Murphy wasn't the type of woman who was hardworking or virtuous. The fact that she had a housekeeper at home made it clear—she not only avoided getting her hands dirty with household chores but also never bothered to tidy up her room.
When Murphy woke up in the morning, Yang Yi returned to the guest bedroom and saw that while she had folded the blanket, it looked about as good as not folding it at all—either a corner was sticking out here, or a crease was left unstraightened there. So Yang Yi refolded the blanket and smoothed out the bedsheet.
However, when it came to pursuing quality of life, Murphy was more meticulous than Yang Yi. After all, she was a woman!
Yang Yi scratched his head and said, "There are quite a few flowers in the garden downstairs. How about I pick a few?"
"Those are wildflowers. Compared to the artificially cultivated ones in flower shops, there's a big difference in variety, color, and size," Murphy said helplessly. "If we're going to arrange flowers, how can we just make do?"
"Go buy some, and I'll handle it!" Murphy waved her hand coolly, giving an order.
Fine, of course Yang Yi had to go buy them. Murphy's face was too easy to recognize!
But where should he go?
Yang Yi only remembered after stepping out that he had never bought flowers before. However, his mind quickly turned to a flower shop—Yan Xiaopei had mentioned before that she ran one at the East Gate.
He was completely at ease, without any awkwardness, and headed straight to the East Gate, finding the shop.
"Hey, Yang Yi?" As soon as Yang Yi walked in, Yan Xiaopei recognized him. After all, not many men over the years had been indifferent to her beauty.
Seeing Yang Yi stirred some ripples in Yan Xiaopei's heart. It wasn't that she still pined for him, but what you never get always leaves a bit of reluctance.
Still, she was an adult, and there were part-time students in the shop, so Yan Xiaopei smiled faintly and greeted him normally.
"Hello!" Yang Yi smiled slightly, nodded at her, and said, "Miss Yan, I'd like to buy some flowers."
So he was just here to buy flowers... And Yan Xiaopei knew he definitely wasn't buying them for her. She remembered the more beautiful woman Yang Yi's daughter had mentioned.
"What kind of flowers do you want? We have roses, Chinese roses, lilies..." Yan Xiaopei said, trying to act casual, though she felt a twinge of bitterness inside.
Yang Yi scratched his head again. He really didn't know what to buy. Then, a stroke of inspiration hit him. "How about picking a few of each? Just choose the prettiest ones."
Not just the other girls in the shop, but even Yan Xiaopei was stunned. Who buys flowers like that?
"Are you sure you want to buy them that way? If we pick from everything, it'll be dozens of flowers!" Yan Xiaopei asked, half laughing, half exasperated.
Dozens weren't that many—rich guys splurging on pretty girls bought flowers by the dozens or hundreds. But in her years running the shop, Yan Xiaopei had never seen anyone buy a random mix of dozens of flowers.
"It's fine, just buy them like that!" Yang Yi said firmly.
"Xiao Luo!" Yan Xiaopei called over a part-time girl and said, "Help Mr. Yang pick out some flowers. He's a friend of mine, so give him the best ones!"
While Yang Yi was picking flowers, a man walked in, elegantly dressed and refined, holding a bouquet of bright red roses.
Yes, walking into a flower shop with flowers in hand...
"Xiaopei, are you free tonight? I'd like to take you to dinner by the coast, then go for a drive." The man gazed at Yan Xiaopei with deep affection as he handed her the flowers.
Someone speaking to her like that was naturally more than just a suitor. To shake off her lingering disappointment, Yan Xiaopei had recently accepted his pursuit. His demeanor fascinated her—though very different from Yang Yi, he seemed like a better fit!
Besides Xiao Luo, who was with Yang Yi, two other part-time girls giggled and whispered to each other.
"Tonight? Let me check." Yan Xiaopei raised her voice slightly, feigning hesitation, and said, "If I drop Yingkai off at my mom's place, I should be free."
