Whether things were truly good or not was something that couldn’t be explained in a short moment.
Tang Xuesheng stayed for a while longer, bought a small bouquet, and left. Lu Yao was left with a heavy heart, falling back into a daze.
A few minutes later, her phone rang, breaking her train of thought. She picked it up casually.
It was a text from Shen Qing. Her friend’s birthday was coming up, and she planned to buy a large bouquet of flowers to send over. She asked Lu Yao to prepare it first, as she would come to pick it up tomorrow.
Lu Yao stared at the message for a while before setting the phone down.
After a moment’s pause, she looked at Li Jing. “I remember you have tomorrow off.”
Li Jing nodded. “That’s right! My friend and I agreed to go out together. I’m planning to bring her by the shop to have a look.”
Li Jing gave a sweet, expectant smile.
Lu Yao returned the smile, but then sighed, realizing things were going to be difficult.
Usually, Li Jing helped mind the shop. Lu Yao had deliveries to make in the mornings and needed to catch up on sleep in the afternoons; she only stayed in the shop during the evenings.
She had originally thought about just closing the shop for the day since there wasn’t much business during the day anyway, but now it seemed she would have to push through for a day.
She couldn’t very well make Li Jing break her plans just for her own convenience.
Lu Yao looked at the clock on the wall, lost in thought.
In the evening, Lu Yao stayed a while longer after Li Jing finished her shift. As expected, once Christmas was over, few people were buying flowers. She wasn’t discouraged, though. After closing the doors, she went upstairs to sleep.
The next day, Lu Yao woke up at four o’clock as usual.
She washed up as quickly as possible, ran downstairs, drove her truck to the flower market, came back to organize the stock, and then delivered them to the Western restaurant.
By the time she returned, it was nearly noon. She hadn’t eaten breakfast, but she didn’t feel hungry—just a bit dizzy. Too lazy to cook, she simply ordered takeout.
While waiting for the food, Lu Yao started preparing the bouquet Shen Qing wanted.
Shen Qing had mentioned in her text that her friend was of high status, so Lu Yao should make the flowers as expensive as possible.
She also said that if the birthday banquet hadn’t been settled long ago, she would have bought the flowers for the entire event from her.
Truly wealthy.
Thinking about it, Shen Qing was a few years younger than her, yet she could open her own bar and do as she pleased; her family background clearly wasn’t lacking. The fact that the owner of the Western restaurant was also her friend proved that Shen Qing moved in circles that were anything but ordinary.
That was a social class Lu Yao had no way of touching. Consequently, she didn’t truly understand Shen Qing and couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.
After working for a while, the takeout arrived.
The delivery rider walked in carrying rice noodles, seeing the messy floor with nowhere to step.
“Please just put it on the table.” Lu Yao was holding scissors, feeling very embarrassed, and offered a brief explanation: “I’m the only one in the shop, I’m a bit overwhelmed.”
The delivery rider gave a slight, meaningful sigh. “Every industry has its hardships.”
Lu Yao agreed. “Yes, no one has it easy.”
Stepping over the discarded stems and leaves, the rider walked step by step to the counter, set down the noodles, and hurried off to the next delivery.
Lu Yao put down her scissors, intending to eat before the food got cold.
As she ate, her mood sank again.
She looked at the bouquet that was nearly finished. Following Shen Qing’s request, she had used a large number of lilies paired with Phalaenopsis orchids. The lilies were dignified and elegant, while the orchids were gracefully shaped.
Both were materials with a high-end texture; Shen Qing and her friend had good taste.
She and Shen Qing had no prior connection, yet Shen Qing had taken great care of her.
One could say that most of the shop’s current revenue was brought in by Shen Qing; the woman was practically her God of Wealth.
This “God of Wealth” was easy to get along with, explaining even small things like sending flowers to a friend clearly to Lu Yao.
As a customer, Shen Qing didn’t need to say so much to Lu Yao.
The fact that Lu Yao even had the chance to make this profit was reason enough for her to be deeply grateful.
