They said they were going home, but the car drove all the way to the outskirts.
Perhaps because it was daytime, there were more cars on the road. Luo Yueming’s unremarkable white sedan blended in perfectly. She drove to the street opposite Lu Yao’s flower shop and found a temporary parking space.
Since she arrived early today, the flower shop was still open.
The fountain pen in Luo Yueming’s pocket felt heavy, dragging her sanity down with it.
To be influenced by personal emotions during working hours was practically a cardinal sin, yet that was exactly what she was doing.
Luo Yueming rested her hands on the steering wheel. She didn’t get out of the car; she simply stared toward the flower shop with a deep, unreadable gaze.
Business didn’t seem very good; no one had gone inside for quite a while.
Thinking that Lu Yao might be in there alone, Luo Yueming’s resolve began to waver. Before she even realized it, her hand had moved from the steering wheel toward the door handle.
Going in now shouldn’t be a disturbance.
She just wanted to ask if Chen Shi had caused her any trouble.
Lu Yao had already divorced her, so she shouldn’t be affected by Luo Yueming’s circumstances. Chen Shi had taken her to that kind of place without permission; Luo Yueming felt she owed her a proper apology.
The car door was already open, and Luo Yueming had one foot on the ground.
Just as she was about to close the door, she suddenly noticed a beautiful woman stepping out of the shop. Lu Yao followed her out, handing her a vibrant, delicate flower.
The step Luo Yueming was about to take was pulled back. She watched as the beautiful woman accepted the flower with a smile and walked toward a luxury car.
After speaking a few words to the driver, the woman drove away.
Luo Yueming kept watching.
She watched Lu Yao turn back into the shop. Soon after, a young girl came out to throw away the trash, walking with a light step. She tossed the trash bag in a perfect arc and then nimbly turned back inside.
Luo Yueming couldn’t watch anymore.
She pulled herself back into the car, her gaze gradually losing focus. After a long moment, she raised her hand to prop up her forehead, barely keeping herself from collapsing.
A chaotic jumble of voices argued fiercely in her mind. She couldn’t hear them clearly; it felt as though her head was about to explode.
It was so strange.
Luo Yueming slowly rested her head on the steering wheel, using her hands as a pillow.
She actually didn’t know what to do anymore.
There were people in the shop, so she couldn’t go in and disturb them.
But did it matter if people were there? If it was just for an apology, did she need to care if others were present?
Luo Yueming lifted her head, looking forward with a dazed expression.
Soon, the white sedan drove away.
This time, Luo Yueming drove back to the residential complex at full speed, her face cold.
In the complex, many parents were just returning after picking up their children from school. On the way home, they were discussing what to eat for dinner.
The children’s voices were cheerful and excited, and the parents’ voices were full of warmth.
Inside the elevator, a little girl stared at Luo Yueming for over ten seconds before letting out a cold huff and muttering, “Bad lady.”
The woman standing next to the girl was her mother. Hearing this, she hurriedly covered the child’s mouth and apologized to Luo Yueming.
Luo Yueming didn’t care much. She didn’t know this person, and she cared even less about a child’s evaluation.
Even as they stepped out of the elevator together, she passed by without a single glance.
The moment Luo Yueming opened her front door, she walked straight into the study.
This was the room where she spent the most time at home—even more than the bedroom.
She turned on the light. The study was filled with the scent of deathly silence.
The owner of this place hadn’t been back for over a month. Having lost its human touch for so long, the room had become dark and icy.
Luo Yueming walked over to the desk, where a photo of her and Lu Yao sat.
In the photo, besides her and Lu Yao, there was an elderly person.
Luo Yueming and Lu Yao hadn’t taken many photos together—the wedding photo counted as one, and this group photo was another.
It was taken after they got married; Grandma had insisted on dragging her and Lu Yao to a photo studio.
In the picture, Grandma was holding Lu Yao’s hand with a kind smile. Luo Yueming stood alone to the side. No matter how close she stood, she seemed to have a barrier around her, isolating her from everyone else.
Looking at it, Lu Yao and Grandma seemed more like blood relatives.
Luo Yueming didn’t pick up the photo to look closely; she just stood before the desk, gazing at it coldly.
Soon, she reached out and flipped the photo frame face down, not wanting to see the smiles on their faces.
Luo Yueming pulled open a drawer and found a gift box. She took the fountain pen out of her pocket and placed it inside; it fit perfectly.
“Delivery service? I have a package to send.”
“Yes.”
“Boss, you have a delivery.”
“Just leave it there for now.”
Lu Yao was loading flowers into her car, planning to deliver the goods to the bar early.
She didn’t have time to open the package right now. She figured it was just some small trinkets she’d bought online, nothing important, so she didn’t pay it any mind.
“Let me help you.” Li Jing ran over, helping to secure the flowers to prevent them from falling over and crushing the petals during transit, which would ruin their appearance.
Once Lu Yao was ready, she instructed Li Jing: “If I’m not back by closing time, you can close the shop and go home first.”
Li Jing shook her head. “I think I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Lu Yao paused. It seemed like a long time since she had heard those words.
In the past, when she lived with her parents, she would hear them from her father or mother.
Parents are family, so they naturally say such things. As for Luo Yueming… it was always Lu Yao who did the waiting at home. The most common scenario was waiting for a long time, only to receive a phone call from Luo Yueming.
Luo Yueming would say she had to work late and tell Lu Yao to go to sleep early.
