As the man laughed, Xia Liyang’s sense of embarrassment shot through the roof, her ears turning pink.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I wasn’t trying to…” she stammered, clutching the doorknob helplessly, unsure of where to put it.

Seeing this, Lu Huaicheng gracefully suppressed his laughter and, in a gentle tone, said, “It’s fine. The doorknob was already a bit loose. I was planning to have someone fix it.”

“Oh, I see,” Xia Liyang nodded blankly, awkwardly lifting the doorknob in her hand. “What should I do with this…”

“Give it to me,” Lu Huaicheng said, extending his well-defined hand like a gentleman.

“Really sorry.” Xia Liyang handed over the door handle with mixed emotions, instinctively keeping her fingers as far away as possible from his large palm.

Forget it, she thought. She wouldn’t sign the contract to come back as a part-time housekeeper anyway, so breaking one of his door handles wasn’t a big deal. Besides, this whole idea of using him as material for her romance novel wasn’t reliable to begin with. It was just a desperate attempt to find inspiration when she was stuck with writer’s block.

She comforted herself as she pushed open the villa door, took a deep breath of the cold air outside, and straightened her back.

Lu Huaicheng, holding the door handle, glanced up slightly, his eyes catching her small but proud and stubborn figure wrapped in an oversized sweatshirt. His gaze flickered slightly, and his thin lips parted as he called out to her.

Xia Liyang paused mid-step and turned to meet the man’s deep, dark eyes. The cool spring night breeze lifted the stray hairs around her ears as she stood alone in his dimly lit yard. The night hid the frustration she no longer cared to conceal, and she couldn’t see his face clearly with the light behind him. All she could make out was his tall silhouette, like an insurmountable mountain.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Lu Huaicheng casually smiled, his voice calm as he said, “I am, after all, a guest professor at your school. I can’t just let a student skip class, so you can come clean in the evenings instead.”

Although Xia Liyang didn’t know what made Lu Huaicheng change his mind at the last minute, to her, the day’s efforts hadn’t been in vain after all. She quickly adjusted her expression, her long lashes fluttering as she looked at him with clear, grateful eyes. “Thank you so much for accommodating me, Mr. Lu. I’ll make sure to clean quietly and not disturb your rest.”

“You’re welcome,” Lu Huaicheng replied indifferently. His tone was distant, signaling to her that his courtesy went no further, and she shouldn’t expect more from him.

With that, he closed the door, his posture as lofty as if he had just done a favor for a stray dog.

Xia Liyang couldn’t help but click her tongue, her brows furrowing.

….

Back at home, she opened her notebook and promptly crossed out her previous hypothesis, The target is well-mannered, patient, and compassionate, with a gentle personality, replacing it with:

Target has limited sympathy and patience, is cold beneath the surface, and hard to figure out.

She then added more observations from her cleaning experience:

Target only drinks one brand of mineral water.  

Target’s bookshelf is mostly filled with finance and management books, but there’s also Agatha Christie’s classic detective series. Likes mystery novels?  

Target seems to have a good memory, skilled at recognizing people.

Once she finished summarizing, she closed the notebook and went to take a long, relaxing bath.

However, the next day, when she signed the contract and officially started working at Lu Huaicheng’s house, Xia Liyang realized a major problem—she had no idea how to flirt with men.

Even though Lu Huaicheng was casually dressed in loungewear, his long legs stretched out as he relaxed on the sofa not far from her, reading a book, she couldn’t think of anything to say to him except, “Excuse me, Mr. Lu, I need to clean near your feet.”

In particular, when he was silent, he gave off a strong sense of detachment, as if there was an invisible barrier around him that made him unapproachable. Even though his soft linen loungewear significantly toned down his high-and-mighty aura from when he wore suits, it couldn’t erase the coldness that seemed ingrained in him.

Xia Liyang clutched the mop, feeling a headache as she sneaked a glance at the book in his hand, wondering if she could use it as a topic to start a conversation. But he was reading a book on economics, a subject she knew nothing about, so she couldn’t find an appropriate entry point. Besides, his long fingers were slowly turning the pages, and with his dark brows lowered and his eyes focused, he seemed completely absorbed. If she interrupted him, he might even get annoyed.

She had only thought about how to create opportunities to approach him but hadn’t considered what to do once she did.

It was like when she was plotting romance novels; she could come up with clever ways for the protagonists to meet, but after that, she didn’t know how to develop their interactions.

Sighing quietly, Xia Liyang let out a breath.

Perhaps the living room was too quiet, or maybe Lu Huaicheng wasn’t as engrossed in his book as she thought. Either way, as soon as her sigh fell, she noticed the man on the sofa lift his eyes and glance at her with a faintly cold gaze.

“Uh…” Xia Liyang’s heart skipped a beat. After a brief moment of brain freeze, she quickly explained, “I was just thinking about my thesis, and I sighed without realizing it. Sorry if I disturbed you.”