Therefore, whether the person who received that bouquet from Luo Yueming was a friend or a future lover didn’t matter. Since Luo Yueming didn’t want her to know, she shouldn’t think about it.
The takeout had gone cold, and Lu Yao lost her appetite.
She didn’t want to clean up; she only wanted to lean back in her chair and let time slip away perfunctorily, not wanting to move even a finger.
Even though she kept reminding herself that staying busy would stop her from overthinking and improve her mood.
But she wasn’t actually a very diligent person. She liked to space out; she just liked the feeling of her body relaxing. Doing too much made her feel tired, and then she desperately wanted to stop and rest.
It turned out that if you spaced out for too long, your brain would get tired, too.
So tired.
Lu Yao closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind and let her head relax. She tried repeatedly, but the more she tried, the more her brain rebelled against her, filled with endless thoughts of Luo Yueming.
“Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about it…”
The sound of a car parking came from outside.
Lu Yao instinctively opened her eyes, afraid her little pickup truck had been hit. Looking out, she saw only a flamboyant, diamond-pink car.
That pink diamond car, which was dazzling enough at night, sparkled even more brilliantly in the sunlight, every diamond reflecting a blinding light.
The beautiful woman who stepped out of the car exuded confidence, draped in a glossy fur coat, walking gracefully toward the flower shop.
Her stride and temperament surpassed that of a celebrity.
From her hair to her fingernails, everything smelled of money.
If it weren’t for the fact that she owned the shop, Lu Yao would have thought Shen Qing was entering a high-end luxury boutique, while she was just a lowly staff member working at the counter.
Unfortunately… this was just a meager fifty-square-meter flower shop.
It really couldn’t contain her brilliance.
Usually, when a distinguished guest arrived, it brought “honor to a humble house,” but Lu Yao felt that after Shen Qing entered, her radiance was actually diminished by the shop’s simplicity.
She stood up. “Didn’t you say it would be this evening?”
Shen Qing: “I woke up early today, so I figured I’d head over early.”
Shen Qing saw the half-finished bowl of rice noodles on the counter and smiled visibly.
Lu Yao happened to turn around to get the flowers for Shen Qing and didn’t see it. By the time she handed the bouquet over, Shen Qing had already tucked her smile away.
“Mmm, so fragrant,” Shen Qing said, inhaling deeply.
“They’re all freshly bloomed,” Lu Yao explained. She also handed the receipt to Shen Qing, with prices and quantities written on it.
Shen Qing’s gaze fell on the handwritten note. The handwriting was elegant and very beautiful.
She reached out to put the note in her pocket, then stared at Lu Yao.
Lu Yao felt a bit uncomfortable being watched and said with a slight shrug, “You can just transfer the money to me when you’re free.”
Shen Qing smiled. “I’m just worried about what I’m about to say.”
Lu Yao: “…Go ahead.”
Shen Qing took a deep breath and spoke very seriously: “Could I also invite you to accompany me to the banquet?”
Lu Yao froze.
Why did everyone seem to enjoy dragging her into social gatherings? Li Jing had said something similar before, asking Lu Yao if she wanted to join a gathering with her friends.
It was as if they couldn’t stand Lu Yao being at peace and felt they had to disturb her to be satisfied.
Lu Yao looked at the clothes on Shen Qing again. To her eyes, she couldn’t distinguish the specific quality, but she could estimate a price starting at four figures at least.
For such a formal occasion, would it be appropriate to invite her?
Logically, she shouldn’t refuse Shen Qing’s request. Shen Qing had helped her so much—she even remembered to pay back the favor to Chen Shi, so there was no reason Shen Qing should be treated with less regard than Chen Shi.
But Lu Yao still shook her head and declined: “Thank you, but no.”
A visible look of disappointment appeared on Shen Qing’s face.
Though it also looked a bit performative.
Lu Yao pursed her lips. “I’ll go next time I have a chance. Today really won’t work.”
Hearing this, Shen Qing’s eyes lit up, and her charm unfurled once more. “Then it’s a promise! I’ll come to pick you up next time.”
“Mhm, mhm,” Lu Yao replied repeatedly, finally managing to coax Shen Qing out.
