“Her boss told her to come over for a toast. She didn’t act very enthusiastic, which happened to suit my friend’s taste. I also heard that she seems to have been married to a woman, but they’ve already divorced.”
Lu Yao felt that it wouldn’t be surprising if Shen Qing said those three words next.
Luo Yueming’s company, Luo Yueming’s personality, Luo Yueming having been married and already divorced.
There really was such a coincidence in the world.
And Shen Qing said her friend liked her—it was truly a happy ending for all.
Lu Yao lowered her eyes in dejection, blaming herself for staying to listen.
She didn’t want to know this.
Even if she knew, what could she say?
It wouldn’t be right to say to Shen Qing’s face, That’s my ex-wife.
Lu Yao chuckled softly. “Your friend must come from a very good family. For a company as big as Shengxi, which I couldn’t even dream of entering, to actually send someone to pursue your friend.”
Shen Qing had an expression that said it was a headache just talking about it. “Her family background is indeed good, and she’s been spoiled.”
Lu Yao smiled again, this time a genuine smile.
She thought Shen Qing’s words were a bit funny, given that she herself was also young and came from a well-off family.
Ordinary families wouldn’t let their daughters out to open a bar at this age; stricter families wouldn’t even allow their daughters to go to a bar.
She was also a child who was cherished without realizing it, who would comment on other people’s interesting children, not much different from Li Jing.
Lu Yao thought this was good.
A dull person like herself was most envious of people like Li Jing and Shen Qing, who were outgoing and pleasant to talk to.
Lu Yao listened to Shen Qing talk about more things from the banquet. Once she finished the water in her hand, Shen Qing stood up proactively. “Let me drive you back.”
Lu Yao had taken a taxi today and would have had to take one back as well.
She didn’t want to trouble Shen Qing, but Shen Qing insisted. “You live alone now. What if someone targets you and stakes out your place? It’s safer if I drop you off.”
This sentence sounded very reasonable, but something about it felt off.
Lu Yao accepted with thanks regardless.
A taxi back would cost thirty yuan.
She’d have to sell many flowers to earn that back.
She thought it would still be that pink diamond-studded car, but it turned out to be just an ordinary red BMW.
The flame-like red was very eye-catching, but what was perhaps more eye-catching was the car’s logo. Even the cheapest BMW cost more than 200,000 yuan. Lu Yao couldn’t bring herself to spend that much on a car.
But for someone with a background like Shen Qing’s, it might be nothing—perhaps just her most ordinary vehicle.
Lu Yao thought of the videos she usually scrolled through, sharing how their friends or besties were rich and how going out with them only required enjoyment without worrying about the cost, because the friend would say, Why should you spend money when I invited you out?
She usually just smiled and scrolled past them.
After all, she was the type of person who couldn’t bear it if the other party gave too much.
Now that she thought about it, it seemed she had been constantly receiving from Shen Qing.
The most awkward part was that she couldn’t repay her.
Shen Qing didn’t need money, and as for other things… she couldn’t exactly go to Shen Qing’s bar to help with the cleaning.
After the busy Christmas and New Year period, fewer customers came to the shop.
Lu Yao leaned against the doorframe. The shops on either side had opened just before Christmas and were now equally quiet.
In such cold weather, no one wanted to be out wandering unless there were necessities to buy.
Flowers didn’t count as a necessity, though the people living in the residential area liked to have some in their homes, whether for decoration or to purify the air.
Lu Yao said she could deliver, so many customers chose flowers through WeChat. Right now, Li Jing was out delivering. Lu Yao stayed in the shop, thinking she really needed to hire one more employee.
She pinched the bridge of her nose to relax.
This area had only been built recently. The people living in the neighborhood were all wealthy and naturally wouldn’t come to work at Lu Yao’s flower shop.
The location was also a bit remote, making it really difficult to recruit staff.
Lu Yao had downloaded several recruitment apps on her phone. Many people contacted her, but no one actually showed up.
Running a flower shop was truly not easy.
Lu Yao turned and walked into the shop. She checked the various flowers on the racks, picked out those that weren’t very fresh, plucked the petals, and put them in the oven to dry. Once they were turned into dried flowers, she put them into small cloth bags.
Some were taken home by Li Jing, and some were given away as gifts by Lu Yao; nothing was wasted.
Lu Yao blinked her dry eyes; she was getting sleepy.
She wanted to go upstairs to rest, but if she did, only Li Jing would be in the shop, and if a customer wanted a delivery, it wouldn’t be possible.
Who isn’t busy for the sake of a little money?
Lu Yao sat down and leaned against the counter to rest for a bit. Li Jing came back, her footsteps light and full of energy.
When she entered the shop, she remembered to lower her voice so as not to disturb Lu Yao’s nap.
After a while.
“Boss, your phone is ringing.”
Li Jing walked over and nudged Lu Yao. Seeing Lu Yao lift her head listlessly, her heart felt a bit of a sting.
She went home at her off-time, but Lu Yao would continue to watch the shop, only closing around ten o’clock.