“It’s fine.” Lu Huaicheng smiled warmly, but there was little warmth in his dark eyes. His elegant voice was like untouched ice in a spring stream as he asked, “Is the study room cleaned?”

“Yes, it’s done,” Xia Liyang nodded hurriedly.

In the next second, she watched as his cool gaze lowered, his long, slender fingers closed the book, and his tall figure rose from the sofa. Without saying another word to her, he walked off to the study.

Watching the door close behind him, Xia Liyang’s mouth twitched.

This was definitely not “fine”! His actions made it clear he was displeased with her.

After this failed first attempt, Xia Liyang felt she had no choice but to tell her friend Song Jinhe about the situation. She hadn’t wanted to mention it, thinking it would be embarrassing since she’d made fun of the suggestion in the first place. But if she didn’t get some advice from her love-experienced friend, she was afraid all she’d gain from Lu Huaicheng was the experience of being a full-time housekeeper.

As expected, when Song Jinhe heard her report, she laughed for a long time before asking curiously, “So, what does this CEO look like? How old is he?”

“He looks pretty young, maybe 26 or 27? And…” Xia Liyang recalled Lu Huaicheng’s face, the image of his mesmerizing eyes and deep, dark gaze flashing in her mind. She blurted out, “He’s quite handsome.”

“Are you serious? I actually heard the word ‘handsome’ come out of your mouth!” Song Jinhe exclaimed in shock.

“Is it really that surprising? I was just giving an objective evaluation,” Xia Liyang lightly pursed her lips.

“Yes, it’s absolutely surprising.” Song Jinhe paused for a few seconds before asking, “Do you think Xu Songnian is handsome?”

“Not really, no special feeling…”

“You see, even when I show you someone as good-looking as Xu Songnian, you don’t feel anything.”

Xia Liyang thought about it carefully, realizing that the reason she didn’t find Xu Songnian handsome might be because she had seen him too often, losing the ability to judge him objectively.

However, Song Jinhe immediately refuted her, reminding her that even with the many photos of handsome guys she’d shared in the past, Xia Liyang had always said they were just average.

“So, next time you go to clean, can you sneak a photo for me? I want to see just how breathtaking this handsome guy you’re talking about is.” Song Jinhe blinked expectantly.

“…I’m here to ask you how to attract a man, not to discuss handsome guys with you,” Xia Liyang sighed and shot her a helpless glance.

“I’m just curious!” Song Jinhe chuckled, then straightened up and said, “So, tell me about his personality, and I’ll help you come up with a targeted strategy.”

Xia Liyang handed her notebook, which detailed various information she’d gathered about Lu Huaicheng.

Song Jinhe glanced at the notebook, slowly raised her head, and said, “This is so detailed, it’s like you’re planning a crime…”

“Know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll win every battle. At least with this information, I managed to get the part-time housekeeping job at his house and even got him to change the cleaning schedule for me,” Xia Liyang shrugged and briefly recounted the events of her interview that day.

“You seem to know what you’re doing! Why do you still need my advice?” Song Jinhe laughed.

“Don’t I? When I actually went to his house to clean, I had no idea what to do next,” Xia Liyang frowned in confusion.

“Just keep doing things like that! Since he changed the time for you, it means he’s into the ‘strong but delicate’ act you’re putting on. So, next time you’re cleaning, create a little accident, get a minor injury, and he’ll be hooked,” Song Jinhe explained.

“Oh.” Xia Liyang nodded, half understanding, then asked worriedly, “Will that really work?”

“It’ll definitely work. You naturally have a pure and innocent look, perfect for attracting men this way,” Song Jinhe encouraged her.

“So, should I confess my feelings first?”

“Of course not! Men are meant to be reeled in, not chased. Haven’t you heard the saying? A confession is the victory trumpet, not the charge signal at the start of the battle,” Song Jinhe paused, her expression slightly hesitant, “But…”

“But what?”

“Nothing. Just follow my advice, and you’ll definitely get some inspiration!” Song Jinhe smiled.

She initially wanted to warn Xia Liyang not to get emotionally involved while trying to attract a man, but then she remembered that Xia Liyang was the most rational and disinterested in men of anyone she knew.

There was no need to bring it up—cheering her on was enough.

With Song Jinhe’s tips, Xia Liyang felt much more confident the next time she went to Lu Huaicheng’s house.

However, Lu Huaicheng seemed quite busy that day and hadn’t come home yet.

Xia Liyang could only quietly clean the empty villa, bored to the point that she reorganized his bottled water in the fridge by the production date.

In terms of attention to detail, it seemed she was even more meticulous than him.

Xia Liyang chuckled at herself, recalling how as a child, she’d often cleaned up all traces of her mother’s secret affairs when she came home, removing any clues her father might notice.

Like picking off grass seeds stuck to her skirt, brushing away tiny bits of ash from her shoes, and even casually suggesting, “Mom, your hair looks better down,” when she spotted faint red marks on her mother’s neck.

Xia Liyang closed the fridge and glanced at the clock on the wall: 9:55 PM.

