Xia Liyang’s expression froze, and her heart skipped a beat.

What’s going on?

How did Lu Huaicheng end up here?

She dazedly looked down at the license plate photo Song Jinhe had sent her; it was indeed this car!

Could it be that Song Jinhe leaked her schedule to him?

Before Xia Liyang could fully process the situation, Lu Huaicheng had already opened the car door and stepped out with his long legs.

“Miss Xia, please get in the car. I’ll help you with your luggage.” His voice was elegant as he took her suitcase from in front of her.

“Wait… Did Song Jinhe send you here?” Xia Liyang furrowed her brows slightly, still a bit dazed.

“To be precise, I asked her to invite you here. I initially wanted to celebrate your birthday again, but she didn’t agree to my request at first. It wasn’t until after your birthday that she contacted me, saying she could help with bringing you to Lianzhou Island for a vacation.”

While explaining, Lu Huaicheng put her luggage in the trunk, then walked back to her side, lowering his eyes and apologizing to her.

“I’m sorry for doing this behind your back. If you don’t want to be with me, I can take you to the hotel and won’t bother you again. I hope you won’t blame her; it’s mainly because I was a bit persistent.”

“……” Xia Liyang opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

She never expected that Lu Huaicheng would involve Song Jinhe in his pursuit of her.

But she didn’t quite believe his claim that Song Jinhe was helping him because he was persistent.

She knew Song Jinhe well enough; with her personality that couldn’t keep a secret, if Lu Huaicheng had really bothered her, she would have complained to her a long time ago.

The only reason she likely changed her mind to help him was that on the night of her birthday, she realized that Xia Liyang was also troubled and conflicted because of him.

Song Jinhe was pushing her to confront her own feelings.

However, Lu Huaicheng could not possibly know this reason.

He might have worried that this situation would affect her friendship with Song Jinhe, which was why he used this reasoning and took all the responsibility upon himself.

Thinking about this, Xia Liyang’s mood became somewhat complicated.

Unlike before, when he had used strong measures to force her to meet him by directly aiming to purchase Xu Songnian’s firm, this time he had put in effort but still gave her enough choice.

Besides, she didn’t feel like she had been tricked into coming by Song Jinhe.

After all, she had already been thinking about coming to Lianzhou Island; it was just a matter of when.

As for Lu Huaicheng suddenly appearing before her, though she didn’t want to admit it, she felt a bit happy the moment she saw him.

It felt like this journey back to the past would no longer be something she faced alone.

Xia Liyang bit her lip, her heart racing, yet her expression remained composed as she said calmly, “Oh, since I’m here, I guess I should trouble you to show me some hospitality, Mr. Lu.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Huaicheng paused slightly, seemingly surprised that she accepted his apology so readily and even agreed to tour the island with him.

His gaze lingered uncertainly on her slightly defiant face for a moment before a light shone in his eyes, and a smile appeared on his lips as he said gently, “No problem, I will do my best to make your vacation unforgettable, Miss Xia.”

With that, he bent down to open the back door for her, raising an eyebrow and gesturing for her to enter.

Xia Liyang lowered her long, thick eyelashes but couldn’t help but smile.

Once inside the car, she noticed a beautifully wrapped gift box on the seat, with a card neatly attached to the ribbon, stating:

“A belated birthday gift, hoping Miss Xia will cheer up.”

Xia Liyang was momentarily taken aback, feeling an inexplicable urge to smile.

It seemed he was truly aware that his actions were not very appropriate, so he had prepared a plan to make amends.

There was an indescribable feeling of thoughtfulness in that.

“It’s been several days since my birthday, so you really didn’t need to go through the trouble of getting me something,” Xia Liyang said, glancing at the man who had settled into the driver’s seat.

Lu Huaicheng paused slightly as he buckled his seatbelt and turned to say, “I bought it a while ago and can’t return it now, so please accept it, Miss Xia.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Liyang felt she couldn’t refuse anymore. She just hoped he wouldn’t gift her a necklace worth hundreds of thousands, as she wouldn’t be able to accept that no matter what.

However, when she opened the gift box, she discovered it only contained an English original copy of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None.”

