CH 14

After Zheng Baozhu fastened her seatbelt, she saw Qu Zhi open the car door and calmly fasten his seatbelt without seemingly noticing her. As long as one had a thick face, there wouldn't be any awkwardness.

Zheng Baozhu snickered to herself and adjusted her seatbelt before driving off.

Throughout the journey, there was no conversation between Zheng Baozhu and Qu Zhi, but Liang Huihui, who was sitting in the back seat, was still very excited—it was like sitting in the VIP section and witnessing a celebrity couple!

Starlight Park was famous for its large-scale cultivation of various flowers and special architecture. The flower market was located near the flower fields, attracting visitors and locals alike who came to buy flowers and plants.

Finding a parking spot was not easy, but after Zheng Baozhu managed to park the car, the three of them strolled through the flower market together. Although it wasn't springtime, the flower market still offered a wide variety of plants, from small and delicate ones to large plants worth thousands of yuan. Qu Zhi picked two pots of green plants from a store, Zheng Baozhu took a glance at them—indeed, they were of the fresh and delightful kind.

He seemed to have a special preference for this type of green plants.

The shop owner asked for seventy yuan for the two pots, but Liang Huihui immediately protested, "Boss, selling one pot for thirty-five yuan is too expensive. We'll take both pots for forty yuan."

The shop owner wasn't pleased either, "Your price is too low; I can't accept that, little girl."

"Come on, boss, it's not my first time here. Two pots with plants usually go for about thirty-five yuan, and your price is too high. I'll give you forty yuan for both."

"Forty yuan is really too low; I'd lose money."

"How is that possible? You're trying to deceive me. Okay, how about I add five yuan, making it forty-five?"

After haggling back and forth with the shop owner, they finally settled on a deal for fifty yuan for both pots. Liang Huihui saw that he wouldn't go any lower, so she said, "Alright, then give me a few more saucers as a bonus."

"One saucer for each pot."

"Come on, don't be so stingy. Saucers are not worth much."

The shop owner replied, "How are they not worth much? The saucers are five yuan each!"

"That's not worth much. It's only a few yuan!"

"..."

Then why are you wasting my time by arguing with me over a few yuan?!

In the end, Liang Huihui managed to get both pots of green plants and four saucers for fifty yuan, and she was somewhat satisfied with her bargaining skills. Qu Zhi walked ahead, carrying the green plants he purchased, and continued to browse around. Zheng Baozhu and Liang Huihui followed from behind. Unable to resist, Zheng Baozhu said, "Huihui, you're good at bargaining. How about helping me bargain when I go shopping?"

"Sure!" Liang Huihui nodded in agreement, "But, Miss Baozhu, can one even bargain at the places you shop at?"

"..."

It seemed like she couldn't.

Liang Huihui looked at her and couldn't help but gossip, "Miss Baozhu, you said you and Mr. Qu don't get along, but you still brought him here. You even said you two aren't..."

"Enough!" Zheng Baozhu quickly interrupted Liang Huihui's words, "I came here not for him, but for your sake!"

"For me?" Liang Huihui was taken aback by this statement and looked at Zheng Baozhu in confusion.

Zheng Baozhu explained, "I already told you to stay away from Qu Zhi for your own safety. But you didn't listen. How could I let you go out alone with him? You're still deceived by his appearance and haven't seen his true colors!"

"..."

Liang Huihui thought for a moment and then looked panicked, "Miss Baozhu, you don't think I like Mr. Qu, do you?"

"Isn't that the case?" Look at how warm you are to Qu Zhi all day long and offering to bargain for him.

Growing up with Qu Zhi, Zheng Baozhu knew very well how troublesome he could be. With Liang Huihui's innocence and naivety, it was normal for her to fall for him!

Liang Huihui waved her hands in alarm, "I don't like Mr. Qu at all. I'm just a fan of the CP!"

"...What?"

"...I mean, I already have a boyfriend!" Liang Huihui looked at Zheng Baozhu, afraid that she might misunderstand, "Please don't get the wrong idea, Miss Baozhu!"

After a long silence, Zheng Baozhu finally snapped out of it, "What? You have a boyfriend? Who is it? Why have I never heard you mention him?"

"Uh..." It was true that Liang Huihui had never mentioned having a boyfriend to anyone before. But since the topic came up today, she didn't want Zheng Baozhu to misunderstand, so she explained, "He's a guy from the same town I used to live in. He's now studying at H University, so you've never met him."

Liang Huihui's hometown was a small town and her family's conditions weren't good. Her academic performance was average, so after graduating from high school, her family asked her to start working directly. Zheng Baozhu understood all of this. Though Liang Huihui didn't have a high education, she was clever and hardworking, with a strong sense of responsibility. So, as the hotel owner, Zheng Baozhu had high hopes for her.

However, the news of her having a boyfriend from her hometown was something Zheng Baozhu had never heard before, "Huihui, tell me honestly, did your grades suffer because of your puppy love with that boyfriend during high school?"

"..."

Liang Huihui never expected that even as a working member of society, she would still be asked about her high school grades, "It's not that, it's just that I'm too dumb. Li Yifan didn't have any problems with his grades. He even got into H University!"

"..." Isn't this even more unfair!

"Huihui, you're not dumb at all. You learn things quickly."

"Thank you, Miss Baozhu, for the compliment."

"So it's really because of the puppy love. There must be some truth in the high schools' rule against dating!"