Then, the next day, she would get up around four to get stock and make deliveries.
When she didn’t have orders from the Western restaurant, she only needed to get stock once every two or three days. But Lu Yao couldn’t reject that order just to rest; it was the main source of income for the flower shop right now.
And so, it had been exhausting.
Li Jing had also asked a few times if she had hired anyone yet. It wasn’t that she was afraid of working, but she thought that with one more colleague, they could take turns, and Lu Yao could go upstairs and catch up on sleep.
“Mmh.” Lu Yao let out a sound from her throat—a bit cute, a sound that the usual Lu Yao would never make.
Li Jing’s heart was instantly struck, and for a moment, she had the thought that it might be okay even if they didn’t hire a new colleague.
Li Jing was thinking that she could stay and work overtime at night, and if it didn’t work out, she could go upstairs and squeeze in with the boss.
She didn’t mind, really.
The boss was a good boss, and she was a good employee.
Lu Yao groggily answered the phone. Out of habit, she waited for the other person to speak before responding. Her mind was completely blank, and with her sleepiness taking over, only the thought of sleeping remained.
“Yaoyao, your father and I have arrived.”
At the station.
Lu Yao was carrying luggage, with Mother Lu standing beside her and Father Lu next to her.
The couple hadn’t even given her a heads-up; they only called her once they had arrived. Lu Yao was quite helpless against this “act first, report later” tactic.
But she had also opened the flower shop in the same “act first, report later” fashion, so Mother and Father Lu had been equally helpless.
Mother Lu waved her over. “Come here, let me have a good look at you.”
Lu Yao: “…”
“So haggard? Did you not sleep well last night?”
“Mom…”
“Alright, alright, I say one thing and you’re already unwilling to listen.”
Lu Yao closed her mouth and didn’t try to explain.
She had brought the pickup truck. It was convenient for hauling goods, and now it could haul luggage too.
Mother and Father Lu hadn’t brought much luggage, but they had brought a lot of things: large bags of eggs and rice from their hometown, as well as various fruits and meats. Looking at it all made Lu Yao’s throat tighten.
“Why did you bring so much? You can buy these online.” They had both taken the bus to get here, yet they still brought so much.
Lu Yao turned her head away, not letting Mother Lu see her tears.
Mother Lu wanted to sit in the front passenger seat and made Father Lu squeeze into the back.
As she got into the car, she said, “What good things can you buy online? These were all prepared for you by your aunts and the others. They said you’ve grown thin!”
Lu Yao smiled. “They haven’t even seen me.”
After saying that, she went quiet. She hadn’t been home for several years.
She let out a sigh, her lips tightly pursed as she started the car in silence.
“Your father doesn’t even know how to drive yet, but our daughter is already driving.” Mother Lu was very happy sitting in the passenger seat.
One could say that some personality traits are hereditary. Lu Yao didn’t like driving; even though she had a license, she rarely drove. It was only now, after opening the shop, that it came in handy.
Father Lu didn’t like driving either. Their whole family rarely went on long trips, and whenever they needed to go somewhere, they usually called on friends or relatives.
Mother Lu was like Lu Yao; she also liked sitting in the passenger seat.
Lu Yao stepped on the gas, and the small pickup truck sped off, giving Mother Lu a bit of a fright. She was worried about Lu Yao’s driving skills.
After a while, she realized that Lu Yao was indeed a very steady driver and felt at ease, praising Lu Yao a few more times.
One of the things she said was:
“Our daughter has been doing better and better since the divorce.”
Lu Yao’s eyes were focused on the vehicles on the road, and she didn’t pay attention to Mother Lu’s remark.
She also didn’t notice that after Mother Lu said that, she intentionally stayed quiet for a few seconds, waiting for Lu Yao’s reaction. Seeing that Lu Yao didn’t care, she truly breathed a sigh of relief.
They said she was divorced, but with how much Lu Yao had loved Luo Yueming back then, how could they possibly be at ease?
By the time Lu Yao brought them to the shop, it was almost time for Li Jing to get off work.
So, Lu Yao let Li Jing go home early today.
Li Jing: “…Are you treating me like an outsider?”
Lu Yao was about to explain when Mother Lu slapped her on the back. Then, Mother Lu walked up and grabbed Li Jing’s hand, saying a whole bunch of things—how she hoped Li Jing would take care of Yaoyao, how Yaoyao was a bit slow to warm up and not very good with words.
Lu Yao: That’s exactly why I wanted her to leave early.
Li Jing was amused. “Auntie, don’t say things like that anymore. If you say that, how will the future employees ever respect the boss? It’ll make managing them quite a hassle.”
Reminded by Li Jing, Mother Lu finally realized that her always gentle and quiet daughter was now the boss of a shop.
Since she was a boss, she could no longer be treated as she was when she was a child.
After realizing this, Mother Lu liked Li Jing even more.
Li Jing smiled and winked at Lu Yao. “Then I’ll be heading off work now, Boss.”