By the time the deep purple bruising on Fang Jinshi’s lower back had completely faded, his flower shop was finally ready for its grand opening.
Madam Fang personally selected an auspicious, lucky calendar date for the launch, while Fang Jinchen strictly oversaw the quality and logistics of the floral supply chain.
Feeling slightly left out and unsure of how else to contribute, Father Fang simply gave a grandiose wave of his hand, announcing his intention to broadcast the opening to his entire Rolodex of corporate connections to drum up heavy business for his son.
Hearing this, Fang Jinshi frantically declined his father’s profound kindness. The patriarch’s networking circle consisted almost entirely of high-ranking industry titans; mobilizing such heavyweights for the launch of a boutique flower shop was a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Furthermore, those business uncles and corporate elders were far from his target consumer base. Expending his father’s valuable social capital on this venture was entirely unnecessary.
Listening to his systematic, highly logical reasoning, a proud smile spread across Father Fang’s face. “Jinshi, you’ve truly grown up; your mind handles situations with incredible thoroughness now. Your father is fully confident you will make an exceptional operator. I am intensely proud of you!”
Fang Jinshi felt a sudden wave of sheer embarrassment, finding his father’s effusive praise slightly exaggerated. His older brother, Fang Jinchen, was a remarkably brilliant and accomplished young entrepreneur who commanded massive respect within Haicheng’s elite business circles, yet he had never received such soaring validation from their father. By what right or merit did he deserve this?
To this, Father Fang’s absolute rationale was simple: an eldest son required strict, unyielding standards to forge his spine, whereas a youngest son existed solely to be showered with unconditional love.
Faced with such shameless double standards, it was an immense blessing that his older brother harbored zero resentment—and that he himself hadn’t been spoiled completely rotten. It really wasn’t an easy feat!
Thus, on a crisp, beautifully clear autumn day, Fang Jinshi’s flower shop officially opened its doors for business.
Because he had proactively touched base with his immediate family beforehand, none of them made a personal appearance on the day of the launch. However, a stunning array of ceremonial flower baskets representing their blessings arrived without fail. Arranged in a massive, sprawling line that stretched down the pavement outside the shop, the display still looked remarkably grand and imposing.
Fang Jinshi didn’t possess an overly massive social circle. Some connections had quietly evaporated due to a complete lack of communication over his two years away; others shared close friendships with Li Jin, making face-to-face interactions deeply awkward, which caused those bonds to steadily wither.
Consequently, only a handful of people were actually aware that he had established a florist. Thus, on opening day, despite the sea of beautiful flower baskets lining the pavement outside, physical foot traffic and actual sales inside the shop were quite sparse.
As his ride-or-die best friend, Ren Minghui had desperately desired to slide through the doors to support him. Yet he was, after all, a massive public figure; if he were to anchor himself amidst a high-profile opening display, the entertainment paparazzi would track the scent and descend upon the location in a matter of seconds.
It took a mountain of careful coaxing and endless sweet promises from Fang Jinshi to finally soothe his friend’s explosive anxiety, pledging to invite him over for an exclusive, private tour on a later date—the kind reserved solely for him.
Thus, Fang Jinshi’s flower shop commenced its operations within a delightfully tranquil, unhurried atmosphere.
His business model had been intentionally mapped out to target a high-end, boutique aesthetic anyway, so the lack of opening chaos didn’t faze him in the slightest. Leisurely hosting a couple of close friends and smoothly wrapping up transactions for a few passing customers, he seized a quiet window where the shop was empty to curl up on a plush wicker chair, enjoying a peaceful moment of bliss amidst the rich, intoxicating fragrance of blooming blossoms.
Slipping an elegant volume from the bookshelf, he settled into the wicker chair to read, completely losing track of time as two hours slipped away in absolute serenity.
As the sun steadily climbed into the sky, columns of brilliant amber light poured through the main entrance, which was partially framed by lush greenery, scattering a fragmented tapestry of shimmering gold across the floorboards.
Snapping out of his literary trance, Fang Jinshi suddenly remembered the curated floral arrangements showcased on the outdoor patio. A few specific varieties possessed a highly fragile tolerance for direct sunlight; terrified that the intense autumn rays would scorch their delicate petals, he hurriedly dashed to the threshold to hoist the heavy planters indoors one by one.
After making several rapid trips back and forth, a wave of physical exhaustion settled into his frame.
Gently brushing away the tiny beads of cold sweat gathering on the tip of his nose, he tilted his head to gaze out the glass windows.
The brilliant sun blazed like liquid fire, its absolute crest resting majestically upon the peak of Guangyao Mansion, acting entirely as though the sun god himself were bathing the skyscraper in divine favor.
A sudden realization struck Fang Jinshi: the corporate headquarters of the Gu Group was located precisely inside Guangyao Mansion.
Looking at the current hour, Gu Tuo was likely ensconced in his executive suite handling multi-million dollar corporate affairs, wasn’t he?
The thought of Gu Tuo inevitably dragged his mind back to the vivid memory of the tycoon stepping in to defend him at the luxury mall. In reality, it hadn’t been the first time; back at his official welcome banquet, Gu Tuo had also delivered a sharp, unyielding warning to Li Jin to rein in his disgraceful behavior.