"..."

"Your boyfriend, Li Yifan, he didn't graduate yet?"

"No, he's doing well academically. He's preparing to take the postgraduate entrance exam!"

"Oh... So his family's financial situation should be okay, right?" Even in a small town, there were some well-off families. Since Li Yifan's family supported him to pursue postgraduate studies, it should be because they could afford it.

Liang Huihui shook her head, "No, it's just slightly better than my family's."

"What about his tuition and living expenses in H city? The expenses are not low, is he working while studying?"

"He has scholarships and financial aid, he also works part-time. But this year, he's been focusing on preparing for the postgraduate exam and can't afford to be distracted."

"Then..." As Zheng Baozhu was speaking, something suddenly crossed her mind, "Wait, Huihui, you are usually so frugal, you don't even go out for meals. You didn't give him all the money you saved, did you?"

While Zheng Baozhu paid her employees well, she noticed that Liang Huihui lived quite a modest lifestyle, always trying to save money. She assumed Liang Huihui saved it for herself, but now she wondered if Liang Huihui had given it all to her boyfriend.

Liang Huihui scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed, "I don't really have many expenses. Li Yifan needs to maintain a good diet for his preparation, and as you said, living in H city is costly..."

"...So you really gave him all your money?"

Liang Huihui nodded.

After a moment of silence, Zheng Baozhu spoke again, "Then maybe you do like Qu Zhi after all."

Liang Huihui: "..."

Meanwhile, Qu Zhi stopped in front of a pot of green plant and gestured to Liang Huihui. She immediately understood and ran over to help him negotiate the price.

Considering the fact that he would be moving houses soon, Qu Zhi exercised restraint and only bought three pots of green plants. Before leaving the flower market, he spotted a small pot of Pilea Peperomioides and decided to buy it for his office desk.

Zheng Baozhu, on the other hand, chose the pot of Mentha Suaveolens.

As the three were about to leave the flower market, Qu Zhi suddenly stopped. Liang Huihui thought he had spotted another green plant he liked and followed his gaze. However, she saw a stray dog lying at the entrance of a shop. The shopkeeper was not present, and the dog seemed to be guarding the shop.

"What's wrong, Mr. Qu?" Liang Huihui looked at Qu Zhi with suspicion. Could it be that he took a liking to this dog? Dogs were not for sale, though.

Zheng Baozhu also noticed the dog and burst into laughter, "Hahaha, no way! After all these years, Qu Zhi, you're still afraid of dogs?"

Qu Zhi: "..."

Seeing him remain tense without saying anything, Zheng Baozhu teased him further, "So many years have passed, yet some people have only grown in age, not in bravery. History always has surprising similarities."

Qu Zhi: "............"

Zheng Baozhu really held grudges. :)

At this point, Liang Huihui finally understood that Qu Zhi wasn't interested in the dog; he was afraid of it.

"Mr. Qu, this dog is tied up and won't bite. It's safe," reassured Liang Huihui.

Qu Zhi: "..."

Being comforted like this made him even more embarrassed.

Standing on the side, Zheng Baozhu enjoyed the sight of Qu Zhi's embarrassment, "Are you so scared? Should I hold your hand like when we were kids and go over there?"

Qu Zhi pursed his lips, glanced at Zheng Baozhu, and walked forward while holding the green plants. The dog remained calm and curious, observing them without giving them any trouble.

As they were about to pass by the shop, Zheng Baozhu took advantage of Qu Zhi's fear and suddenly barked loudly in his ear: "Woof woof woof!"

Qu Zhi was startled, and in one jump, he leaped about a meter away, still holding the green plants.

Zheng Baozhu stood in place, laughing uncontrollably, "Hahaha, that was hilarious! Your jumping ability is quite impressive!"

Qu Zhi: "............"

"Zheng Baozhu, are you crazy?!" Qu Zhi couldn't hold back his frustration any longer. Liang Huihui, who was following them, also felt complicated about the situation. Is this what childhood friends are like?

Indeed, it's different from an ordinary CP.

"Woof woof woof!" This time, the dog really barked. Qu Zhi no longer cared about being angry with Zheng Baozhu. He quickly turned and walked away. On the return journey, Qu Zhi swiftly chose the back seat, asking Liang Huihui to sit next to Zheng Baozhu.

As Zheng Baozhu drove, she cheerfully told Liang Huihui, "You know, Qu Zhi was scared by a small dog on our street when he was a child. Thinking back now, it's still so funny. That dog was really tiny..."

"The smaller the dog, the more they tend to bite, don't you know that?" Qu Zhi interjected coldly from the back seat.

Zheng Baozhu responded with an "Oh," and asked, "So, was that the reason you cried for half an hour?"

"When did I cry for half an hour?"

"Oh, then for twenty minutes?"

Qu Zhi: "............"

He refused to engage in this conversation anymore.

Upon returning to the hotel, Zheng Baozhu was still laughing. Qu Zhi took his green plants from the trunk and walked away without wanting to spend an extra second with them. Zheng Baozhu and Liang Huihui followed him into the hotel. As they entered the lobby, they heard some squabble.

"What's going on?"

Zheng Baozhu walked towards the lounge area next to the front desk. Manager Wei, whom she personally promoted, noticed her return. He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he looked at her and said, "Miss Baozhu, you came back just in time. This gentleman here was about to complain about us because he couldn't catch any dolls in the claw machine."