Lu Yao soon met the guest recommended by Shen Qing.
He was a western restaurant owner whose establishment was located on the top floor of a skyscraper. From the windows, one could overlook the entire city’s night view. A place this prestigious couldn’t be opened without significant influence. Consequently, Lu Yao acted very cautiously, all while wondering how Shen Qing had managed to pull in such a high-profile client.
Fearing the owner might look down on the flowers from her shop, she began to feel cold feet. Retreating now seemed better than suffering a public humiliation later.
Lu Yao looked at the restaurant’s decor; without exception, everything was of the highest class.
The restaurant owner suddenly spoke: “I wonder, Boss Lu, what kind of flowers do you think would be best for decoration?”
She wanted to say the ones already on the tables were quite nice.
They featured a large amount of pale pink paired with tender yellow buds. The fresh flowers were so vibrant they looked as if they had just been plucked from the branches, still glistening with fresh dew.
If she could strike a deal with this owner, it would be a massive business opportunity. A restaurant needed fresh floral materials every day, and the volume would be much larger than Shen Qing’s bar. It was fair to say that the orders from this single restaurant alone would be enough to sustain Lu Yao’s flower shop.
The difficulty was high, and anyone with a shred of ambition would fight for it. Unfortunately, what Lu Yao lacked most was ambition.
She asked hesitantly, “It seems you already have a cooperating supplier, Boss?”
“I do.” The owner didn’t deny it. On the table where they sat was an orange-themed arrangement featuring large coral peonies, gerbera daisies, and tulips. The warm and beautiful table flowers made one feel cozy, bright, and full of vitality.
Sourcing such a variety of flowers from the market wasn’t easy. Lu Yao pursed her lips, nearly saying, “Then I’ll be going.”
The restaurant owner smiled: “In the past, I used to buy flowers from a friend, but he has moved abroad. It just so happens that Shen Qing recommended you to me.”
Moved abroad…
Lu Yao looked at the flowers on the table again. After weighing her own capabilities, she said, “How about I deliver for two days first? If you are satisfied, Boss, we can sign the contract then.”
“That works.” The owner sized up the plainly dressed Lu Yao. “When the time comes, you can speak directly with the manager. I might not be in.”
Big bosses were busy; Lu Yao understood that. Dealing with a fellow worker like a manager felt more relaxing to her anyway.
The thought of driving her battered little car to such a high-end restaurant to deliver flowers over the next two days filled her with unease. She comforted herself in her mind, and after finalizing the flower types for the next two days with the boss, she stood up to take her leave.
Once Lu Yao stepped out of the office, the restaurant owner began to call Shen Qing. Before the call connected, he shook his head with a smile and muttered to himself, “To think her taste has changed to this.”
Lu Yao was waiting for the elevator.
The downside of such a prime location was the hassle—the elevators were too hard to catch, especially on the top floor. She looked down idly, thinking that she would probably have to wake up at four in the morning tomorrow to get to the market early, then rush to deliver the flowers before the restaurant opened.
She only needed to deliver to the bar every few days, but their opening hours were late, requiring two separate trips. If she did that, she wouldn’t have much time to spend in the shop itself.
A flower shop owner shouldn’t spend all their time as a delivery person. If the business deal went through, she would have to hire a driver. Finding a female driver willing to do deliveries was hard, and she didn’t want to hire a male employee. She didn’t know how long it would take to find someone.
Lu Yao watched the floor numbers on the elevator display change continuously. It would probably take even longer than this.
As she was thinking, someone approached the adjacent elevator. Lu Yao intended to take that one down, but she was suddenly stopped in her tracks by the sound of voices.
The people in the elevator were talking as they walked out. Lu Yao was merely slow-tempered, not a complete social recluse who couldn’t interact with people, but after hearing those voices, she halted her steps. Then, Lu Yao instinctively hid behind a large potted plant near the stairwell.
The plant was as tall as a person, perfectly shielding her figure. Her hand gripped the leaves of the plant as her eyes widened. When she regained her senses, she began to smile bitterly.
Why am I hiding?
Despite the thought, she still didn’t step out from behind the plant. The voices drew closer, and Lu Yao was forced to overhear what they were discussing.
“This supply run is mainly for the Iranian side, but there’s internal unrest there. The main focus for this foreign trade is figuring out the payment issue.”
“As for the US side…”
“What if we route it through Hong Kong? We can definitely supply the goods. It would be a pity to give up such a large order volume from Iran.”
