Chapter 10

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another month had passed. 

Lu Jiu’s flower shop, which had been bustling with business at first, had now settled into a steady rhythm.  

This stability didn’t mean that business was slow—in fact, there are always people who love and understand flowers in any era. 

 Although the flowers at “One Flower, One World” were on the pricier side, each pot was a masterpiece. 

 Especially notable was the shop owner’s exceptional skill in cultivating peonies, which quickly secured a stable customer base within a month of opening. 

Lu Jiu had developed a routine of visiting the shop once or twice a week.  

Today was Saturday, and she had originally planned to stay home and keep Mrs. Fang Wenyi company. 

 However, Zhao Lanlan’s elderly relative had fallen and needed to go to the hospital.  

Since weekends are busy and Xiaoyuanzi (Lu Jiu’s staff at flower shop) might not be able to manage alone, Lu Jiu decided to head to the shop to help out. 

“Boss, you’re here!” Xiaoyuanzi greeted her as she entered, despite being busy. 

Lu Jiu glanced at the few wicker chairs in the shop. It had only been half an hour since opening, but they were already filled with people. 

 By the window, a few elderly gentlemen with scholarly auras were happily and quietly discussing a newly arrived cold-weather peony. 

Lu Jiu placed her bag and keys in the drawer. “Keep doing what you’re doing, don’t worry about me.” 

She then pointed to the lunchbox on the counter. “The housekeeper made some mung bean cakes, I brought you a few.” 

Xiaoyuanzi, accustomed to these little treats, didn’t hesitate. “Thank you, Boss.” 

Lu Jiu smiled and shook her head. “Didn’t I tell you to just call me Peony?” 

Xiaoyuanzi opened the lunchbox to reveal bite-sized mung bean cakes. She popped one into her mouth, savoring the soft, sweet taste with a smile. “Since our shop specializes in peonies, if I call you Peony, it might cause confusion.” 

“How could it be confusing?” Lu Jiu thought but didn’t argue further. She picked up the ledger from a few days ago and began balancing the accounts. 

Seeing this, Xiaoyuanzi put away the lunchbox and went back to trimming the flowers. 

Just then, a young man sitting in one of the wicker chairs stood up and walked briskly towards the counter. 

 Xiaoyuanzi, quick to react, pulled up a chair and sat down beside her beautiful boss within three seconds.  

Since the flower shop opened, she had seen many men trying to court the boss. While most were respectful, there were always a few who were overly confident, speaking in a frivolous manner or behaving sleazily. Because of this, both she and Sister Lanlan had developed a reflex to be on guard.  

Even though the boss wasn’t as delicate as she appeared and could handle such situations on her own, it was better to be cautious. Sure enough, after just a few words, the boss easily dismissed the man. 

Watching the disappointed man leave, Xiaoyuanzi couldn’t help but feel both admiration and curiosity. “Boss, that guy has been waiting for you for days.  

He’s polite, well-mannered, and from his clothes, it seems his family is well-off. Plus, he drives a private car. If you’re not interested in him, then what kind of guy do you like?” 

What kind of guy do I like? 

Lu Jiu was momentarily stumped by the question. After thinking for a while, she replied, “At the very least, he should be good-looking.” 

Xiaoyuanzi’s eyes widened. “How good-looking are we talking? That guy just now was pretty handsome.” 

Lu Jiu was skeptical. “Was he?” 

Xiaoyuanzi was taken aback and, after a long pause, asked in disbelief, “Are you looking for someone who looks like you?” Where would you even find that? 

“That’s impossible,” Lu Jiu instinctively replied. 

As everyone knows, peonies are bisexual flowers. Most of the flower spirits who had taken human form around her in the past were female, so she naturally considered herself female as well. But there were always a few older spirits who had taken male form.  

For plants that had gained sentience, both male and female forms were beautiful and delicate. So, to Lu Jiu, male spirits weren’t much different from her sisters.  

Because of this, she didn’t like men who were too delicate. 

The ringing of her phone interrupted her wandering thoughts. She opened the drawer to see that the caller ID showed it was her childhood friend, Fang Jingjing. 

She answered with a smile, “Weren’t you supposed to go with your colleague to a blind date?” 

“Don’t even mention it, I’m so annoyed,” Fang Jingjing replied. 

Lu Jiu frowned. “What happened?” 

“I’ll tell you in person. Are you home right now?” 

“No, I’m at the shop.” 

