PSMD – Chapter 108

Qiu Yang glanced at the bouquet of champagne roses, then calmly went to a dessert shop downstairs from her company. She sat by the window, ordered a dessert, and looked out.

This was a spontaneous decision. She remembered what Qi Rong had said, but wasn’t sure if this man was the one who sent flowers to Qu Yan. Since she had nothing else to do, she decided to sit here and observe, waiting to see who would receive the flowers.

The man was wearing a suit and leather shoes, dressed expensively. He kept lifting his wrist to look at his expensive watch, but his expression wasn’t anxious. Qiu Yang reasonably assumed he was just showing off his watch.

His features were regular, though not particularly handsome. His advantage was his height and good physique; he looked energetic.

He was the type that elders would like.

The server brought the exquisite dessert and placed it on the small table in front of Qiu Yang. After saying “Please enjoy,” they went back to their work.

The office building was in a good location, and this dessert shop was an internet-famous spot called “Jidong.” It had always done good business here. Now, people were starting to leave the company building in succession. Some weren’t in a hurry to go home after work and wanted a quieter place to sit, so they would come here.

Qiu Yang arrived relatively early and chose a spot near the corner, which was more secluded. At least she could see the full view outside, but it wasn’t as easy to notice her from the outside looking in. While waiting for people to come out, she picked up a small spoon and took a bite of the dessert.

It was sweet but not cloying, with an excellent texture. Qiu Yang swallowed it and slowly took two more bites. The man at the entrance still hadn’t made any extra movements.

Some people coming out of the office building were already used to such scenes. They glanced sideways as they passed the man, continuing their cheerful conversations with their companions.

Qiu Yang waited for ten minutes, her brow furrowing slightly. Her right hand was no longer holding the spoon but resting on the small table, her index finger tapping rhythmically, like a manual timer.

This was a habit she had picked up from Shen Ningruo. A person’s patience is limited. If the person this man was waiting for had to work overtime or didn’t get off until six, then it wasn’t worth her wasting this time.

Her fingertip tapped rhythmically on the small table. Qiu Yang’s gaze remained fixed outside. She watched more and more people emerge from the office building, and she watched the man holding the flowers still standing in place.

She didn’t touch the dessert in front of her again, her lips pressed together. After her fingertip had tapped fifty times, she was about to pick up her shoulder bag and get up to go home. But just as she touched her bag, her gaze shifted, and she saw a smile appear on the man’s face.

Qiu Yang’s movement stopped. Her lips were pressed even tighter. From her angle, she could clearly see who the man was greeting.

It was Qu Yan.

Qu Yan had the same work hours as Qiu Yang, but she was just coming out of the company now, and there weren’t many familiar faces around.

Qiu Yang sat back down. She didn’t know what the two were talking about, only seeing Qu Yan accept the flowers the man offered, lower her head slightly, take a sniff, and then flash a brilliant smile. Afterward, she linked arms with the man and left the building. Qiu Yang didn’t hear the sound of her high heels on the ground.

But Qiu Yang felt as if she had heard it in a trance. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her breathing had unknowingly become a little lighter. Only after Qu Yan’s figure disappeared from her sight did she exhale heavily.

Champagne roses.

They were the same champagne roses that Shen Ningruo had received.

Qiu Yang’s memory had always been good. Even though she had been somewhat distraught on the day she went to Qiyao, she remembered the packaging from that flower shop. This was one of the reasons she had stopped now.

The flowers the man was holding were from the same flower shop she had seen before; the logo on the packaging was identical.

She just didn’t know which flower shop it was. Qiu Yang hadn’t researched this area. She tidied her thoughts slightly, then got up, picked up her bag, and left the dessert shop.

After returning home, Qiu Yang started cooking meat for Pingzi. Then, after hesitating for a while, she sent a WeChat message to Shen Ningruo.

She wanted to know which flower shop it was.

Fortunately, Shen Ningruo knew. That day, she had specifically paid attention to the card and even called the staff, but they hadn’t said anything.

Shen Ningruo had just gotten off work and ended her message with: 【Did something happen?】

【When I got off work, I saw a man downstairs holding flowers that looked exactly like the ones you received before.】

【And the person he was waiting for was Qu Yan.】

Shen Ningruo: 【Okay, I understand. I’ll talk to Yao Yao about something and then come back.】

【Okay.】

Qiu Yang no longer doubted that Shen Ningruo was deceiving or hiding something from her, so she felt at ease letting Shen Ningruo do her own thing.

She looked at the flower shop name Shen Ningruo sent and searched for it online.

The flower shop’s address was five kilometers away. It was quite large and a popular flower shop on the app.

The best-selling flower was champagne roses.

Qiu Yang’s mind conjured the image of Qu Yan lowering her head to smell the flowers. She licked her lips and carefully considered a possibility—

Could it be that Qu Yan’s favorite flower was champagne roses, and this had become a habit, so she sent these flowers to Shen Ningruo?

Qiu Yang scrolled down her phone screen, then jumped to Qu Yan’s Moments.