“I think it’s better to use our own currency. Why make doing business with us so complicated!”
Several voices argued back and forth until they finally settled on—
“President Luo, what do you think?”
Luo Yueming was looking at her phone. She was originally responsible for another contract, and foreign trade had always been handled by President Shao. However, President Shao suddenly claimed he couldn’t make it and pushed her forward. Her subordinates thought the matter was troublesome, but Luo Yueming didn’t care much. She had made a temporary appointment at the city’s best western restaurant, intending to have a thorough talk with the Iranian side.
She was reviewing the other company’s data to avoid any mistakes during the upcoming meeting, so she was walking absentmindedly. She had heard everything her subordinates were arguing about, but she hadn’t spoken yet.
Seeing that they were about to enter the restaurant, Luo Yueming finally told them to be quiet. she put away her phone, her eyes glancing toward the potted plant.
The plant was unremarkable; no matter how tall it grew, it was just a decoration. Luo Yueming had never paid much attention to such things. But she suddenly thought of Lu Yao’s flower shop.
Because of that thought, she took a couple of extra glances. The leaves of the plant seemed to tremble slightly; she wasn’t sure if it was blown by the wind.
Her subordinates had already entered the restaurant. Seeing Luo Yueming staring at the plant, one couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Is there something special about that plant?”
Luo Yueming paused. “No.”
“It’s just something you see everywhere.”
After Luo Yueming left those words, her voice faded away. Lu Yao’s tense nerves finally relaxed. She stepped out from behind the plant, her legs feeling numb.
How pathetic, Lu Yao scolded herself.
Her presence at the restaurant was an accident; Luo Yueming’s was not. The company Luo Yueming worked for was one of the top firms in the city, so coming here to discuss business was a regular occurrence. Lu Yao had simply overlooked this point, only remembering it when she heard Luo Yueming’s voice.
The two had almost collided. Considering their relationship, if they had lingered, it would have surely invited questions from Luo Yueming’s subordinates. Even a glance at a potted plant had prompted two questions.
How would Luo Yueming have explained it then? Or would she have simply not looked at her at all and walked right past?
Thinking of the latter, Lu Yao had to admit her heart ached for a moment. That was why she had hidden with such speed—it was almost like a survival instinct.
Luo Yueming hadn’t changed at all. She was still so completely focused when immersed in work.
Lu Yao felt restless. She didn’t even realize when she had returned to the shop; she was in a trance, and Li Jing had to call her several times.
“Boss, when should we open these packages?”
Lu Yao looked over. A few packages were sitting in the corner; she had been busy lately and had left them piled up.
Li Jing pointed at the boxes. “Let’s open them first so I can organize the boxes to sell to the recycler later.”
Lu Yao: “…”
The flower shop was truly small; they even had to recycle cardboard boxes just to help cover the shop’s losses. It seemed she really needed to secure the restaurant order; otherwise, after a while, she would have to rely on the recycling uncle to survive.
“Open them.”
Lu Yao grabbed a pair of scissors and opened them one by one. The recent packages weren’t anything important—just spray bottles for the shop and a soil-changing mat. She had bought them because they were cheap, wanting to stock up on a few extras for the shop. There were also things for her room upstairs, like dishcloths—items that seemed necessary but weren’t urgent.
While unpacking, Lu Yao saw a gift box.
Li Jing was drawn over. “Is the boss giving a gift recently?”
“No… I don’t think so.” Lu Yao didn’t remember buying this. She thought the courier might have delivered it to the wrong person, but when she picked up the shipping label, she saw it was actually a local delivery.
The sender’s address was… the neighborhood where she and Luo Yueming had lived.
Lu Yao’s face turned deathly pale, giving Li Jing a fright. Li Jing immediately looked at the gift box warily, various guesses popping into her head: “Could it be a prank?”
Lu Yao’s hands were shaking as she held the box.
If it was a prank, it was a cruel one. The uninformed Li Jing was filled with righteous indignation and reached out to snatch the box, intending to throw it out for Lu Yao. But Lu Yao’s grip tightened, leaving Li Jing grabbing at thin air.
“Boss…?” Li Jing didn’t understand.
Based on her boss’s expression, she thought there was something bad inside. But the boss’s subsequent reaction didn’t seem like that was the case?
Lu Yao held the gift box in one hand and squeezed the courier label tightly with the other.
A month before the divorce, she had already packed her things and hadn’t sent anything out. Furthermore, the flower shop was opened after the divorce, so it was impossible for her to have sent anything here!
