Chapter 147 Bouquet

Chapter 147: A Bouquet of Flowers

The house was quiet when she unlocked the door—her mother and Aunt Chen hadn’t gotten up yet.

Shen Qingye tiptoed, finished freshening up, and was about to return to her room when she heard a faint sound as she passed Shen Linyue’s door. Turning her head, she saw Shen Linyue had opened the door.

“You’re back?” Shen Linyue leaned against the doorframe, lazily yawning before looking at her.

Shen Qingye smiled. “Yeah, did I wake you?”

Shen Linyue shook her head casually. “No, just didn’t sleep well last night.”

She didn’t explain why, only studied her daughter before asking, “Busy since yesterday?”

Shen Qingye nodded, drawling in complaint. “Yeah, I’m exhausted…”

Shen Linyue huffed. “Serves you right.”

Despite her words, seeing her daughter’s weary appearance, she couldn’t help but soften. “Did you solve the case? Can you rest properly at home today?”

Shen Qingye half-closed her eyes and nodded vaguely. “Yeah, I’ll go back to the team tomorrow.”

Shen Linyue said, “Good. I’ll ask Aunt Chen to fix you something hearty later.”

Shen Qingye mumbled in agreement, eyes half-shut as she stumbled toward her room.

Shen Linyue was about to return as well when she noticed something. She paused. “Wait—what happened to your hair?”

Shen Qingye turned back, blinking in confusion before instinctively touching her hair. “…Oh.”

“Must’ve been from napping in the car.”

“You? Napping in the car?” Shen Linyue frowned, giving her a once-over. “You didn’t come back alone?”

Shen Qingye hesitated, her drowsy eyes slowly widening. “…No.”

She looked away. “Yue Lingchuan gave me a ride home.”

Shen Linyue crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes slightly. Shen Qingye coughed lightly. “What’s that look for…?”

Shen Linyue snorted softly. “Early in the morning, and he just left after dropping you off?”

“What, should he have stayed?” she muttered.

Shen Linyue chuckled, patted her, and said nothing more. “Alright, go sleep.”

Only then did Shen Qingye fight the blush rising to her cheeks and retreat to her room.

Before collapsing onto the bed, her mind buzzed with thoughts. But the moment she buried herself under the covers, overwhelming exhaustion drowned out all emotions. Without any resistance, she fell into a deep sleep.

She slept until noon.

When Shen Qingye woke, sunlight streamed brightly through the window, almost glaring.

She sat up dazedly, eyelids still heavy, her mind foggy. But her nose twitched at the aroma in the air, and her stomach growled loudly.

Hungry.

She hadn’t eaten properly in the past two days. So even though drowsiness still clung to her, her hunger won out.

Stumbling out of the room, the smell in the air grew richer. Shen Qingye leaned against the stair railing, watching Auntie Chen bustling in the kitchen, and couldn’t resist asking, "Auntie Chen, what are you making?"

Hearing the voice, Auntie Chen quickly stepped back and looked up, her face lighting up at the sight of Shen Qingye. "Oh, Xiao Feng, you’re up?"

"Perfect timing! The sour radish and duck soup I’ve been stewing is ready. Come and have a taste!"

Shen Qingye took a deep breath, her appetite instantly sparked, and she perked up a little. "No wonder it smelled amazing—it literally woke me up hungry!"

Auntie Chen gave her an affectionate look. "After all that work these past few days, you deserve a good meal. Go freshen up first, and I’ll ladle you a bowl of soup to cool."

"On it!" Shen Qingye replied cheerfully. She returned to her room to wash up and change clothes before heading downstairs.

On the dining table was a bowl of cooled duck soup and a basket of freshly steamed xiaolongbao. Shen Qingye took a sip of the soup, then bit into a thin-skinned, meaty dumpling, savoring the burst of juicy flavor. She couldn’t help but sigh in contentment, feeling like a whole new person.

Auntie Chen watched her with a smile. "No rush, there’s plenty."

