“Since you’re already here, you might as well have a little drink.” The woman pushed the glass in her hand toward Lu Yao, looking at her with a beaming smile.
Lu Yao didn’t want to drink. Sitting on the sofa, she had already begun to show her timidity.
She stared at the glass of liquor on the table. Inside, the ice cubes were slowly melting, sliding down against the side of the glass and diluting into the liquid. Gradually, the aroma of the alcohol began to permeate the tip of her nose.
It smelled very light, much like the perfume the woman was wearing.
Lu Yao made no move. She intended to stall until the woman got bored and left of her own accord.
To her surprise, the woman was very patient. Without any urging, she naturally sat down beside her. With an extra person on the sofa, it felt somewhat crowded.
Flustered, Lu Yao wanted to say something, but she found that the rejection excuses that had always worked in the past were now impossible to utter.
I’m married—usually, people would consciously leave after hearing that sentence.
But the current Lu Yao was already divorced…
In the end, why had this woman approached her? Lu Yao didn’t understand.
She knit her brows tightly, yet from beginning to end, the woman watched Lu Yao with such focused intensity that she seemed not to notice the resistance on Lu Yao’s face at all.
“Heh.” Having teased her enough, the woman introduced herself with a smile. “I’m the owner of this bar. You can call me Shen Qing.”
Lu Yao looked over. “A friend of Chen Shi?”
“That’s right. Now, can you try this drink?”
Lu Yao’s brow relaxed slightly. Since she was Chen Shi’s friend and the bar owner, there was no reason for her to harbor any ill intent.
After hesitating again and again, she finally picked up the glass and took a small sip.
Shen Qing watched Lu Yao’s movements. After Lu Yao set the glass down, Shen Qing reached out, took it, and drained it in one gulp. She had proven that there was indeed nothing wrong with the drink; it seemed she simply wanted Lu Yao to taste it.
“Since you’re the boss,” Lu Yao spoke up to remind her, “it’s probably not good for you to stay here with me all the time.”
Shen Qing focused on Lu Yao’s every reaction and chuckled softly. “Enjoy it well.”
With that, Shen Qing stood up and left. Her waist, supple as a willow branch, flashed before Lu Yao’s eyes. Once she was gone, Lu Yao’s face began to burn. She raised a hand to touch her cheek, annoyed at her own poor tolerance for alcohol.
She had originally come to the bar to broaden her horizons, but it seemed this place truly didn’t suit her.
Lu Yao scanned the crowd and soon spotted Chen Shi, who was chatting excitedly with a group of people. She wanted to head over, say hello, and tell him she was leaving, but she didn’t want to step into the middle of the crowd.
She had no choice but to continue sitting on the sofa, waiting for them to finish talking.
The people surrounding Chen Shi were either from the company or had business dealings with the Shengxi Group.
For the time being, they could all be considered friends.
Chen Shi gloomily downed the drink in his hand and said to them, “With you guys here, I really don’t want to be sent to the branch office.”
Those from the same company understood the inside story. Only then did they realize why Chen Shi had brought along the wife whom President Luo cherished and kept hidden, even at the risk of offending her.
“You’re President Luo’s subordinate; why not plead with her for mercy?”
Chen Shi let out a sigh.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t pleaded with President Luo directly, but she had been completely indifferent, insisting that she had no right to interfere with the company’s decisions.
Excuses, all excuses.
As long as Luo Yueming didn’t let him go, could the company really force him to the branch office? He wasn’t that important to the firm.
To put it bluntly, Luo Yueming felt he wasn’t qualified enough; he wasn’t worth her personally telling the company: I need this person to stay.
In that case, he had to find a way to make himself a bit more useful.
Being sent to the branch office as General Manager? It sounded nice, but everyone knew that staying in a well-established group held much more promise than a newly opened company.
He wasn’t the Chairman’s little nephew; this so-called “assignment” wasn’t just for experience. If he went, he really wouldn’t be coming back!