Qu Yan’s Moments weren’t set to be visible for a limited time, but she posted quite frequently. Qiu Yang rarely checked Moments, so she hadn’t paid much attention.

After scrolling for a while, Qiu Yang finally saw champagne roses in a photo, from a Moment posted on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, two years ago.

Qu Yan’s caption was: 【Who says flowers received on Valentine’s Day must be from someone else? You can celebrate Valentine’s Day alone too.】

Qiu Yang clicked on the picture.

In the picture, the flowers were placed on a table, tilted because they were leaning against the wall and wouldn’t fall over.

Next to the flowers was a scented candle, and next to the candle was a small card.

And the signature on the card was clearly—QY.

Qiu Yang blinked, as if wanting to confirm she hadn’t misread, and even brought the phone closer.

Everything Shen Ningruo had said before replayed in her mind.

Qiu Yang saved the picture. Her fingertips were trembling slightly. She didn’t know what emotion she was feeling right now.

What was Qu Yan’s purpose in sending flowers to Shen Ningruo?

Was it admiration? No, Qu Yan was straight.

Could it be that Qu Yan knew Qiu Yang liked girls, and also knew that Qiu Yang and Shen Ningruo met in Xicheng, so she wanted to facilitate a good match and sent the flowers under Qiu Yang’s name…

Qiu Yang couldn’t make up any more reasons.

She covered her head. Just then, her phone’s timer alarm went off, forcibly pulling her back to her thoughts.

Pingzi heard the alarm and knew it was almost dinner time. Its tail wagged back and forth, and it even bounced in the living room, meowing several times.

Qiu Yang went to the kitchen to get the chicken breast for it, then cut it into pieces and put it in the bowl with its wet food.

While mixing Pingzi’s dinner, she was also thinking about the meaning behind Qu Yan’s actions.

Even though the answer wasn’t surprising to her, she still didn’t know Qu Yan’s motive.

Pingzi was guarding the kitchen doorway. It wouldn’t enter the kitchen, just circled around the entrance. But it was clear its owner was distracted today. It had circled several times, but hadn’t seen Qiu Yang come out with the bowl.

Pingzi meowed a few more times, sounding annoyed. Qiu Yang finally snapped back to attention and said in a slightly apologetic tone, “Sorry, I was thinking.”

As she spoke, she came out holding the bowl. Pingzi followed right beside her, bouncing happily.

The cat bowl was placed in its usual spot. Pingzi immediately buried its head in the food. Qiu Yang sat down beside it.

Holding her phone, she tried to recall if she had offended Qu Yan in any way. But after thinking for a while, she couldn’t remember anything she had done to provoke Qu Yan.

And…

Was it really Qu Yan who told Tao Sixian about her getting sick back then?

Finally, she couldn’t come up with an answer. She got up, went to the bedroom to get her pajamas, and went to take a shower. She didn’t know when Shen Ningruo would be back, but she guessed it would be a while, so she might as well shower first.

Meanwhile, Shen Ningruo had just arrived at Yao Yao’s office. Only five minutes later, Yao Yao finished the work she was handling.

An office was a good place to talk.

Yao Yao stretched, stood up, and placed a glass of warm water in front of Shen Ningruo. “Alright, tell me what’s going on.”

After saying that, she also got a glass of water for herself, gulped down a couple of sips, and licked her moistened lips.

Shen Ningruo held the glass. “I saw my dad last night. He knows about my relationship with Xiao Yang, but he still wants me to stay with Guo Ming’an.”

“Guo Ming’an called my dad during the May Day holiday and said he could change, as long as he was given another chance. I feel so disgusted.”

“To my dad, is it true that as long as it doesn’t kill me, things like cheating and infidelity aren’t a big deal?”

Yao Yao agreed deeply. She was now back to her serious demeanor. “Don’t underestimate men’s ability to empathize with each other. In most men’s perception, cheating and infidelity aren’t a big deal. As long as the man still comes home, he’s a good man.”

Shen Ningruo tilted her head slightly, took a sip of water, and just as she placed the glass back on the coffee table, she heard Yao Yao clear her throat and continue, “Oh, right, when I answered the phone last night, Chuchu was also there. She casually asked what happened, so I roughly told her about it.”

“She said she also wanted to get involved because Yangyang is her sister.”

“But today she messaged Yangyang, subtly asking if Yangyang wanted to expose those two, but Yangyang refused.”

“Of course she would refuse. She…”

“I didn’t want her to worry, so I didn’t tell her about last night.”

Yao Yao nodded slowly. “That makes sense. Although I haven’t interacted much with Yangyang, it’s clear she’s someone who would never actively cause trouble unless someone provoked her. Her attitude towards her ex is probably to never interact again.”

“Yeah.” Shen Ningruo pinched the bridge of her nose. She was a bit tired, especially since she kept thinking about what Shen Yuankai said last night.

“So, let’s talk about how to ruin Guo Ming’an’s reputation?” Yao Yao brought the topic back to the main point.

Shen Ningruo’s eyes held a hint of coldness. “What he cares about most is nothing more than his job and his reputation.”

“Then I’ll make him lose this job and lose all face.”