Chapter 29 I had expected to meet him, but now I'm caught completely off guard...
They remained silent the entire way.
The car drove into the residential area and traveled for a minute or two on a dark and bumpy road before finally stopping in front of an iron gate.
Zhu Xu sat for two more seconds, his hand still on the doorknob, without looking up: "Thank you for bringing me back. Goodbye."
He Yanzhou remained silent.
The car's heater had long since dispelled the chill from being in the cold wind for so long. He clasped his hands together, resting them on his lap, and waited until she got out of the car and touched the door, then, unsteady on her feet, walked around the front of the car before he looked up at her lonely figure outside the window.
"Zheng Zhi," he said wearily, "turn on the high beams."
Zheng Zhi did as instructed.
Zhu Xu paused slightly. In the darkness where visibility was previously poor, two bright beams of light appeared, illuminating the path beneath her feet.
Her heart was torn apart, and for a moment she wanted to turn back, but she held back, took another step, and quickly escaped through the iron gate.
The next day, Zhu Xu had a runny nose.
My hands and feet were cold standing in the cold wind last night, and even though I took a hot shower after coming back, I still caught a cold.
She casually swallowed two cold pills. She had always been relatively resilient since childhood, so she didn't pay much attention to it. However, after several days, she developed a high fever one night.
I ordered fever reducers from a takeout delivery, but they didn't work after I took them.
She felt tightness in her chest and shortness of breath, her fingers trembled, and her whole body felt cold as if she were in an ice cellar, yet her breath was scalding hot. Unable to bear it any longer, she struggled to get out of bed, grabbed a coat and wrapped it around herself, took only her phone, and staggered out to hail a taxi to the hospital.
He went, but was left behind.
The test results showed pneumonia, and the doctor recommended that she be hospitalized for treatment as it would be more effective.
When Zhao Siqiao called her the next morning, she asked her to bring her some changes of clothes and toiletries.
"Look at all that fuss, your little face isn't even as big as my palm." Zhao Siqiao gestured with her hand.
Zhu Xu wasn't in the mood for jokes, so he turned his head away and stared blankly at the IV drip bottle above his head.
Zhao Siqiao placed the things she had brought at the foot of the bed, then moved a stool and sat down beside her: "Why did you have to go to the hospital for just a cold?"
"Just bad luck," she said weakly.
"Your father just passed away, and then you were busy day and night for a while. You were in a bad mood and exhausted, which may have weakened your resistance." Zhao Siqiao sighed, "Did you tell He Yanzhou?"
Upon hearing his name, Zhu Xu's eyes flickered.
She turned to Zhao Siqiao and said, "It's over between us."
Zhao Siqiao was slightly surprised for a moment, but accepted it easily: "Oh, that's fine."
Zhu Xu smiled slightly: "Speaking of which, you and I met through him. We probably won't have any contact anymore. Are you also going to choose to distance yourself from him?"
"You talk as if I'm your shared property. Stop with the nonsense. I've already got everything set up. I called you today to talk about the new company." She paused, then belatedly added, "You got sick because of him? I think you should re-examine your own feelings."
Zhu Xu quickly shifted his gaze to the nearly empty IV bag, raised his hand and pressed the call button: "I got sick because I caught a cold, what does it have to do with anyone else?"
They stopped mentioning anything related to He Yanzhou and chatted about other things. Zhao Siqiao offered to stay and take care of her. But this young lady was not one to wait on others. When Zhu Xu came out after washing up, he saw her lying on the hospital bed eating an apple.
She was still feeling unwell, so she slowly walked over, lay down on her side next to her, and kicked her with her foot: "Move over a bit."
Zhao Siqiao then moved over.
She watched a pointless romantic drama for a while, then asked, "Want a pear?"
"I won't eat."
"Then can you wash one for me?"
Zhu Xu: "..."
Zhao Siqiao spent the whole day at the hospital. After dinner, he was kicked out by Zhu Xu.
She had been lying down a lot during the day, and her whole body felt stiff and sore, as if it had rusted. She got up and strolled around the corridor a few times, then stood by the window at the end and secretly smoked a cigarette.
She placed her hand on the window sill, and a wisp of smoke was quickly blown away by the cold wind.