That titan had extended substantial help to him on multiple occasions, yet he had never offered the man a single shred of tangible, real-world returns.
While it was true that Fang Jinshi was a pampered young master raised amidst endless luxury and absolute indulgence, it didn’t mean he viewed the kindness of others as a basic right. On the very contrary, he utterly loathed carrying unpaid social debts. Whenever he received even a fraction of assistance from someone, an intense urge to swiftly reciprocate would consume his thoughts; otherwise, the matter would remain anchored in his mind indefinitely.
He viewed this trait as a marker of his absolute sincerity, yet Li Jin had frequently furrowed his brows in the past, asserting that his rigid stance made people feel an icy, calculated distance.
Reflecting deeply on it now, it was true that he preferred to map out relationship debts with absolute clarity. But compared to a delusional hypocrite like Li Jin—who could violently cheat on a partner and still harbor the sheer audacity to expect them to remain casual friends—his own outlook seemed infinitely more grounded in reality, didn’t it?
Fang Jinshi possessed an incredibly transparent, open nature; he never sought to evade or gloss over the reality of his failed romance. Yet lingering on a garbage ex only triggered a wave of mental irritation, so he promptly swept the man from his mind, shifting his entire focus toward brainstorming a proper method to repay Gu Tuo.
Truthfully, formulating a return gift for a man like Gu Tuo was an immensely grueling dilemma.
First of all, they didn’t share an exceptionally close or intimate history, meaning he possessed zero data on what Gu Tuo actually desired. Secondly, even if there was something the tycoon coveted, given his titanic wealth and supreme status, any object within human capability would have already been secured in his palm long ago. If a desire proved impossible for a mogul of his caliber to obtain, then a simple youth like him stood absolutely zero chance of conquering it anyway.
Thus, the classic strategy of “gifting to a person’s specific tastes” was completely dead in the water.
Fang Jinshi fell into a deep silence for a brief moment before a sudden bolt of inspiration struck his mind!
While he couldn’t “gift to his tastes,” he could absolutely “gift to the absolute limit of his own craft,” presenting Gu Tuo with an offering forged from the purest, most earnest sincerity!
Glancing around the interior of his shop, the vibrant, exquisitely curated blossoms competing in a dazzling riot of colors presented themselves as his absolute, flawless choice.
Fang Jinshi arrived at his final decision: he was going to send an arrangement to Gu Tuo, letting the fresh blossoms elegantly articulate his deep gratitude and highest blessings.
Thus, later that exact afternoon, as Gu Tuo was intensely consumed by a mountain of corporate dossiers, his executive assistant’s voice abruptly cut through the silence of the office with a highly tentative report: “President Gu, Mr. Fang has sent a floral arrangement to you. Should I have it brought up to the suite?”
“What?” Gu Tuo muttered, his head remaining firmly lowered, his cognitive focus entirely anchored to the data on the page before him.
A sudden wave of intense anxiety gripped the assistant’s chest, and he silently chided himself for his recklessness. His President notoriously detested managing personal, private affairs within the corporate walls; he had likely just walked right into a severe professional minefield.
Yet despite his internal dread, an executive query demanded a direct answer. Forcefully pressing down the frantic pounding of his heart, the assistant summoned his courage to repeat the report with absolute clarity: “The younger young master of the Fang family has sent a customized bouquet of flowers to you, sir. It is currently resting at the main reception desk. Do you require me to bring it up to your office?”
The rhythmic rustle of turning pages came to a violent halt.
Gu Tuo lifted his head, his deep-set eyes running incredibly dark and unfathomable—resembling a dangerous, freezing pool hidden deep within a midnight forest under a moonless, starless sky.
“Flowers?” His voice dropped into a low, heavy cadence, completely devoid of any readable emotion.
“Yes, sir.”
“He really is just a child.”
Gu Tuo let out a low, quiet chuckle under his breath, his sharp brows smoothing out completely. He appeared thoroughly amused by Fang Jinshi’s absolute innocence, and his entire commanding aura underwent an instant, profound shift.
Catching the sudden softening of the titan’s expression, the assistant let out a massive, internal sigh of relief, though he couldn’t help but think to himself: That Master Fang truly is a bit too childish for his own good. Given how his explosive breakup with Young Master Li has caused a substantial undercurrent of friction between the two corporate households, he actually acts completely unfazed, going so far as to casually dispatch fresh blossoms straight to our CEO.
It’s truly a bizarre spectacle.
As he was silently running through his internal commentary, Gu Tuo’s voice cut through his thoughts: “Bring it up.”
“Understood, sir.”
Hah, I knew it. A titanic, untouchable mogul like our CEO would obviously never care for a random, bizarre bouquet of fresh.
Wait, WHAT?
The assistant snapped back to reality with a violent jolt, his eyes widening to the size of saucers.
Had his hearing completely failed him?
Did his CEO just utter the words “bring it up”?
He was actually choosing to formally accept Young Master Fang’s flowers?
Good heavens, our CEO truly is a man impossible for mortal minds to fathom!