She immediately sighed in relief and smiled, saying, “Thank you, Mr. Lu, I really like it.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Lu Huaicheng said, his well-defined hand resting on the steering wheel as he started the car.

Xia Liyang closed the gift box and turned her gaze to the familiar yet strange scenery outside the window.

The two of them remained silent during the drive.

It wasn’t until the seaside villa came into view that Lu Huaicheng spoke softly, asking, “Miss Xia, would you mind if we changed from a hotel to a guesthouse?”

“……” Xia Liyang was momentarily stunned, then she realized what he meant.

She couldn’t help but smile at his use of “guesthouse” and replied, “That depends on whether the guesthouse is more private than the hotel.”

“Don’t worry about that; even the guesthouse owner can’t just enter a guest’s room,” Lu Huaicheng said lightly, glancing at her meaningfully as he added, “Unless permitted by the guest.”

Xia Liyang’s heart raced inexplicably as her gaze hastily shifted to the window, pretending to be indifferent as she replied, “Oh, that’s fine then.”

Lu Huaicheng smiled faintly, slowing down to stop in front of the villa.

He turned off the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, and opened the rear door for her with his gloved hand.

Xia Liyang, a bit unaccustomed to him treating her so respectfully, felt somewhat shy and bit her lip, softly thanking him as she stepped out of the car with the gift box.

The vibrant sunset painted half the sky, and the gentle sea breeze lifted the hem of her white dress. She pressed down her dress and looked at Aunt Zhang, who was coming out to greet them.

Aunt Zhang still had her hair neatly styled and greeted them with a warm smile, saying that the tea was already prepared.

Everything seemed unchanged from last year.

Except that he didn’t hold her hand, and she maintained a somewhat distant demeanor around him.

After tea, Lu Huaicheng asked her softly whether she would like to rest in her room for a while or go out to the beach to watch the sunset.

Xia Liyang hesitated and said, “Let’s go to the beach.”

“Do you want to change into a swimsuit?” He elegantly held his teacup, his eyes lifting slightly.

“I won’t change; I didn’t bring any this time,” Xia Liyang shook her head.

“If you want to swim, I have prepared one for you in the room upstairs,” Lu Huaicheng said casually.

In an instant, Xia Liyang remembered the bikini he had stuffed at the bottom of her suitcase last year, and she blurted out, “You can forget about that; I can’t wear it out the door.”

“Well, I guess you can only wear it for my eyes,” Lu Huaicheng chuckled, teasing her.

“……” Xia Liyang froze for a moment, memories of that night flooding back like a tide.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat ambiguous.

The two exchanged silent glances for a few seconds, and Lu Huaicheng coughed lightly, not very naturally, before lowering his head to sip from the nearly empty cup of tea.

He then casually set the teacup down and said, “They’re all very conservative swimsuits; you don’t need to worry about whether you can wear them out.”

“Oh.” Xia Liyang fluttered her long eyelashes a bit awkwardly and said, “There’s really no need; it’s not that interesting for me to go into the sea by myself.”

She only intended to find a reasonable excuse for not going into the water. 

Unexpectedly, he paused for a moment before saying, “I can accompany you.”

“……” Xia Liyang was momentarily taken aback.

Last year, she had to persuade him, and he had been too lazy to take a single step into the sea. 

This year, however, he took the initiative to say he would accompany her, based on her casually mentioned reason.

“Do you want to go change?” His eyes were deep and focused as he looked at her and asked.

“Let’s change then.” Feeling she could no longer refuse, Xia Liyang lightly nodded and followed him upstairs.

The bedroom Lu Huaicheng had prepared for her was still the same one from last year.

Although it no longer had the birthday decorations, it was still very cozy.

Fresh roses were arranged in a vase, decorating her bedside.

When she pushed the window open and looked out, it was still the same sea and the same sunset.

It was a scene that evoked a strong sense of comfort and nostalgia.

Xia Liyang stood quietly at the windowsill for a moment before returning her gaze to the shopping bag he had placed beside the bed.

Inside were indeed conservative swimsuits, but they were all in shades of green.