Looking up, the night sky was as dark as ink, with clouds appearing and disappearing like cotton wool, and no stars could be seen.
Zhu Xu stubbed out his cigarette, opened his phone case, and found a neatly folded letter hidden in the lining.
In the dim light of the corridor, she unfolded the letter her mother had left her again and read it word by word. The surroundings were utterly quiet. Her gaze fixed on a particular passage, her eyelashes suddenly trembled, and for a moment, something seemed to well up inside her.
A voice came from not far away: "The patient in bed 14 is getting an IV drip."
"...Coming right away." Zhu Xu carefully put the letter away and placed it back on the back of his phone.
As I turned around, I looked up again and saw a few stars piercing through the thin clouds, gradually becoming clearer.
Zhu Xu was discharged from the hospital on the third day, rested at home for another day, and went to the shop the next day.
Xiao Zhou has been working here for almost half a year and can handle most orders, big and small. The newcomer, Lin Yuan, is a boy, but he is meticulous, young and energetic, and can take on all the heavy and tiring work.
Zhu Xucai was finally able to find time to discuss starting a company with Zhao Siqiao.
After several attempts, we finally decided to locate near the flower market. Although it was far from the city center, the rent was reasonable and it was close to the raw material wholesale market, making it the best choice.
Zhao Siqiao was more experienced and handled the preparation of materials, company registration, and tax matters, while Zhu Xu focused on recruiting people to build a professional team.
In terms of funding, Zhao Siqiao contributed 70%, while Zhu Xu used all his savings and the profits from his flower shop to raise the remaining 30%.
There are many unknowns in starting a company, and the amount of funding is even more unpredictable. Not wanting Zhao Siqiao to bear too much burden, Zhu Xu plans to sell the sole property in Lincheng to make later investments.
She took some time to mail the key to Jiang Rao, asking her to help her list it with a real estate agency.
Jiang Rao was quite surprised and asked on the phone, "You really don't plan to go back to Lincheng?"
Zhu Xu said, "My only concern is Zhu Luan; we communicate mostly via WeChat."
Jiang Rao was unhappy: "What about me? Don't we need to meet?"
"How about I go back to see you twice a year?"
"That's more like it." Jiang Rao was satisfied: "Let's celebrate New Year's Day together. Come to our house for New Year's Day."
Zhu Xu said, "I'll skip this kind of day, but I'll definitely make time to visit you before the end of the year."
She stood on the roadside opposite the flower shop and chatted with Jiang Rao for a while before hanging up.
It is already late autumn, but the North Island seems to have entered winter early, with the seawater dark and blending into the gray-white sky.
Zhu Xu gathered his hair, which was blowing wildly, and crossed the road back.
It's the off-season, and there aren't many customers visiting the flower shop.
She had no intention of leaving this place, and even after moving her work center to the new company, she would occasionally take some time to come and visit.
A couple was choosing flowers, and Xiao Zhou helped with the selection, then handed the chosen bouquet to Lin Yuan to keep it moist.
After seeing them out, Xiao Zhou glanced out the window for a while and remarked, "The two of them are getting along better and better."
Zhu Xu drank his water: "You know him?"
"They come here often to buy flowers."
Lin Yuan carried the flower bucket to the pool to change the water: "Then how can you tell they have a good relationship?"
“Let me analyze this for you,” Xiao Zhou said, sitting on a low stool and gesturing earnestly. “Their first visit was probably in August, when they only bought a bunch of sunflowers. The second time, more than half a month later, they still bought sunflowers, but added a few white poppies.” She tapped her head to recall, “The third time, I think they bought gerberas, daffodils… and something else I forgot. Today is the fourth time, and they chose lantern lilies, calla lilies, ranunculus, and bougainvillea.”
Lin Yuan was completely confused: "So?"
"Don't you understand?" she said. "They initially chose sunflowers, which are very easy to grow and don't require much care. They just put a bunch in one place and that was it. Later, the types of flowers they chose became more and more diverse. They would consult me about which combinations would look good, taking into account the mood, symbolism, and compatibility with the space."
Lin Yuan nodded: "I think I understand."