Shen Qingye nodded repeatedly. "Auntie Chen, your cooking is seriously the best! I never realized how good it was until these past couple of days at work when I didn’t get to eat your food. You’re seriously the best!" She gave a thumbs-up, and even though Auntie Chen knew she was just trying to cheer her up, she couldn’t help but grin knowingly. "Oh, stop! If it’s good, eat more. There’s plenty!"

"What would you like for dinner? You’ve always liked pork trotters, right? I bought two this morning, but figured they’d be too rich for breakfast. How about soybean-stewed pork trotters tonight?"

Shen Qingye, never one to turn down food, happily agreed, nodding while chewing, making Auntie Chen’s gaze grow even softer.

After finishing a bowl of duck soup and five xiaolongbao, Shen Qingye started feeling full and eased up.

Just then, she noticed something across the table and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Auntie Chen, did you buy flowers?"

Following her gaze, Auntie Chen slapped her forehead. "Oh my gosh, how could I forget?" She stood up and handed Shen Qingye a bouquet of pink-and-white flowers, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "The florist next door delivered these this morning, saying they’re for you."

Shen Qingye blinked. "For me?"

Auntie Chen nodded. "Yes, a Mr. Yue ordered them."

Shen Qingye froze for a second.

Auntie Chen, unable to resist, asked her, "You seeing someone?"

Shen Qingye coughed lightly and took the bouquet, lowering her eyes to examine it. The arrangement was mainly pink and white roses, accented with small round eucalyptus leaves, giving it a fresh and elegant charm.

Tucked in the middle was a small card with bold, flowing handwriting:

*The flowers I owed you these past couple of days—here they are.*

Shen Qingye paused.

For a while, Yue Lingchuan had sent her flowers almost daily. But ever since this case came up, everyone had been too busy to even catch their breath, let alone think about such things.

Yet, he’d still remembered and made up for the missed flowers as soon as he had time.

Gently stroking the soft petals, Shen Qingye’s lips curled into a faint smile as she mumbled, "Not really."

Auntie Chen, having been through it all before, understood perfectly from her softened expression. She grinned knowingly, feeling both happy and wistful.

In the blink of an eye, this girl had grown up—already at the age for romance.

She said, "These flowers are quite lovely. They’ll last a few days. I’ll go buy a vase later and arrange them properly."

"Of course," Shen Qingye readily agreed, thanking Aunt Chen, which earned her a teasing reprimand.

·

She slept through most of the afternoon before finally feeling properly rested. That evening, mom and daughter got the rare chance to share a meal together. Shen Linyue brought up Bai Xiuyu, saying she had been missing Shen Qingye for some time and telling her to drop by when things settled down. Shen Qingye said yes, then suddenly remembered the timing and asked,

"Isn’t Rui Yang’s gaokao results coming out soon?"

"It’s supposed to be on the 25th. These past few days, your Aunt Bai and her family have been too nervous to even bring it up with Rui Yang, afraid of adding pressure. And to make matters worse, your Uncle Gao has barely been home—she’s been frustrated with no one to talk to."

Shen Qingye sighed. "With such a major case in the city, everyone’s been up to their necks. Uncle Gao has to deal with pressure from above—it’s not easy for him either."

She paused. "But things should ease up in a couple of days."

Shen Linyue replied, "Of course your Aunt Bai knows that. She’s just anxious and needs an outlet to vent."

Shen Qingye had to laugh.

After dinner, they went for a relaxing walk, enjoying the rare moment of relaxation.

Once back home, she washed up and went to bed early. The next morning, when Shen Qingye woke, daylight was already streaming in.

She drew back the curtains and stretched lazily, her gaze drifting absently out the window—only to freeze.

An all-too-familiar black car was parked just outside the villa’s courtyard. In the driver’s seat, the man leaned back, one hand resting on the steering wheel while the other draped casually over the window, the defined muscles of his forearm accentuated by the pose. He glanced down at his watch, the sharp contours of his profile bathed in the golden morning light, carrying an uncharacteristic gentleness rarely seen during work.

Shen Qingye’s eyes flickered slightly.