He had to find a way to stay.
Chen Shi thought intently. After a few seconds of silence, he snapped out of it and gave the group an apologetic smile. “I should probably help President Luo resolve her troubles before I can bring it up. She’s been having a disagreement with her wife lately, and I’m trying to think of a way to mediate.”
Sure enough, as soon as he said this, the crowd—already slightly buzzed—became instantly excited.
“Whoa! Tell us about it!” What a juicy scoop!
They never expected to get gossip on President Luo in this lifetime. Everyone sharpened their focus and looked at Chen Shi with expectant eyes.
Chen Shi: “…”
“I’m not too clear on the specifics. You know President Luo’s personality.” Everything was strictly business; as for her private life… she never mentioned it, nor would she bring it to the table for outsiders to see.
“President Luo’s wife recently opened a flower shop, and President Luo is secretly trying every possible way to help out.”
A few words were enough for the crowd to fill in the blanks.
They hadn’t expected the usually meticulous President Luo to be such a person in private.
To think she would be fretting and fussing just to please her wife.
Heh, they loved this kind of topic—especially those who had originally wanted to pursue Luo Yueming but had been defeated; they felt particularly gratified.
“Where is the sister-in-law’s flower shop?”
“Exactly, tell us quickly. We also need to cultivate our aesthetic tastes occasionally.”
The group turned to look at Lu Yao, making an effort to memorize her face to avoid mistaking her for someone else the next time they went to patronize her business.
They were so preoccupied that they didn’t notice Shen Qing walking over. Hearing what these people were saying, she also followed their gaze toward Lu Yao. She appeared slightly surprised, then let out a disappointed sigh.
It was nearly eleven o’clock when they came out of the bar.
It was still very lively inside, and everyone was in high spirits, but for Lu Yao, it was getting late.
She was currently living in the outskirts. Even driving would take a few hours, not to mention she hadn’t driven her own car here today.
She couldn’t possibly drive her newly acquired pickup truck and come wobbling into a bar…
At this hour, a taxi back would cost quite a bit. Lu Yao looked up at the sky, feeling a bit reluctant to spend the money.
She didn’t know how long it would be before she had a steady income, yet money was flowing out in large amounts. Lu Yao walked toward the curb, preparing to hail a taxi, when she heard someone calling her from behind.
Turning around, she saw Shen Qing.
“It’s not convenient to get a cab right now. Let me give you a ride.” Shen Qing had come out of the bar wearing a fluffy wool overcoat over her outfit.
Her already striking face was even more eye-catching with the addition of such clothing. Lu Yao noticed several passersby stealing glances at her.
The two were not well-acquainted—less so even than the slight connection she had with Chen Shi. Lu Yao couldn’t think of a reason for Shen Qing to drive her, so she bristled defensively. “No, thank you.”
Shen Qing: “Chen Shi asked me to take you back.”
Lu Yao: “…”
Shen Qing jiggled the car keys in her hand. “He can’t get away right now, but he’s worried you won’t be able to get back, so he entrusted me to drive you.”
It sounded like an airtight reason.
“Or is it that someone will be angry if I take you home?” Shen Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly, a smile playing on her lips. She had a way of looking at people that felt somewhat soul-capturing.
Lu Yao surrendered. “Sorry for the trouble.”
Shen Qing smiled victoriously. “It’s no trouble. Since Chen Shi invited you here, he has to be responsible for you, doesn’t he?”
Lu Yao found it hard to respond to that, so she could only keep her mouth shut.
Shen Qing went to the parking space to bring the car around while Lu Yao waited on the spot.
In a moment, a flashy pink car drove up. Its exterior was covered in rhinestones; it looked like a car that would only appear in a Barbie animation.
Shen Qing lowered the convertible top and told Lu Yao to hurry up and get in.
Lu Yao had to take a deep breath to prepare herself before she managed the struggle of getting into the car.