Xiao Zhou slapped her thigh: "Right? If my feelings for that person hadn't deepened, why would I care so much about such a small thing? Sister Xu, you agree, right?" Receiving no response for a while, she craned her neck and raised her voice: "Sister Xu?"
Zhu Xu suddenly looked up: "What?"
"Didn't you hear me? I'll say it again..."
Zhu Xu remained silent, twirling the cup in his hand, head down, with Xiao Zhou's cheerful voice in his ear.
After a long silence, she turned to look outside the door. This side was connected to the hotel corridor, with a constant stream of pedestrians, but she still couldn't see that familiar figure.
She suddenly realized that if someone doesn't come specifically to see you, even if you live in the same city, you won't have a chance to meet.
After closing time that evening, Zhu Xu treated Xiao Zhou and Lin Yuan to dinner, and Lin Yuan's girlfriend, who was a college student, also came along.
The group found a barbecue buffet. The girls liked to eat all sorts of things. Lin Yuan had just picked out a few plates of raw meat and sat down when the three of them were already half full.
They chatted as they watched him eat.
Xiao Zhou asked, "Did you attend the same university?"
"The engineering college in the old town area," Lin Yuan's girlfriend said. "When my senior was about to graduate, I was only a freshman."
Xiao Zhou was puzzled. He glanced at the somewhat shy girl, then secretly looked at Lin Yuan across from him, hesitating to speak.
Lin Yuan noticed it, looked up and smiled.
He had a clean and tidy appearance, and when he smiled, the dimples on his cheeks were cute and gentle. He said, "I'm curious why I, with an engineering background, am working in a flower shop?"
Xiao Zhou nodded.
He turned his gaze to Zhu Xu: "When I came to apply for the job, did you also find it particularly strange, Sister Xu?"
"It's alright." Zhu Xu put down his chopsticks: "Floral art is not exclusive to women. Many internationally renowned masters, including the florist for the Monaco royal family, are men."
"I don't have such big ambitions." Lin Yuan scratched his head, holding his girlfriend's hand under the table with his other hand. "When I first graduated, I kept hitting roadblocks at work and was under a lot of pressure. Later, it was my junior classmate who suggested that we open a flower shop in the future. It would be nice if we could live a simple and peaceful life."
After they finished speaking, they looked at each other and smiled, their eyes overflowing with love.
Xiao Zhou sighed with envy, "Campus romance, how enviable! I'll definitely study hard in my next life, not for anything else, but just to experience the beautiful and sweet campus romance."
The two laughed sheepishly, and Zhu Xu, standing beside them, was also amused by her exaggerated tone, "And what about this lifetime?"
"Let's start by owning our own little house," Xiao Zhou said, eating French fries. "What about you, Sister Xu? What's your biggest wish?"
"My biggest wish..." Zhu Xu thought for a moment, "...maybe I can love..." She didn't finish her sentence, pausing for a moment, "...to love you all!"
Amidst the jeers, Xiao Zhou said, "You're in a relationship, but who do you really love?"
Zhu Xu shook his head and remained silent.
She raised her glass: "Let's drink to our respective goals."
/
There's a wedding at the end of the month.
The order was placed two months ago. The ceremony was originally scheduled for the 29th, but we were told that both sets of parents had chosen the wrong auspicious date and insisted on moving it forward a week to the 22nd.
This request violated the contract and Zhao Siqiao had the right to refuse. However, considering that there was a vacancy that day and the other party was willing to pay an additional compensation, Zhao Siqiao agreed.
Zhu Xu was caught off guard.
The bride likes calla lilies, so they need to be used for the flower wall and aisle markers. However, the light pink color is difficult to order; it needs to be booked a week in advance—too early or too late won't work. With only four days left until the ceremony, there's definitely not enough time.
Xiao Zhou asked, "Can I use calla lilies instead?"
“No good,” Zhu Xu said. “The prices are worlds apart, and comparatively speaking, the calla lily has a delicate shape, with open petals and smoothly curved tips, making it more lively. The bride must know the difference between the two flowers, and even if we talk to her, she may not agree.”
"Then what should we do?"
Zhu Xu scrolled through his phone's contacts and finally called a former colleague for help, asking her to help him out at the Lincheng Market.