After saying that, she glanced at Yang Yi, but he showed no reaction at all, enthusiastically asking Xiao Luo about the names of the flowers.
A wave of disappointment washed over Yan Xiaopei, but she silently laughed at herself: "Forget it, you're just being sentimental."
However, the man caught her subtle glance and followed her gaze to Yang Yi's tall figure, which sparked a hint of wariness.
"And this is?" the man couldn't help asking.
Yan Xiaopei held the roses in one hand and grabbed his arm with the other, smiling. "He's a friend of mine. He just happened to come by to buy flowers today."
Yang Yi noticed the man's slightly hostile look and looked up in surprise.
"Yang Yi, let me introduce you!" Yan Xiaopei realized the man's mood was off, as if she had overdone it, so she quickly took the initiative to explain. "This is Yang Yi, a friend who runs a shop near the school. His daughter is good friends with my son. And this is my boyfriend, Yu Chengqing. He runs a training institution."
Upon hearing that Yang Yi had a daughter, Yu Chengqing's expression softened considerably. Instead, he warmly shook Yang Yi's hand and said, "Just a small training outfit. We live off the land, so to speak. Being near Jiangchuan University, we can only focus on training for art exam students."
"Oh, that's nice." Yang Yi felt a bit helpless. He didn't really want to get to know the guy, but out of respect for Yan Xiaopei, he extended his hand for a shake.
"Mr. Yang also runs a shop near the East Gate?" Yu Chengqing's hostility had faded, but his enthusiasm remained. Maybe it was from working in the training industry for so long, but his tone was always upbeat as he asked.
"He runs a coffee shop at the back gate, the North Gate," Yan Xiaopei answered for Yang Yi.
"The North Gate? That's a bit far. Otherwise, I could bring some friends over to support you!" Yu Chengqing said warmly. "But no matter. I'll tell my company's staff to help spread the word!"
"Well, thank you!" Yang Yi nodded at him with a forced "gratitude."
What else could he do but pretend to be grateful?
Yan Xiaopei smiled at Yang Yi, then pulled Yu Chengqing along. "Alright, my staff can take care of Yang Yi. Weren't you going to take me to dinner? Can you drop me home first?"
"Of course, no problem!" Yu Chengqing said eagerly.
Before leaving, he nodded at Yang Yi and made a "talk later" gesture.
But Yang Yi never wanted to see this guy again...
On the surface, the man seemed refined, but he turned out to be such a chatterbox. Being talkative wasn't the issue—Yang Yi just felt Yu Chengqing was fake. One moment he was full of hostility, and the next, he acted like nothing had happened.
That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. A mature man should have some depth; it could even be a sign of charm. He seemed like a good match for Yan Xiaopei—she needed a mature, magnanimous man to accept her past, while a young, jealous guy wouldn't be able to handle her.
But Yang Yi didn't like Yu Chengqing. Compared to him, that talkative but sincere chubby guy was much more endearing.
Still, it didn't matter. He was just a passerby. After buying the flowers, Yang Yi hurried home excitedly.
{PS: Regarding this chapter, Xiaohan didn't write a "face-slapping" scene, nor did he follow a cliché. After all, Yu Chengqing didn't overly flaunt himself, and Yang Yi didn't clash with him. They're all adults—why would there be so much drama? The extra focus on Yan Xiaopei was mainly to fulfill a reader's wish that she gets a good ending. Xiaohan thinks this is a fairly open-ended conclusion for Yan Xiaopei. Of course, Yu Chengqing probably isn't her future, but introducing his character shows that Yan Xiaopei has moved on. As a mature woman, she didn't cling to a man she couldn't have—that's how reality works. Yang Yi is just a bit taller and more considerate, but two days of interaction wouldn't make anyone fall head over heels for him. We don't know what Yan Xiaopei's future holds, but she's still striving for her own love, so there's reason to believe she'll meet the right person, right?~}