And Lu Yao would reply: I think I’ll wait for you to come back.
“There’s no need to wait,” Lu Yao said, her nose stinging as she suppressed the emotion. “The weather is cold. You’ll catch a chill if you wait too long.”
Li Jing said with a smile, “It’ll be fine if the Boss just comes back early. A round trip doesn’t take that long.”
Lu Yao shook her head. “I have something to discuss with the bar owner today. I don’t know how long I’ll be delayed.”
Li Jing immediately looked dejected. “Alright then.”
Lu Yao gave a light laugh, thinking Li Jing was like a child. Her tone was like pouting, which made one’s heart soften.
Deliveries were a matter of practice; once was new, twice was familiar.
She wasn’t as nervous driving now, and her speed was much faster than last time. After parking the car, she picked up the flowers and headed toward the bar.
Music was playing inside the bar—a soothing melody that made the environment quiet and peaceful. The receptionist was wiping glasses; seeing Lu Yao come in with the flowers, they put down the glass to take them.
“The boss is waiting for you in the inner room. Turn left after you go in.”
“Okay.”
Lu Yao had made an appointment to meet Shen Qing at the bar. She had originally wanted to ask her clearly over WeChat, but Shen Qing insisted on talking in person.
Coincidentally, she had to deliver flowers to the bar, and Shen Qing was the owner.
Meeting here was most appropriate.
The bar had just opened, and the staff had many preparations to make. Lu Yao searched on her own and soon found the room where Shen Qing was.
Shen Qing hadn’t closed the door, specifically waiting for Lu Yao to arrive.
When Lu Yao reached the doorway, Shen Qing looked up and gestured for her to come in and sit.
“…” Lu Yao could only walk in.
She sat opposite Shen Qing. Shen Qing watched Lu Yao with great interest. Although it didn’t feel offensive, it still made Lu Yao press her lips together tightly.
This woman seemed to know her own strengths. Her slender waist drew attention at every moment, excessively bold. Lu Yao took a deep breath, not daring to look at Shen Qing’s face; she could only stare at the woman’s chin, though her eyes uncontrollably drifted to the curve of her red lips.
Shen Qing’s smile was amicable. Before she had even said anything, Lu Yao was already flustered, her intended words dying in her throat.
“Chen Shi blocked you?” Shen Qing spoke first.
Lu Yao had briefly described it on WeChat. She found it very strange, and knowing Shen Qing was Chen Shi’s friend, she had come to ask.
Lu Yao nodded.
Shen Qing picked up the glass of plain water in front of her. “Did you have business with him?”
Lu Yao spoke slowly; those who didn’t know her would be drawn in by her unhurried tone. “Nothing much.”
“I just wanted to say thank you,” Lu Yao said at her usual slow pace. “I don’t like owing people.”
In this life, she only sought to come cleanly and leave without debt.
Shen Qing put down the glass and mirrored her slow tone. “Just a thank you.”
Just a thank you.
Lu Yao didn’t plan on having Chen Shi add her back, which was why she was willing to meet Shen Qing.
“Can you pass on the message for me? In the future, I can also do something within my power for you,” Lu Yao requested.
This plea was quite amusing to Shen Qing, who couldn’t help but laugh.
“Fine, I’ll pass it on for you.”
“Thank you for the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. There’s one more thing I wanted to meet you for—a friend of mine needs to place a long-term order for flowers for her shop. It’s not far from here. Would you like to take this order so you can deliver them all together in the future?”
Lu Yao lowered her eyes.
Last time when Shen Qing placed an order, Lu Yao had mentioned she could take more orders nearby so that the delivery wouldn’t be a loss.
But with Lu Yao’s social skills… who knew how long it would take to get another order?
Shen Qing was truly efficient, easily introducing new business to Lu Yao. It was a huge help.
Shen Qing was doing so much that it was starting to exceed Lu Yao’s ability to repay.
She didn’t want to take it.
But could she really turn away business?
Shen Qing wasn’t in a hurry for an answer. Her finger tapped her lip in time with the music outside, over and over.
She looked at the quiet woman sitting opposite her, a married woman several years older than herself.
The interest in her heart was truly hard to suppress; she always felt like teasing her a bit. She picked up the glass to drink again, looking down as if she could see Lu Yao’s glistening eyes in the surface of the water.
She stared at the glass in a daze, and before she could put it down, she heard Lu Yao’s answer: “Thank you.”
Shen Qing snapped out of it and put down the glass. “You’re welcome. The flowers you send are beautiful. If you ever find it’s a loss and stop sending them, I’ll be sad for a long time.”
Lu Yao insisted on thanking her, thanking her with absolute sincerity.
She couldn’t let the flower shop close. If she did, it would be as if she couldn’t survive at all without Luo Yueming and had to crawl back to her hometown in disgrace.
As for what she owed Shen Qing, there would be chances to repay it.
After giving her thanks, Lu Yao added the person Shen Qing recommended and stood up to leave.
Shen Qing looked out the window. “Leaving so early?”
“Someone is waiting,” Lu Yao explained. She had to try to get back before Li Jing got off work. Even if she didn’t know if the girl would actually wait, she had to return early.
Shen Qing thought of something because of those words, and her gaze dimmed.
Looking at Lu Yao again, she only felt the smile on the other woman’s face was as soft as silk.
That look was so lingering it actually stirred a sense of dissatisfaction in her heart.
She really didn’t know what kind of luck Luo Yueming had to marry a wife like this.