment one last look.

She remembered how he had once made her ginger soup at the kitchen island.

Remembered how he had watched movies with her in the home theater.

Remembered the warmth of him holding her as they slept in the bedroom.

A strange feeling took root and spread wildly in her heart.

It filled her chest with such pressure that even breathing became difficult.

She turned around abruptly, quickly shut off the lights, and fled from the room on the top floor.

…..

Saturday afternoon.

Xia Liyang got into her Porsche, which she hadn’t driven in ages, and drove for almost an hour before finally arriving at the high-end restaurant Xu Songnian had recommended.

“Seriously, you picked a place way too far!” Xia Liyang, dressed in the Chanel’s new fall dress, her long hair curled into soft waves and wearing comfortable flat lambskin shoes, stepped out of the car and looked at Xu Songnian, who was waiting at the door, with a bit of helplessness.

“I just followed your instructions!” Xu Songnian shrugged innocently and said, “And this French restaurant is right by the Qingjiang River. The view is great.”

“Yeah, it’s practically at the river’s mouth.” Xia Liyang chuckled.

Xu Songnian smiled indifferently and said, “The head chef here has three Michelin stars in France, so it’s worth the distance.”

“Then you’re really splurging today.” Xia Liyang replied.

“It’s your birthday.” Xu Songnian paused, then joked, “I’ll just make you treat me for my birthday to even things out.”

“Alright.” Xia Liyang’s eyes curved as she followed him into the restaurant.

The weather was nice, so they sat at an outdoor riverside spot.

A gentle breeze from the river blew through, lightly brushing against Xia Liyang’s loose hair.

She tucked the stray hairs behind her ear and picked up her knife and fork, skillfully cutting into her steak.

Perhaps it was the familiar scent in the breeze, but a memory of Lu Huaicheng at the beach on Lianzhou Island, gently helping her cut her steak with a warm gaze, suddenly flashed through her mind.

Her hand paused, and she glanced up at the man sitting across from her in a brief daze.

“What’s wrong?” Noticing her gaze, Xu Songnian raised his eyes.

“Nothing.” Xia Liyang smiled, thinking to herself, why did she think of him again, for no reason?

Actually, after escaping from the top floor that night, her stifling mood had returned to normal, and life continued as usual.

Apart from the novel she was currently editing, there was almost nothing left to prove that Lu Huaicheng had ever been in her life.

“By the way, how about catching a movie after dinner?” Xu Songnian asked.

“No, thanks. I’m planning to start serializing next week, so I’d like to go home and work on the writing tonight,” Xia Liyang replied.

“Alright.” Xu Songnian nodded, a bit disappointed.

After dinner, Xia Liyang said goodbye to Xu Songnian and drove home.

Since the back entrance was still under construction, she had to use the front entrance to her complex.

As the gate slowly rose, she noticed a car with its lights on approaching the gate from inside the complex.

At first, she didn’t pay much attention, just turning the wheel slightly to let the other car pass first.

But as the car drew closer, she suddenly realized it was Lu Huaicheng’s Rolls-Royce Phantom.

The distinctive license plate was clearly visible under the gate’s light.

She could even recognize the driver at the wheel—still the familiar face she knew.

Her heart tightened instantly, and she hurriedly lowered her head, searching for her sunglasses in the glove compartment.

In her flustered state, she forgot to set the parking brake.

With a slight slope at the entrance, her Porsche lurched forward, and the front of her car bumped right into the left headlight of the Rolls-Royce.

The sudden impact jerked Xia Liyang forward, her head hitting the deployed airbag.

Although it didn’t hurt and wasn’t anything serious, all she wanted now was to bury her face in the airbag like an ostrich.

Please, she silently begged, let Lu Huaicheng not be in the car!

Taking a deep breath, Xia Liyang slowly raised her head and looked at the driver outside her window.

When he knocked on her window, she quickly put on her sunglasses and reluctantly rolled down the window, hoping he wouldn’t recognize her.

“Sorry, it’s completely my fault, but this scratch isn’t severe. Would you be open to settling this privately? Compensation is not an issue,” Xia Liyang said, lowering her voice.

“Well… I’ll need to check with my boss,” the driver hesitated, glancing toward the back seat of the Rolls-Royce.

“Wait!” Xia Liyang’s nerves tightened, and she instinctively reached out, grabbing the driver’s arm to stop him from talking to Lu Huaicheng.

But in the next second, the rear door of the Rolls-Royce opened.

Lu Huaicheng stepped out, dressed in a tailored suit that gleamed with a refined finish. He took a poised step forward, his polished black shoes gleaming as he walked.

Under the cool, white light, his jet-black hair accentuated his sharp features and distinct jawline.

He glanced at her slender hand still gripping the driver’s arm.

His gaze darkened, and he strode over.

Xia Liyang stiffened instantly, quickly retracting her hand, her heart pounding as she lowered her head.

She tried to hide most of her face under her long hair.

Moments later, she heard his familiar, deep voice, laced with a slight chill, resonate outside her window.

“Miss, are you going to stay in the car after causing an accident?”