“Then I’ll come to the shop to find you.” 

Listening to the beeping sound as the call ended, Lu Jiu couldn’t help but smile wryly. Even though Fang Jingjing was now a teacher, her personality was still as fiery as ever. 

The Lu family had only moved into their standalone villa this year. In the past, they had many neighbors, so naturally, Lu Jiu made a few good friends. 

 But over the years, the one she remained closest to, aside from Li Ze, was Fang Jingjing. 

The two were close in age and lived in the same alley, so they naturally became classmates from kindergarten all the way through high school. Even when they weren’t in the same class a few times, it didn’t affect their friendship. 

When Fang Jingjing arrived at the shop, it was right around lunchtime. 

The shop was quiet with no customers, so Lu Jiu led her friend straight to the sixth floor. Half of the sixth floor of Lu’s Department Store was dedicated to dining. Since the two of them had similar tastes, they chose a Sichuan restaurant. 

Sundays brought a large crowd, but fortunately, they arrived early and found a few vacant tables. 

“Let’s sit over there,” Fang Jingjing said, pulling her childhood friend towards a small table in the far corner. 

Once they reached the table, she insisted that her friend sit with her back to the door.  

Fang Jingjing simply didn’t want to be disturbed while having a meal. Those men—either trying to pay the bill or stubbornly asking for her friend’s phone number—were downright annoying, not to mention the ones who couldn’t stop staring. 

Lu Jiu was more than happy to sit wherever she was told.  

After they ordered their food and Lu Jiu took a sip of water, she asked, “So, what happened? Did you run into someone unreasonable?” 

At the mention of this, Fang Jingjing’s good mood instantly vanished, and she grumbled with a scowl, “Unreasonable? More like a weirdo! And it wasn’t the guy—it was my colleague. Her grandfather is just too much.” 

Lu Jiu gently poked her with a finger. “Watch your language.” 

Fang Jingjing, frustrated, retorted, “But I’m really upset!” 

Lu Jiu replied, “Alright, just let it out.” 

Fang Jingjing attempted to tone it down. “I’ll be a bit more refined. How about… ‘her grandpa’s’?” 

Lu Jiu couldn’t help but laugh. 

Her smile was as radiant and captivating as a blooming peony. 

Faced with such a beautiful smile, Fang Jingjing found it hard to stay mad, so she launched into her story. “My colleague Zhu Qian was supposed to go on a blind date today, right?” 

Lu Jiu nodded. “You mentioned that.” 

Fang Jingjing waved her hand dismissively.  

“It wasn’t like that at all.  

She wasn’t there for a blind date; she was trying to climb the social ladder. 

 And she was worried her boyfriend would find out, so she brought me along, hoping we’d hit it off.” 

“You mean…” Lu Jiu was stunned. It took her a moment to process it before she continued, “Zhu Qian used you as a bargaining chip to smooth things over with her ex-boyfriend? So, today was actually your blind date?” 

At that moment, the first dish, century eggs with chopped chili, was served. Fang Jingjing took a bite before responding, “Yeah, that’s exactly what happened.” 

Lu Jiu still couldn’t believe it. How could someone be so inconsiderate? “Did Zhu Qian just say that outright?” 

“Not exactly,” Fang Jingjing said as she offered her friend a piece of century egg. “Try it—it tastes pretty good, though it’s not as good as the food at Brother Feng Ming’s friend’s place. If she’d been that blunt, I would have slapped her right then and there.” 

Lu Jiu believed her. Despite her friend’s gentle and pretty appearance, Fang Jingjing had a fiery temper. “So how did you figure it out?” 

“I’m not stupid! She kept praising me, saying how amazing I am, and then she started crying about how her boyfriend is too busy to spend time with her. They’ve only seen each other four times in two months.” 

“Four times isn’t much. Are they in a long-distance relationship?” 

Fang Jingjing shook her head. “No, apparently, he’s a police officer and too busy.” 

Lu Jiu understood. “Being in a relationship with a police officer does mean he can’t always be available. If Zhu Qian can’t accept that, why not just break up? Why pull a stunt like this?” 

“At first, I didn’t get it either, but then I remembered that Zhu Qian has received quite a few expensive gifts from him over the past two months. She often shows them off to our colleagues, so she probably doesn’t want to give them back and thought she could just pawn me off as a favor.” 

“What kind of person does that?” Lu Jiu frowned. “If you already knew her character was questionable, why did you still hang out with her?” 

