Chapter Fifteen: A Bouquet of Flowers

Page (1/3)
Private Room V8.
Wei Lin didn’t take Wang Hongyu seriously at all. He called a waiter over and ordered a sashimi trio, adding seaweed and baby octopus as cold dishes, and also requested a three-way preparation of snow crab.
“Bring a bottle of Hanayuyu Yamada Nishiki, 1.8 liters. Oh, and the sashimi and cold dishes can be served first.”
After giving his instructions, Wei Lin sat back and waited for Lin Nanxi to arrive.
As the dishes and drinks gradually appeared on the table, he idly played with his phone, scrolling through messages in a group chat among his brothers.
“The girls are all here, where are you guys?”
“Stop messing around. If you’ve got the guts, record a video and post it in the group! If I see the girls, I’ll fly over right away!”
“Wei Lin, where are you sneaking off to eat by yourself again? You’re skipping the weekend brotherhood gathering without a business trip. There’s definitely something fishy!”
Several people in the group chat tagged Wei Lin continuously, but after scanning the messages, he chose to play dead and ignored them.
On Friday and Saturday nights, none of his rowdy friends stayed put. They roamed through various restaurants and nightlife spots in Linjiang City, hopping from one venue to another, partying until two or three in the morning.
That’s how he used to spend his weekends too.
“Mr. Wang, it’s the weekend and all the private rooms are fully booked. We really can’t arrange another one.”
A female waiter’s helpless voice came from the corridor near the entrance. “Only V7 and V8 are small two-person private rooms. We tried to adjust your reservation, but there’s no room elsewhere.”
“What a coward,” Wei Lin chuckled dryly.
With nothing better to do, he strolled over to the door of Wang Hongyu’s private room and said with a mocking tone, “Oh! Isn’t this President Wang? What, don’t like the number V7?”
Wang Hongyu, who had been avoiding him, looked grim and silent inside the room.
“There are only two small private rooms in total, don’t make it hard for others. Or... how about I switch with you?” Wei Lin said warmly, as if they were old friends, smiling sweetly. “Zhuang Qing will be here soon. Since we’re sitting close, we can have a few drinks together later. It’s the weekend—everyone should have a good time.”
“You invited Zhuang Qing?” Wang Hongyu groaned in frustration.
“Yeah, she’s already on her way. Counting the time, she should arrive in about ten minutes.” Wei Lin glanced casually at his seven-day chain watch on his wrist and asked, “So, President Wang, want to switch rooms or not?”
Wang Hongyu lowered his head to think, then grabbed his phone and shouted, “What? You got hit by a car? Alright! I’m coming right now!”
Who knew which unlucky friend he was using as an excuse.
“Sorry, I have an emergency!”
He snatched up his handbag and fled in a hurry, even forgetting the bouquet on the table.
“This, this...”
The female waiter was anxious but helpless.
“It’s the weekend; your private rooms won’t have trouble getting booked. Just tell the boss and wait for notice,” Wei Lin, quite familiar with the restaurant’s operations, comforted her.
“Thank you, Mr. Wei. I know what to do.” The waiter felt much relieved.
“Since he’s gone, that bouquet is a waste. You can bring it to me.” Wei Lin instructed.
“Okay, sure.” The waiter’s expression was strange.
...
6:50 p.m.