The flowers arrived in the evening of the 21st. Zhu Xu, along with Xiao Zhou and Lin Yuan, went straight to the banquet hall without wasting a minute. However, they were stopped at the entrance by the restaurant manager, who said that there were important guests dining at a table and it might not be convenient to go in now.
Zhu Xu pulled his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and glanced at it. It was already eight o'clock. "It's this late. We should go upstairs to eat."
"Who can control a guest's sudden whim?"
She suggested, "We'll only install the shelves and flower arrangements; it won't make too much noise and disturb the guests."
The other party is in a difficult position.
“The ceremony is tomorrow, and time is indeed a bit tight. I’m worried that if something goes wrong, the hotel will also be affected,” Zhu Xu said. “Why don’t you go in and ask the guests for their opinions? If they mind, we can wait a little longer.”
"Okay, I'll go ask."
She turned and went inside, and the banquet hall doors closed tightly behind her.
Zhu Xu leaned against the wall and waited patiently for a while, only a minute or two, before the other person came out again and said to her, "Come in, please be quiet."
Zhu Xu should be correct.
Both doors in front of them opened completely, and dazzling golden light poured out.
Lin Yuan led the way, pulling the cargo cart, with Zhu Xu and Xiao Zhou following closely behind.
She saw the table of guests sitting in the left corner of the hall, and for some reason, her heart skipped a beat. Although they were quite far apart, Zhu Xu could still make out a familiar figure from the general outline.
I had expected to meet him, but this time I was caught off guard.
She instinctively lowered her head; Lin Yuan's figure in front of her could completely block her view, but then she thought it was just burying her head in the sand. When the supervisor went in to ask for permission earlier, it was probably him who gave the nod.
There are many business banquets and various ceremonies here, and people usually eat in the upstairs restaurant and private rooms.
But he's the boss, so he can do whatever he wants.
Zhu Xu felt she should be more open and honest, so as she got closer, she raised her head again and looked at him openly, only to find that he was also looking at her from the side.
He leaned back in his chair, wearing a simple white shirt and no tie. His cheeks and neck were slightly flushed, perhaps from drinking some alcohol.
Zhu Xu smiled at him, as if to say hello.
His expression was inscrutable, and he nodded slightly, so much so that it was hard to tell whether he was actually responding to her.
Zhu Xu felt a sudden, sharp pain in his heart, then turned his gaze back and walked to the ceremony stage.
During the day, Zhao Siqiao's men had already erected the truss; now all that was needed was to secure several pieces of floral foam slabs to it using wire and bamboo skewers. With Lin Yuan's help, things were much easier, and all the moving and lifting work was handled by him.
"Sister Xu, is this how it's fixed?" He sat on the tall A-frame ladder, holding onto the floral mud board, gesturing with the wire.
Zhu Xu looked up: "That's right, remember to circle around it a few more times to prevent it from falling."
"Give me the wire cutters." Lin Yuan held the wire in the corner of his mouth and adjusted the position of the clay slab.
Zhu Xu squatted down and rummaged through the toolbox, then stood up and picked it up.
Lin Yuan lowered her eyes, paused, and smiled helplessly: "It's pliers, Sister Xu. Look what you're holding." The boy sat high up, elbows propped on his legs, his tone slightly teasing. He was handsome, bathed in golden light, with shallow dimples and an incredibly gentle smile.
Xiao Zhou chuckled from the side, "Sister Xu, are you sleepy? You seem a little drowsy."
Zhu Xu stared at the hammer in her hand, momentarily stunned. She had been somewhat absent-minded since entering, and secretly pinched her thigh, the pain calming her down slightly.
She picked up the wire cutters again and handed them to Lin Yuan, casually saying, "Just kidding."
"Childish." Although they hadn't known each other for long, Lin Yuan didn't treat his two older sisters like outsiders. He casually tossed the wire cutters into the air, let them spin once, and landed steadily back in his hand: "Get to work," he said.
In the corner, He Yanzhou loosened a button on his collar and stared blankly at the wine glass in front of him. After a moment, his gaze shifted again to the young man sitting high up, and his expression gradually darkened.