At this, Fang Jingjing sighed, suddenly losing her appetite. “I thought she was just a bit vain but not truly bad. After all, she’s helped me out at work several times.” 

She had just graduated from university this year, and the transition from student to teacher was challenging, even with her internship experience. 

“You should keep your distance from Zhu Qian from now on.” 

“Of course! I’m not a pushover. I already confronted her just now.” 

“What about the police officer? How did he react?” 

“He seems like a decent guy. Although he looked upset, he didn’t say anything harsh and just left. Zhu Qian doesn’t deserve him anyway; I think it’s better if they break up,” Fang Jingjing said honestly, then added with a sigh, “He’s just a bit naive.” 

Lu Jiu raised an eyebrow. “You’re not actually interested in him, are you?” 

“Of course not! I’m just making an observation. It’s more about the annoyance of having to share an office with Zhu Qian every day. Ugh, it’s so frustrating—work is such a pain!” 

“Eat up. Didn’t you say you like spicy stir-fried pork intestines? I ordered it just for you.” Lu Jiu didn’t know how to comfort her friend about work, especially since she herself was financially independent. Anything she said might sound out of touch, so she focused on piling food onto Fang Jingjing’s plate. 

“That’s enough! I’m trying to lose weight!” Fang Jingjing protested, reaching out to stop her. 

Lu Jiu glanced over her friend’s figure. “You’re not even fat.” 

Fang Jingjing pinched her waist. “I’ve gained a few pounds. There’s a high school reunion next week, and I need to get in shape. I’ll also use those face masks you gave me so I can outshine everyone there.” 

Despite her talk about dieting, Fang Jingjing polished off every bit of the stir-fried pork intestines in her bowl. 

Then… 

Seeing her friend’s surprised expression, Fang Jingjing defended herself, saying, “I just realized something earlier—since we’re already here, it would be a waste not to eat our fill. I can always diet tonight.” 

Lu Jiu replied, “You’re right.” 

Fang Jingjing’s eyes lit up with a smile. “By the way, are you really not going to the class reunion?” 

“I’m not going,” Lu Jiu, who never liked such events, confirmed. 

“That’s probably for the best. A lot of people would be disappointed again anyway. After we finish eating, can you come with me to New Street to buy some clothes?” 

“Sure.” 

— 

New Street was just a few minutes’ walk from Lu’s Department Store.  

Lu Jiu decided not to drive and instead walked over with her childhood friend, each holding a cup of hot milk tea. As they passed a tall building, they noticed several large trucks parked outside, with many men moving new tables and chairs in and out. 

Fang Jingjing, unfamiliar with the new district, glanced around curiously before asking, “What’s going on here? It looks impressive!” 

Lu Jiu turned her head to look. “That’s the City Public Security Bureau. The trucks are blocking the sign, but I heard they’ll be moving here from the old district after the New Year.” It was already the end of November, so the move was approaching fast. 

Fang Jingjing remarked, “The security around here will definitely be great in the future, so I’ll feel better about your commute.” 

“Why do you sound just like my parents? It’s like you all think I’ll get mugged just walking down the street.” Lu Jiu couldn’t believe how much they worried about her. 

“Do you even know what you look like? You really need to be careful—there are so many bad people out there. Hey, look over there! That’s him—the guy with the big eyes and fair complexion. That’s the unlucky police officer from today!” As they passed the Public Security Bureau entrance, Fang Jingjing suddenly widened her eyes and nudged her friend, whispering excitedly. 

Lu Jiu didn’t expect to run into him by chance and instinctively followed her friend’s gaze.  

What she saw, however, was a face both familiar and unfamiliar. 

It was Officer Wei, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. He didn’t notice her; he was too focused on lifting an office chair from the truck.  

The man was so absorbed in his task that he didn’t realize his shirt was riding up, revealing a good portion of his lean waist.  

Lu Jiu’s eyes unconsciously fell on his well-defined, honey-colored abs.  

Then, as if she had been scalded, she grabbed her friend and started running. 

“What’s wrong? Why is your face so red?” Fang Jingjing asked, bewildered as she was forced to run alongside her. 

Lu Jiu kept her head down, unable to explain that it wasn’t just the abs she had seen.  

She had also caught a glimpse of the man’s thick, wild hair near his navel.  

If it hadn’t been for his belt holding his pants up, she would have seen… Ah!!!