As soon as Shen Qing left, she pulled down the rolling shutter.
She went upstairs to catch up on sleep.
President Li looked at the capable subordinate before him.
Luo Yueming had joined the company four years ago. In just one year, she had distinguished herself at the company’s annual party and caught his attention.
She was a woman who remained calm and composed no matter what happened. At that time, he had intentions of grooming her and had someone take her along to a certain gathering as a test.
During the gathering, Luo Yueming received a call from a hospital.
They said a family member had been rushed there.
President Li had felt it was a pity at the time. Even if the circumstances were understandable, he had decided to give up on the idea of grooming her.
The workplace was cold and heartless; competitors wouldn’t give you time to prepare just because a family member was sick.
If she was held back right at the start, how would she walk the road ahead?
Who would have thought that Luo Yueming would simply ask a few questions to understand the situation, then continue to stay at the gathering as if nothing had happened, answering anyone who came to speak to her fluently.
President Li had thought the situation wasn’t serious and asked casually.
Luo Yueming had said, “Fortunately, they were sent in time, otherwise it would have been a disaster.”
President Li: “…”
“I will properly thank the person who sent my grandmother to the hospital.” Luo Yueming tried very hard to make a grateful expression, but failed and simply stopped acting.
She praised calmly: “That was a good person.”
President Li: “…”
And so, he kept Luo Yueming. With just one year of grooming, she went from a plain, unremarkable employee to President Luo.
Though she was heartless, the company needed such talent.
In the following two years, Luo Yueming’s performance remained excellent. President Li now intended to give her another promotion.
“This banquet is very important. It’s the birthday party for the eldest daughter of the Zhou family,” he said cheerfully to Luo Yueming, looking like a kind boss to his subordinate.
The Shengxi Group was immensely influential in this city, but on a national scale, it didn’t really count for much.
Reality was just that cruel; competition was incredibly fierce.
When President Li was young, he had dared to risk everything to gamble. Now that he was old, he needed a young person who was just like him to venture out in his stead.
In the entire company, the one he favored most was Luo Yueming!
President Li’s voice held deep meaning: “That is the young lady who just returned from Shanghai.”
Luo Yueming kept her head down.
President Li frowned. This subordinate’s cold-as-ice demeanor was good in some ways—it was very effective when sent out to negotiate contracts; she was like a solid iron plate. No matter how much the other side tried, she remained unyielding, bringing great profit to the group.
But the downside was also that—even he couldn’t see through Luo Yueming’s thoughts.
As a superior, the thing he dreaded most was a subordinate having secrets.
President Li was no exception.
He became a bit annoyed: “I know you divorced your ex-wife. I’ve always felt that whether you like men or women isn’t important to the company, but right now it is!”
“Miss Zhou has just returned from abroad. Many people are trying to approach her, but so far no one has succeeded. You can give it a try.”
Luo Yueming was very sleepy.
Her body was exhausted, and so was her soul.
An exhausted body couldn’t restrain the soul, so her soul had been drifting outside. Her soul could never find a place to rest, and thus her body could not find peace.
She really wanted to sleep, but even if she lay down, she couldn’t fall asleep.
She heard the words President Li said, but unfortunately had no energy to respond.
Nor did she know how to respond.
Ex-wife, divorce—these were words closely related to her recent life, yet they were so strange. So strange that it felt as if they weren’t about her. She still hadn’t processed it even now.
The last bit of her mental energy focused on the fact that President Li wanted her to curry favor with that Miss Zhou.
Luo Yueming wouldn’t refuse an arrangement from her superior; whether she could actually do it was another matter.
She certainly wouldn’t succeed.
She couldn’t even keep the person who loved her most.
On Christmas Eve, Luo Yueming had taken a bouquet of flowers to the cemetery.
There was no one else in the cemetery. When the security guard saw her coming alone with flowers, he thought he had seen a ghost.
Even after realizing she was human, his heart didn’t slow down, only because the woman looked pale and thin, as if she could collapse at any moment.
He was truly afraid she might end up filling one of the pits in the cemetery.