Chapter 3: Flower
“No need,” Shen Zhuying’s first reaction was to refuse.
“The bus will be here soon.”
She actually had an electric car, but she didn’t drive it today because of the rain.
Then she realized something and looked at Fu Sizhuo in confusion.
How did he know where her flower shop was?
The autumn rain was heavy, wetting her light green skirt and hair tips.
The temperature was around 10 degrees Celsius, and she was only wearing a thin green dress with a sweater.
She was visibly shivering from the cold.
Was this what they meant by “style over warmth”?
Fu Sizhuo lost his patience and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument. “Get in the car first.”
He had a cold and distant aura, but when he spoke, it was with a gentle yet firm tone that made one want to submit.
Shen Zhuying got confused and went to open the back door, but it didn’t open.
Fu Sizhuo sighed. “Sit in the front seat.”
She opened the front door and got in. Fu Sizhuo reached out with his long arm and grabbed a coat from the back seat, throwing it to her. “It’s clean.”
He often traveled for work, so he kept clothes in his car.
Shen Zhuying was enveloped by the coat, and the man’s unique cold and crisp scent hit her face.
She was frozen in place, not daring to move.
What was going on?
Was she dreaming?
Shen Zhuying pinched her thigh hard, almost crying from the pain.
Okay, it was real.
She slowly pulled the coat down, revealing only her pale face.
There was a long silence in the car.
For some reason, Shen Zhuying’s usual sharp tongue seemed to have lost its effectiveness at this moment.
After a long time, she managed to squeeze out two words: “Thank you.”
Fu Sizhuo replied with equally brief words, “You’re welcome.”
“That,” Shen Zhuying said, feeling that the words she was about to say had a hint of green tea flavor, but she couldn’t help it.
“Won’t your girlfriend mind?”
“Girlfriend?” Fu Sizhuo was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized who she was talking about. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Oh,” Shen Zhuying blinked, realizing she had misunderstood, and didn’t say anything else.
When they arrived at Hua Jian Ji, Shen Zhuying hesitated for a few seconds, looking at the khaki coat in front of her. Finally, she hugged the coat and said, “I’ll wash it and return it to you later?”
“Sure,” Fu Sizhuo nodded casually.
Shen Zhuying asked again, “How did you know I own a flower shop, and know the exact location?”
“My memory isn’t that bad,” Fu Sizhuo turned his head, and a rare smile appeared on his lips. “Thanks for the umbrella that day, Miss Flower.”
Shen Zhuying accurately caught the keywords “umbrella” and “Flower”.
So it was two years ago.
So he remembered her from two years ago, even though he still didn’t know her name, and called her “Miss Flower” in a gentle and distant tone.
On the day she planned to forget him.
Shen Zhuying didn’t know whether to be sad or happy.
She muttered softly, “Good memory, my foot.”
Fu Sizhuo raised an eyebrow, wondering if he had heard it wrong. “What?”
“No, it’s nothing,” Shen Zhuying forced a smile. “Thanks for bringing me here. I’ll get going now.”
She turned to open the car door, but her wrist was grabbed again.
Shen Zhuying felt the spot start to heat up, and her whole body stiffened.
Fortunately, Fu Sizhuo let go soon after, pulling out his phone from the side. “How do you plan to return it to me?” he asked.
Shen Zhuying responded slowly, “Ah?”
He thought the girl was a bit silly sometimes. “Don’t you want to add each other’s WeChat?”
Shen Zhuying replied like a ghost, “Oh.”
After scanning each other’s WeChat QR codes, Fu Sizhuo casually asked, “What should I save you as?”
“Don’t you know?” Shen Zhuying said.
The man looked up in confusion.
“My name,” the girl said with a mischievous smile. “Miss Flower.”
“Alright,” Fu Sizhuo stared at her for a while, then turned his head and chuckled. “My name is Fu Sizhuo.”
The girl’s eyes contained emotions he couldn’t understand.
After a few seconds of silence, he heard her softly praise him. “It’s a nice name.”
She called out his name awkwardly, “Fu Sizhuo.”
Hearing her call his name, Fu Sizhuo felt a soft spot in his heart being touched for some reason.
It was as if… he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
When Shen Zhuying returned to Hua Jian Ji, Xiao Chun and Xiao Tao quickly gathered around her, excitedly making gestures.
Xiao Chun gestured, “Boss, is the one who just dropped you off your blind date today?”
Shen Zhuying shook her head vigorously.
Of course, Fu Sizhuo and the arrogant man from the blind date couldn’t be compared.
Xiao Tao looked at Xiao Chun with disdain, gesturing, “Are you stupid? That man is obviously our future boss’s husband!”
Xiao Chun pouted, “Isn’t a blind date about finding a future husband?”
Xiao Tao gestured even more disdainfully, “Of course, a blind date isn’t about finding a future husband!”
They continued arguing in sign language.
Shen Zhuying felt like her eyes were being irritated again.
She had experienced a lot today, and her mind was in chaos. She lifted the gauze curtain and walked towards the rest room.
Then, she lay down on the rattan chair, closed her eyes, and remained still for a long time before falling asleep without knowing it.
Xiao Chun and Xiao Tao tiptoed over to cover her with a blanket, then moved away and continued arguing in sign language.
The autumn rain heavily washed over the corner of Cuiwu Street, and the purple wind chimes outside the door rang out.
Amidst the fragrance of flowers, Shen Zhuying was transported back to the midsummer night when she was 16.
That year, Shen Zhuying was a sophomore in high school, and the Beijing University Affiliated High School had arranged a fireworks display on that midsummer night.
On that day, they didn’t have to wear school uniforms. While other girls were thinking about what pretty clothes to wear, Shen Zhuying was resting her chin on her hand, thinking about what kind of flowers she should give to her good friends.
Just then, the warm summer breeze blew by, and Shen Zhuying thought for a moment, deciding that the pomegranate flowers that were blooming brightly in the summer would be suitable.
“It’s going to be too late… it’s going to be too late…” Shen Zhuying ran towards the Swan Lake in the evening of the midsummer night, holding a large bouquet of freshly picked pomegranate flowers.
She lowered her head and muttered to herself, “This one is for my sister, this one is for Xiao Qing, and this one is for the cafeteria aunt…”
However, the result of not looking at the road was…
With a loud “bang”, she collided head-on with a solid “wall”, and the pain made her eyes well up with tears instantly.
But what was even worse was that the pomegranate flowers in Shen Zhuying’s hands were all thrown out of her arms.
“Oh no, my pomegranate flowers!” Shen Zhuying exclaimed in frustration.
But fortunately, the “wall” in front of her seemed to have hands.
He swept his large hand and caught the bouquet of pomegranate flowers that were falling in mid-air.
Shen Zhuying breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, “Thank…”
But when she looked up and saw the face of the person in front of her, the rest of her words got stuck in her throat, and a flash of amazement crossed her eyes.
The young man was so handsome and vivid. His lips curved into a smile, and a dimple appeared on his left cheek.
He smiled and raised his eyebrows, asking, “Your pomegranate flowers?”
What a nice voice.
Shen Zhuying nodded like a robot.