The distance was quite far, so I didn't know what they were talking about. My hearing was limited, and my visual understanding was inevitably not objective. I just watched the two of them going back and forth, which was extremely annoying.
Looking at Zhu Xu again, she seemed like a completely different person, with a very sweet smile, as if she was doing quite well and her life had not been affected in the slightest by their separation.
I casually asked about the ceremony arrangements at the banquet hall earlier, and to my surprise, the assistant was extremely efficient, compiling all the sessions and all the pre- and post-event details and sending them to my email.
He guessed she might come over tonight to make arrangements, so when someone suggested having dinner here, he didn't comment.
The people present were the vice presidents of Uncle San's side. Before the dinner started, they said they wouldn't talk about business, but after a few drinks, they still subtly and overtly tested him to see how accepting he was of opening a sauna center in the hotel.
He won't touch anything that involves a gray area.
Wang Jinxiang, the vice president to the right, raised his glass: "President He, are you free later? I'll find a place for us to go steaming. There aren't many young people who don't love it. Once you experience it, you'll know how wonderful it is."
This "it" is not simple.
He Yanzhou smiled faintly: "Go to the sauna after drinking baijiu?"
"Beautiful!"
"No way," he joked, "I value my life more than Mr. Wang does."
The others chuckled and remarked that President He was truly humorous.
But with the dinner already halfway through, and despite Wang Jinxiang's best efforts to persuade the man next to him, he couldn't help but feel frustrated and annoyed. He glanced at the group on the other side of the stage, their whispers as incessant as mosquitoes, irritating him to no end.
He turned his head and pointed in that direction, "Are you guys ever going to stop?"
The huge banquet hall fell silent instantly.
Zhu Xu turned over and saw that the speaker was a slightly overweight man around forty years old. Apart from He Yanzhou, the others were also of similar age, and judging from their clothes and appearance, they seemed to be people of status.
Zhu Xu didn't speak for a moment. The three of them had only exchanged a few words at the beginning, and in order not to disturb others, they were basically working silently and didn't make much noise at all.
Her gaze fell on He Yanzhou. He was still leaning back, his face turned towards her, but his expression was obscured by the shadow of the Roman column.
Zhu Xu apologized: "I'm sorry to have disturbed you. We'll keep our voices down."
"Who let you in?" Wang Jinxiang raised his voice, as if he had found an outlet for his anger: "Get out of here right now! Can't you see people are eating here?"
Zhu Xu said, "Sorry, we're rushing to our wedding banquet tomorrow."
"I don't care about any banquet, let's find another time." Wang Jinxiang impatiently shooed him away: "Get out, get out..."
After saying that, he turned around and reached for the wine bottle.
The others remained silent, showing no emotion.
After a moment, He Yanzhou spoke calmly: "Vice President Wang, you're really angry. Who are you taking it out on?" His voice clearly carried a hint of anger.
Wang Jinxiang's drunkenness came in waves. After venting, he regained some sobriety and hurriedly tried to smooth things over with a smile: "Hey, these people are unpredictable. We were eating when they started making a racket over there. Nobody let them in."
"I gave in."
Wang Jinxiang was startled.
He Yanzhou fiddled with a lighter in his hand: "You were talking to Director Li just now, so you didn't notice."
"I was being presumptuous. If I had known it was with your permission, Mr. He, I..."
“Vice President Wang is quite sharp-eyed and sharp-eared. How come I didn’t hear a thing over there?” He Yanzhou smirked. “I thought he was trying to establish his authority here.”
"No, no, how could I dare?" Wang Jinxiang's forehead was sweating, and a significant amount of alcohol in his system had evaporated. The man in front of him was He Sheng's most beloved junior, whose initial investment was no less than He Sheng's. Some of the suggestions were made because He Sheng couldn't show his face for the time being, so he sent him to probe and infiltrate.
This has really angered him. How is he going to explain this?
He hurriedly said, "It was my fault just now, please fill the glass, I..."
"Alright, that's enough for today." He interrupted him, tossing the lighter on the table. "That's the important thing. You and I are just having a meal and chatting. Don't bother them."
"It's not President He..."
"That's enough," he said coldly. He stood up, grabbed his coat, glanced at the stage, and strode out.
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