Was it Sister Chen? She had told Sister Chen she was opening a flower shop, but she hadn’t had time to give her the address yet, so it couldn’t be her.
That left only one person Lu Yao knew in that neighborhood.
Luo Yueming.
Looking at the gift box again, Lu Yao frowned as she remembered. She already knew what was inside, but her hands still trembled as she opened it.
Inside the box lay a fountain pen quietly.
Lu Yao felt as though her heart was bungee jumping—up and down, before finally becoming as still as death.
This was the birthday gift she had given Luo Yueming. Two days before their wedding, she hadn’t known what Luo Yueming liked, so she had given her things like clothes and necklaces. Luo Yueming would wear the clothes occasionally but never once wore the jewelry.
It wasn’t until the third year that she tentatively gave her a fountain pen, thinking Luo Yueming might be able to use it for work. In the end, Lu Yao never knew if Luo Yueming had used it. She never pried into Luo Yueming’s affairs for fear of being annoying, and she had never visited Luo Yueming’s company.
Then came the period when the elderly relative was critically ill, which kept Lu Yao constantly busy. Later on, the idea of divorce began to take root in Lu Yao’s mind, and the affection and anticipation she felt when giving the gift were deeply buried.
Secretly, she had dealt with everything related to her—either throwing things away or moving them. She had subconsciously forgotten the existence of this fountain pen.
At this moment, Lu Yao’s breath felt so hot it was painful. Her eyes were fixed on the pen; it showed no signs of being used. Thinking back, Luo Yueming seemed to have taken the pen into the study. That was a place Lu Yao never entered to avoid disturbing her, so she had never taken the pen away. Now, Luo Yueming had found it and sent it back?
Lu Yao wanted to laugh but couldn’t.
Her eyes were helpless and wandering. Even the divorce hadn’t made her feel like this. A mere fountain pen had instead made her unable to even speak.
Li Jing looked at Lu Yao, extremely worried. “Boss?”
Lu Yao shuddered, her spine quickly stiffening as she closed the lid of the box. She wanted to look up at Li Jing and say she was fine, but her eyes were painfully sore, and she could hardly get the words out. When she finally managed to squeeze out “I’m fine,” her voice was distorted in a terrifying way.
Li Jing saw the pen inside. Judging by Lu Yao’s reaction, it didn’t seem like a pen—it seemed more like a bomb.
“Boss, who sent this?” the question was asked with extreme caution.
“.My ex-wife.”
Lu Yao took a deep breath. After those words were spoken, the following sentences seemed to flow much more smoothly. Lu Yao suddenly found it unbearable; she poured out everything she had been holding back to Li Jing.
Li Jing was a new hire and didn’t know about her past, which made Lu Yao’s desire to confide incredibly strong.
“I’m divorced from her; there shouldn’t be any connection between us anymore. She probably found my things an eyesore, so she sent it back.” Lu Yao forced a painful smile.
So this was the difference between being active and being passive.
She admitted she still liked Luo Yueming. After all, she had loved her for so many years; it wasn’t something she could just stop. She had made full preparations, wanting to leave without a trace of her existence, wanting to return to how it was in high school and college—where she only had to like Luo Yueming in secret.
Lu Yao didn’t want to leave any shadow of herself at Luo Yueming’s place, even though she knew Luo Yueming wouldn’t care.
That was what she thought, and it made things easier to accept since it was her own choice. She thought she had cleaned up thoroughly, but she had still left a past birthday gift behind to be an eyesore. No wonder Luo Yueming had sent it back.
Lu Yao tried hard to convince herself, but she simply couldn’t.
She could have proactively taken the item away, but when Luo Yueming sent it and she was forced to accept it passively, her previous actions made her feel incredibly embarrassed now.
It was her own foolishness for still secretly liking Luo Yueming. That was why she couldn’t accept that Luo Yueming had absolutely no place for her in her heart; she didn’t want to admit that Luo Yueming couldn’t even tolerate a single fountain pen.
Lu Yao’s eyes were bloodshot, frightening Li Jing, who began to curse along: “What kind of psychopath is she? To track down where you live after the divorce just to send something back to humiliate you.”
Lu Yao: “…”
Li Jing was cursing enthusiastically. Lu Yao’s eyes shifted as the feeling of weightlessness slowly vanished and her feet felt the solid ground again. She was struck by Li Jing’s words.
“I never told her I was opening a flower shop.”
Li Jing was still angry: “That’s why I said she’s a psychopath!”