She couldn’t help but suspect that it was because she had chosen a dark green two-piece swimsuit last year that he thought she would like green.

And it turned out to be true.

He could be unexpectedly thoughtful at times, leaving her at a loss for words.

Feeling complicated, Xia Liyang took off her dress and chose a light green swimsuit with a skirt.

When she was ready to go downstairs, Lu Huaicheng was already waiting at the door.

He had changed into a beach shirt, the open collar clearly revealing his attractive collarbone and chest muscles.

His slightly snug swim trunks accentuated his muscular thighs, and the legs revealed his well-defined calves.

He stood tall, his handsome features well-defined, poised at the boundary of light and shadow.

The golden glow of the sunset illuminated one side of him, making his features even more chiseled and his eyes more three-dimensional.

He looked like someone who stepped out of a summer beach movie poster.

Xia Liyang felt her heart quicken involuntarily, reasonably suspecting he was using some sort of charm to sway her feelings.

“Shall we go?” His voice was smooth and courteous.

His Adam’s apple moved slightly as he saw her skin, white as snow, accentuated by the swimsuit.

“Mm.” Xia Liyang suppressed her racing heartbeat and walked to his side.

As they strolled toward the beach, the setting sun was nearly level with the horizon.

The waves shimmered with warm orange light, gently lapping at the shore.

Xia Liyang stepped into the foamy waves, glancing at the paragliders soaring in the not-so-distant sky.

“Do you want to try it?” Lu Huaicheng glanced in the direction of her gaze and asked.

“A bit, but it seems pretty scary,” Xia Liyang replied uncertainly.

She had always been someone who craved thrilling activities, yet was genuinely afraid.

“Actually, it’s not that bad; the speed isn’t very fast,” Lu Huaicheng reassured her.

“Then should we go take a look?” Xia Liyang blinked her long eyelashes lightly.

“Sure.” Lu Huaicheng nodded and led her to the paragliding ticket booth.

He glanced at the price list, his gaze finally settling on the option for tandem paragliding.

“If you’re scared, we can choose the tandem flight because I have experience from before,” he suggested gently.

Xia Liyang thought for a moment and felt that having him with her would bring a sense of security.

So the two of them bought tickets, put on life jackets, and boarded the paraglider.

But at the moment the speedboat started and was about to take off with them, Xia Liyang felt an overwhelming fear.

She couldn’t help but tighten her lips, shut her eyes, and grip the safety harness so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Lu Huaicheng glanced at her, who was trembling like a quail, and comforted her in a deep voice, “Don’t be afraid; we’ll be flying soon.”

“Isn’t flying going to be even scarier?!” Xia Liyang’s voice trembled.

“Why don’t you hold my hand? It’s better than gripping the cold safety harness,” Lu Huaicheng offered his hand toward her.

“No, it’s fine…” Xia Liyang swallowed hard, feeling a bit embarrassed to hold his strong hand.

But as the speedboat accelerated and they took off into the air, Xia Liyang couldn’t help but scream and instinctively grabbed his outstretched hand.

Lu Huaicheng’s lips curled slightly, and he wrapped his fingers around her ice-cold hand, enveloping it in his warm palm.

It wasn’t until they began to glide smoothly in the air that Xia Liyang’s heart, which felt like it might burst from her chest, gradually calmed down.

At the same time, she belatedly realized she was holding Lu Huaicheng’s hand tightly.

Her heart skipped a few beats again.

She stole a glance at the man beside her.

To her surprise, she found his ink-black eyes were also fixed on her.

Unable to naturally withdraw her gaze, she could only force a smile and say, “That was a bit scary.”

“Mm.” Lu Huaicheng smiled warmly and asked, “Do you feel better now?”

“It’s definitely much better.” Xia Liyang lightly bit her lip.

“Then let’s enjoy the scenery,” he said, lowering his gaze to watch the setting sun ahead.

He neither mentioned that she was holding his hand nor seemed inclined to let go first.

Xia Liyang looked at his handsome profile for a moment, feeling a bit awkward. She pretended not to notice the situation.

Hand in hand, they watched the sunset.