Hearing this, Xia Liyang’s heartbeat fluttered subtly. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a hint of ambiguity in his words.

What did her graduation ceremony have to do with him?

What did he not want to miss?

Xia Liyang opened her mouth to ask, but before she could speak, Lu Huaicheng glanced at the empty space behind her and raised an eyebrow, asking, “On such an important day, isn’t your Mr. Xu here?”

“…” Xia Liyang froze, caught off guard. After a moment’s thought, she softly explained, “Mr. Xu has a lot of work at his firm lately.”

“No matter how busy, he shouldn’t be missing such an occasion,” Lu Huaicheng said with a slight frown.

“He’s actually out of town, in… Beicheng on business,” she replied, awkwardly adjusting her grip on the flowers and forcing a reason.

“I see.” Lu Huaicheng nodded in understanding, though his brows knit slightly.

“Mm…” Xia Liyang swallowed, sensing the need to end the conversation, so she quickly found an excuse, “Sorry, Mr. Lu, I need to take some group photos with my classmates. Thank you for the flowers; I’ll be off.”

Lu Huaicheng’s lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something more.

But Xia Liyang was already holding the bouquet, her long, dark hair swaying as she quickly turned and ran off.

The blue hem of her graduation gown brushed against her ankles, contrasting with her fair skin as she darted away like a small, fleeing rabbit.

Lu Huaicheng’s body stiffened slightly, his gaze dimming as he watched her slender figure disappear into the crowd of other students in graduation robes.

She still wanted to distance herself from him.

He had thought that maybe watching that movie had rekindled some lingering feelings for him in her heart.

But it seemed he had once again been hoping for too much.

Lowering his gaze, Lu Huaicheng smiled with a trace of self-mockery.

It appeared he needed more patience—at least enough to stop her from resisting his presence—before he expressed his feelings.

He didn’t want to make the same mistake again and push her further away.

After finishing her group photos, Xia Liyang took off her graduation gown, stuffed it into her tote bag, and looked at the roses Lu Huaicheng had given her with a slight frown.

She had planned to visit a nearby book fair afterward, but parking was inconvenient there, so she hadn’t driven.

Now, with this bouquet, she couldn’t exactly take it on the subway or bring it to a crowded book fair.

After considering her options, she decided to take a cab home and visit the book fair another day.

As she exited the campus, she noticed the familiar Rolls-Royce, quietly parked across the street.

Had Lu Huaicheng not left yet?

Could it be that he had a lecture at the school that day and coincidentally came across her graduation?

Maybe that was why he had gotten the flowers as a gesture to congratulate her on her graduation.

With this reasoning, things made a lot more sense.

As for his “not wanting to miss it,” it was likely just a polite remark without any hidden meaning.

She must have been overthinking things.

Lost in thought, Xia Liyang glanced down, holding the flowers as she pulled out her phone to call a cab.

At that moment, the Rolls-Royce started its engine, made a U-turn, and stopped directly in front of her.

Xia Liyang looked up, slightly startled, and saw Lu Huaicheng lowering the window in the back seat.

“Mr. Lu?”

“Are you calling a car to go home?” Lu Huaicheng smiled warmly, “Perhaps I can give you a ride.”

“…It’s fine, I can just take a taxi myself, no need to trouble you.” Xia Liyang waved her hand.

“At this time on a Friday, it might be hard to get a taxi. Miss Xia, you have so many things with you, and it’s inconvenient to take the subway. Why don’t you just ride with me? It’s not much of a hassle; I’m going that way anyway.” Lu Huaicheng’s voice was clear and elegant, with a sincerity that was hard to refuse.

Xia Liyang hesitated and glanced at the ride-hailing app on her phone. There were indeed a dozen people waiting ahead.

Forget it, riding with him wasn’t a big deal.

She had been deliberately avoiding him, and it felt a bit strange.

So, she nodded slightly and politely said, “Thank you, Mr. Lu.”

“You’re welcome.” Lu Huaicheng subtly curved his lips, leaned slightly, and gentlemanly opened the back door for her, “Please hand me the flowers first; otherwise, it will be hard for you to get in.”