Page (2/3)
*Tap tap tap!*
The crisp sound of high heels striking the wooden floor echoed.
“Sorry, I didn’t expect the traffic to be so bad.”
Lin Nanxi’s lovely face was filled with apology as she crouched slightly to slip off her heels and stepped into the V8 private room.
She wore a knee-length creamy knit skirt that revealed a smooth, fair calf, paired with a tweed jacket in classic Chanel style and a gray turtleneck sweater, giving her an elegant yet alluring air.
Delicate earrings, a petite white gold heart-shaped necklace, a slender wristwatch, and lightly applied makeup all enhanced her mature feminine charm unmistakably.
“Oh!”
Seeing the bouquet on the table, her bright eyes sparkled, and she whispered softly, “How thoughtful.”
Affection index: 20/50!
Wei Lin, smiling with narrowed eyes, keenly sensed the rise in her affection rating. He thought to himself that if he had known a simple bouquet could have such an effect, Wang Hongyu should have bought more.
“I’ve already ordered the dishes. Do you want to add anything else?”
Wei Lin handed her the menu.
“No need. If it’s not enough, we can order more later.”
Lin Nanxi didn’t take the menu. Instead, she picked up the bouquet and gently sniffed it near her nose, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. “It’s been a long time since I received flowers.”
“Want a drink?” Wei Lin asked for her preference.
“Sure.” Lin Nanxi nodded in agreement.
After that, Wei Lin busied himself pouring wine, introducing the dishes, and chatting about his own situation.
Compared to the atmosphere at yesterday’s hot pot meal, this was much better.
In the privacy of the room, free from outsiders’ gazes, Lin Nanxi’s demeanor no longer seemed so aloof. She ate the exquisite dishes at leisure, occasionally clinking glasses with Wei Lin.
She truly enjoyed this kind of company.
“Why did you get divorced, Wei Lin?”
As the wine made them slightly tipsy, her bright eyes seemed veiled with a thin mist as she asked proactively.
“My father had some trouble, and the company was left with a mess to handle. I threw myself wholeheartedly into work and had little time for her,” Wei Lin said, setting down a crab claw and wiping his hands with a wet towel. “She wanted a child, but I felt the timing was wrong and kept refusing.”
He took a sip of the sweet sake and smiled bitterly, “That led to arguments.”
“All sorts of trivial matters were blown out of proportion because of dissatisfaction until she finally asked for a divorce.”
“And I agreed to it immediately.”
After speaking, Wei Lin lowered his head to pour more wine.
“Do you regret it?” Lin Nanxi asked softly.
The Wei Lin she knew was always carefree and playful, never speaking sincerely or mentioning his past, let alone revealing such heartfelt truth.
Seeing this other side of Wei Lin made the evening worthwhile.
“Let’s not talk about that.” Wei Lin evaded the question and switched topics. “You work in advertising, right? Building a new brand must be really hard?”
“Very hard.” Lin Nanxi became serious when discussing her expertise. “Our company mainly promotes existing brands—redesigning logos and driving traffic through both traditional and new media.”

Page (3/3)
“We’ve tried creating several new brands too,” she shook her head, speaking honestly. “We spent a lot of money, but none really took off.”
...
8 p.m.
Green Bamboo Japanese Restaurant, across the street, second floor at Grandma’s Clay Pot Chicken.
“Brother Hongyu, I’m full.”
Tao Manwen, with her technologically enhanced face, put down her chopsticks and wiped the table again, complaining, “It’s filthy. No matter how much I wipe, it won’t get clean.”
She was full of grievances.
As a refined socialite living for her social media circle, she had been eagerly looking forward to the upscale Japanese meal tonight. She had carefully dressed up and planned to take plenty of photos to post online.
But the Japanese restaurant’s private room that her sugar daddy booked suddenly had a leak, so the meal was relocated to the clay pot chicken place across the street.
What kind of photos could she post from a clay pot chicken restaurant? Talk about embarrassing.
“Wenwen, I’ve arranged to meet someone to discuss something. You go wait at Weishan Whiskey Bar. I have two bottles of stored liquor there. I’ll tell the owner to let you have some first. I’ll be there soon.”
Wang Hongyu stared at the Japanese restaurant’s entrance across the street, his interest gone as he sent her away.
He had deliberately chosen a window seat to keep an eye on Green Bamboo. He sat for a long time but saw no sign of Zhuang Qing.
If Wei Lin really invited Zhuang Qing, the only chance was a brief moment when he went upstairs and she just happened to enter.
But he didn’t believe in such coincidence.
“There’s someone else!”
Wang Hongyu sneered to himself, convinced that Wei Lin didn’t invite Zhuang Qing. He firmly believed that Wei Lin’s protective attitude toward Zhuang Qing that day was because he, too, wanted to flirt with her.
“You fickle bastard, I’ll expose you for sure!”
Determined, Wang Hongyu vowed to get evidence of Wei Lin’s rampant flirting today to show Zhuang Qing exactly what kind of scoundrel Wei Lin was.
“Fine, then come early.”
Tao Manwen, already annoyed by the clay pot chicken downgrade and impatient, knew Weishan was one of Linjiang City’s upscale whiskey bars where photos looked great. So she obediently said, “Should I call a car myself?”
“Yeah.”
Wang Hongyu’s gaze stayed fixed on the Japanese restaurant’s door, not even noticing when Tao Manwen left.
He waited for more than an hour.
When his eyes grew sore from staring, he finally saw Wei Lin standing side by side with a beautiful woman whose looks rivaled Zhuang Qing’s at the restaurant’s entrance.
The cool and elegant beauty stood gracefully in high heels, holding the bouquet he had prepared in her hand.
“Damn you!”
Wang Hongyu cursed loudly.
...
P.S. Please keep reading, and please vote for me!