“I heard from Chen Shi that you opened a flower shop?” Shen Qing asked with a smile.
Lu Yao was puzzled, then realized it might have been the landlord who told Chen Shi. “Yes.”
“That’s great. If I start getting flowers from you regularly in the future, will there be a discount?”
That would be a certainty.”
Lu Yao, who was currently worried about income, truly couldn’t refuse. Shen Qing counted as her first customer; it was only right and proper to give a discount for the sake of a good omen, not to mention Shen Qing planned to be a long-term client.
Lu Yao suddenly realized the benefits of networking. If Chen Shi hadn’t brought her here, she would have just been keeping watch over her shop, and things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.
Shen Qing turned the steering wheel, and the pink diamond car headed down another road. “For flowers suitable for bar decor, you can arrange them as you see fit. I can have someone come and pick them up.”
Lu Yao: “Won’t it be a bit far?”
Her shop was several hours away from Shen Qing’s establishment. Lu Yao expressed her concern.
“Far?” Shen Qing didn’t seem to care. “It’s not like I’m the one going to get them.”
Lu Yao couldn’t help but worry about how long this business deal would last. Even if an employee came to pick them up, they still had to be paid. Paying several hours’ worth of wages just to come and get flowers was hardly a calculated business move.
What if this bar went bankrupt? Then the long-term business would be gone.
Out of consideration, Lu Yao had to say, “I should be the one to deliver them.”
Shen Qing turned to look at her.
Lu Yao braved the look. “I plan to start a delivery service anyway. As long as I develop more customers in this area, I can deliver them all together.”
Shen Qing smiled, her eyes curving slightly. “Then I’ll have to introduce a few more customers for the sake of my long-term supplier, just in case the boss thinks it’s a loss and stops delivering one day.”
Lu Yao lowered her eyes. For the sake of business, she showed a bit of indulgence toward the bar owner’s joking.
The car window was halfway open, and wisps of smoke drifted out from time to time.
Luo Yueming looked toward the flower shop. A new car was parked in front of it—the one Lu Yao had bought. The model was completely different from Lu Yao’s personality.
The car she herself was currently driving was one she had bought two years ago, and it didn’t match her current position.
Luo Yueming leaned her head against the back of the seat. It was already one in the morning. She had arrived here around ten o’clock and hadn’t left since.
She couldn’t quite figure out why she was doing this; she only knew that compared to that empty house, this place seemed more peaceful.
No matter how peaceful it felt, coming here several days in a row was enough.
Luo Yueming held a cigarette lightly between her lips, not really smoking it. Her eyes opened occasionally to look toward the second floor.
Lu Yao had gone to bed a bit early today.
The lights had been off when she arrived, and they hadn’t been turned on since.
Even if she couldn’t sleep, she didn’t want to go back. Even if lying in bed would be much more comfortable than being here, she still didn’t want to go.
Luo Yueming raised her hand to grip the cigarette between her fingers, only to find the ember had gone out. She had no intention of lighting it again and threw it directly into the car’s trash bin. At the same time, she pulled over a blanket, planning to make do for the night like this again.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, Luo Yueming heard the sound of a car parking.
She opened her eyes again.
A car covered in pink diamonds came into view—it was hard not to notice. Luo Yueming gave it a brief glance and was about to look away when she spotted the woman getting out of the car.
The woman’s clothing was simple in cut and style, yet it carried an indescribable charm.
Looking closely, one could see her clear eyes and gentle gaze; all irritable tempers would be reined in before her.
Lu Yao. Luo Yueming softly breathed the two words between her teeth.
Lu Yao was currently thanking the person who had brought her back, her aura gentle and carrying an excess of patience.
The person driving appeared to be saying a lot to Lu Yao. Lu Yao listened quietly, her eyes growing increasingly bright.
They seemed to be chatting quite happily. After watching for a while, Luo Yueming could no longer bear the sudden surge of emotion in her heart. She threw the blanket onto the passenger seat and slammed on the gas.