“Oh.” Xia Liyang felt a little awkward as she pursed her lips, handed the bouquet to his long fingers, and then bent down to sit in the back seat, closing the door behind her.

The Rolls Royce started up again, moving smoothly forward.

There was a bouquet of flowers between them, and the air conditioning in the car wasn’t too cold; the temperature was just right, and the faint fragrance of the flowers made Xia Liyang’s inexplicably tense emotions ease a little.

She turned her head to look out the car window at the darkening evening sky. As the streetlights came on, the glass reflected the clear outline of the man beside her.

He casually rested his long legs, his profile handsome and defined, with deep-set brows and fingers lightly brushing the phone screen as if he was handling work emails.

She couldn’t help but recall last summer when she told him she was cold in his car. His big hand had covered hers, the warmth of his fingertips intertwining with hers, their fingers interlocked.

Her ears instantly flushed, and her hand resting on her lap unconsciously curled up.

Just as she was lost in thought, staring at his reflection in the car window, Lu Huaicheng suddenly lifted his face and turned to look at her.

His gaze was deep and penetrating, even in the reflection, as if he had caught her stealing glances at him through the glass.

Xia Liyang’s heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her eyes pretending to be calm, pulling out her phone and starting to scroll.

The loose strands of hair covered her slightly flushed ears, and her long lashes cast small shadows under her eyes.

Lu Huaicheng’s dark gaze flickered with complex emotions. After lingering on her slightly flustered face for a moment, he averted his eyes as if nothing had happened.

He had sensed that she was looking at him.

Was it just his desire for her attention creating this illusion?

Lu Huaicheng sighed inwardly and lowered his eyelids.

Half an hour later, the black Rolls Royce stopped in front of a low-rise building in Jiangwan Villa District.

Xia Liyang turned off her phone and opened the car door.

“Thank you, Mr. Lu.”

She bent down to get out of the car and turned to take the bouquet from Lu Huaicheng’s hands, then adjusted the slightly crumpled hem of her dress.

“You’re welcome.” Lu Huaicheng paused slightly, his clear voice asking, “What are you planning to have for dinner?”

“…” Xia Liyang was taken aback. “Just whatever I can make with the groceries at home.”

“How about joining me at that barbecue restaurant by the river? Just to celebrate your graduation.” Lu Huaicheng’s dark eyes quietly gazed at her, his tone polite yet probing.

“No, thanks…” Xia Liyang pressed her lips together and said, “The groceries at home will go bad if I don’t cook them soon.”

“Is that so?” Lu Huaicheng’s eyes darkened slightly, revealing a hint of disappointment.

But he quickly concealed his emotions, smiled, and said, “I thought you would have Mr. Xu order food for you.”

This man really can’t stop mentioning Xu Songnian.

Though his tone wasn’t as sarcastic as before, there was still a subtle feeling underlying it.

It felt as if he was still competing with her Mr. Xu in some hidden way.

Xia Liyang couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile, “Ordering takeout all the time can get boring. Cooking myself not only changes things up but is also a way to relax.”

“Where do you usually buy groceries, Miss Xia?” Lu Huaicheng asked.

“…At the supermarket by the community entrance.” Xia Liyang shot him a puzzled glance, feeling that his questions were becoming increasingly irrelevant.

“Oh.” Lu Huaicheng nodded thoughtfully.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Xia Liyang couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Lu, why did you come to my graduation ceremony today?”

Lu Huaicheng’s gaze shifted slightly, and after a moment of silence, he smiled warmly, “What do you think?”

“…You happened to have a lecture at school today, so you decided to stop by?” Xia Liyang fluttered her long lashes uncertainly and replied slowly.

“What if I said I came specifically for the graduation?” Lu Huaicheng’s dark eyes stared at her deeply.

“Specifically… what’s the necessity of that?” Xia Liyang bit her lip slightly, lifting her eyes to meet his clear gaze as she said, “Haven’t we already ended things?”

“Can’t we at least be friends?” His Adam’s apple moved, his voice slightly tight.

“…” Xia Liyang was taken aback for a moment. She hadn’t expected him to want to be friends.

In the past, he had always viewed her from a high-and-mighty perspective.

Even the tenderness and sweetness he had offered seemed tinged with a sense of superiority.