It was almost time for her to leave.

It looked like the day would end with no progress.

She sighed lightly and was about to pack up when she heard the sound of the front gate opening.

Her nerves tightened, and after a brief moment of thought, she grabbed a cleaning cloth and hurried to the study.

Climbing onto his step stool, she stretched up, pretending to clean the top shelf of his bookcase.

When she heard his footsteps approaching, she feigned panic, jumping off the stool and twisting her ankle, letting out a soft gasp of pain.

Lu Huaicheng, who witnessed the whole scene, furrowed his brow slightly and said in a low voice, “Don’t rush. Be careful.”

“Mr. Lu, I’m sorry,” Xia Liyang clutched the bookcase, blinking her watery eyes and looking at him pitifully, “Your assistant told me you’d be back late today, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to clean a little longer. I didn’t expect you’d come back now.”

“It’s fine. Have you finished the cleaning?” Lu Huaicheng asked with a frown.

He was still dressed in his business attire, his broad shoulders filling out the high-quality white shirt that was tucked neatly into tailored trousers, revealing a slender waistline.

Elegant and poised, he looked as composed and refined as ever.

“Yes, I finished.” Xia Liyang nodded obediently.

“Then you should hurry home,” Lu Huaicheng said, his deep-set features showing faint signs of weariness as he loosened his tie with long, slender fingers.

“Okay, sorry for disturbing you.” Xia Liyang bowed slightly, holding her cleaning cloth as she limped past him.

Lu Huaicheng paused slightly and glanced at her, “Did you sprain your ankle just now?”

“Mm…” Xia Liyang pressed her lips together but quickly forced a smile, “It’s no big deal, I can still walk. Thank you for your concern.”

With that, she lowered her head to hide her expression and hurriedly walked away, as if trying to mask her discomfort.

At the same time, she pretended to wince in pain.

Lu Huaicheng quietly observed her for a moment, noticing her brows knitted together and her lips tightly pressed, seemingly trying to suppress any sound.

Her fair face was tinged with a slight blush, and there was a glimmer of moisture in her long-lashed eyes.

It didn’t seem as trivial as she claimed.

It looked more like she was putting on a brave front to avoid troubling him.

His deep-set eyes flickered slightly, and his warm voice called out to her, “Are you really okay?”

“It just hurts a little. I’ll be fine after resting,” Xia Liyang stubbornly waved her hand, but her walking posture seemed even more limping.

Lu Huaicheng lowered his gaze and briefly scanned her ankle, covered by loose sweatpants, before pausing for a few seconds to say, “Let me check if you need to go to the hospital.”

“That would be such a bother for you…” Xia Liyang said, slightly panicked as she bit her lip, but inside she was overjoyed.

It seemed he really was buying into her strong little flower act!

“If a sprain is not treated in time, it will only worsen the problem. How will you clean next week? Should I go to the trouble of finding a temporary part-time cleaner?” Lu Huaicheng raised an eyebrow, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Go sit on the sofa and roll up your pants.”

“I understand. I’m sorry for the trouble…” Xia Liyang nodded pitifully, dragging her “injured” right foot as she slowly moved to the side of the sofa and sat down along the edge.

While lowering her head to roll up her pant legs, she stole a glance at Lu Huaicheng, who was walking into the adjacent room.

Guessing that he might be going to fetch the first aid kit for her injury, she quickly rubbed her ankle vigorously with her hands.

Soon, her fair skin reddened, giving the impression of a real sprain.

However, when Lu Huaicheng walked out of the room, she didn’t see any kit in his hands, only a pair of black leather gloves on his distinctly knuckled fingers.

Xia Liyang was taken aback, still trying to understand why he had specifically gone to grab a pair of gloves.

His tall figure loomed over her, and his voice was warm yet commanding, “Put your foot up on the sofa.”

“…”

Xia Liyang awkwardly raised her foot and carefully placed it on the sofa.

Lu Huaicheng leaned down, his long fingers pressing gently on her reddened ankle, applying slight pressure.

“Does it hurt here?” he slowly lifted his eyelids, his gaze fixed on her as he asked.

His dark eyes resembled the eye of a storm—seemingly calm, yet capable of drawing everything around them into a whirlwind.

Xia Liyang’s heart raced a few beats faster, and she instinctively avoided his gaze, responding with guilt, “A little…”

“Be honest.” The corners of his eyes narrowed slightly, and the pressure of his finger on her skin increased. “Otherwise, it will affect my judgment.”

“Ah…” Xia Liyang pretended to take a sharp breath, looking at him with a pitiful expression, and softly said, “It hurts quite a bit.”

“Really?” Lu Huaicheng raised an eyebrow, his expression suddenly becoming somewhat inscrutable.

Not understanding why he was asking again, Xia Liyang could only nod, deciding to play along for now.

Lu Huaicheng stared at her for a moment before suddenly curling the corner of his mouth into a barely-there smile.

“The little girl has quite a few tricks up her sleeve.”