She didn’t find this strange.

After all, from his perspective, she was just a poor student looking to rely on him for money or power.

There was no need for equal treatment, let alone friendship.

Seeing that Xia Liyang had been silent for a long time, Lu Huaicheng didn’t press her for an answer, only dimmed his gaze, as if nothing had happened, and said, “Then I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll take my leave, enjoy your meal.”

Xia Liyang snapped back to reality, opened her mouth, and wanted to say something more.

But the Rolls-Royce window was already slowly rolling up. Lu Huaicheng sat straight, his gaze forward.

As his defined, slightly melancholy profile disappeared behind the car window, Xia Liyang quietly closed her mouth. Standing on the steps in front of the building, she looked at the red taillights as they gradually receded, feeling a bit complicated.

Friends, huh…

Emotionally, she didn’t seem to mind. 

But if she interacted with him too much, she’d inevitably reveal her true identity. She dared not imagine his reaction if he ever found out her true purpose for getting close to him.

She remembered his words all too well.

“I hate being lied to by those around me.”

And it seemed that she would rather end all ties with him than become someone he despised.

….

Over the weekend, after a celebratory meal with Xu Songnian and Song Jinghe for her graduation, Xia Liyang drove home.

Passing by the supermarket at the entrance of her neighborhood, she stopped to restock the empty fridge at home.

The summer heat was unbearable lately, so she preferred to buy a week’s worth of groceries in one go over the weekend rather than going out under the scorching sun repeatedly.

Once inside the supermarket, she grabbed a cart at the entrance and started picking out items from the produce section as she walked.

Just as she was about done and was about to line up for check out, she unexpectedly spotted a familiar tall figure at the end of the line.

He was still in a loose T-shirt with casual pants, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and an upright posture, standing out prominently.

“Mr. Lu?” Xia Liyang hesitated, then blurted out.

The man in front turned at her voice, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “Miss Xia? What a coincidence.”

“…Yes, quite a coincidence.” Xia Liyang pursed her lips and smiled, wondering to herself, didn’t he always avoid cooking? What brought him to a supermarket?

Seeing the question in her eyes, Lu Huaicheng cleared his throat slightly, as if answering her unspoken question. “Wondering why I’m here to buy groceries? Well, I’m getting tired of the local restaurants, and with summer’s heat, it’s easy to lose your appetite, so I thought cooking might be a nice change, a way to relax.”

“Oh.” Xia Liyang nodded, though she couldn’t help remembering his infamous ginger soup and porridge experiments.

Could he really cook?

She glanced down at the random assortment of vegetables in his cart, noting the total lack of coordination—there was no way they’d make an edible dish.

Unable to resist, Xia Liyang raised her eyes and asked, “What exactly are you planning to make with these?”

Lu Huaicheng’s expression stiffened slightly, and he replied somewhat awkwardly, “Just… some simple home-style stir-fry.”

Home-style stir-fry?

With those ingredients, he’d be lucky to make anything edible!

Xia Liyang twitched her mouth in silent critique, and just as she was mentally critiquing his choices, Lu Huaicheng shifted the conversation and asked, “What are you planning to make tonight?”

“Tomato and egg stir-fry and seaweed soup,” Xia Liyang replied honestly.

“Oh.” He nodded slightly, then added casually, “I guess Mr. Xu is still away on a business trip?”

Noticing his attempt to steer the topic back to Xu Songnian, Xia Liyang mumbled an affirmative and quickly said, “It’s pretty crowded here; I’m going to check out the ice cream in the freezer section.”

Lu Huaicheng paused and, trying to seem casual, said, “I was thinking of getting some ice cream too. Mind if I join?”

“…Don’t you usually avoid sweets?” Xia Liyang stopped for a moment, eyeing him with suspicion.

Lu Huaicheng hesitated, then let out a faint smile and replied, “You still remember my preferences?”

Xia Liyang’s breath caught. She looked away and mumbled, “It’s hard to forget that. I remember cutting half the sugar from your cake, and you still found it too sweet.”

Lu Huaicheng’s dark gaze rested on her long, lowered lashes for a moment, his voice deep and slow as he replied, “Back then, it wasn’t the cake that felt too sweet.”