Chapter 58: A Little Lovers’ Quirk

Chapter 58: A Little Lovers' Quirk

[Lin Hang: Huo Yanchi, are you asleep?]

[Lin Hang: I can't sleep. I'm too happy to sleep. How is Shen Junlan so adorable? Where would I have to kowtow to find a boyfriend as good as you?]

The next morning, a drowsy Huo Yanchi picked up his phone to find a dozen messages, all complaints from Lin Hang.

[Huo Yanchi: I'm awake now.]

[Huo Yanchi: Maybe in your next life. Someone as good as my Xiao Yezi is probably one of a kind.]

[Huo Yanchi: Maybe you should lower your standards a bit?]

[Lin Hang: Get lost—]

Huo Yanchi put away his phone, in a great mood as he got out of bed. He bent down to pick up the tie from the floor and tiptoed into the bathroom.

Shen Junlan turned over in bed, his head spinning so badly he could see stars dancing before his eyes in broad daylight.

He rubbed his eyes in confusion—it wasn’t an illusion; the stars were practically flying into his face.

*Smack.*

Shen Junlan slapped his own forehead. Burying his chin under the blanket, he rubbed his face pitifully, his eyes reddening at the corners. What kind of idea had Xiao Que given him? It just made things worse.

"Sweetheart, you're awake. How are you feeling? Is your head spinning?"

"Yes," Shen Junlan murmured drowsily, clinging to Huo Yanchi’s waist and nuzzling his cheek against his chest. "Brother, I’m so dizzy. You drank a lot too—how come you’re fine?"

Huo Yanchi gently stroked Shen Junlan’s hair, kissed the tip of his ear, and whispered, "Here's a secret—it’s because I know how to act. Xiao Yezi, at the drinking table, the first one to fall loses."

He couldn’t afford to lose, so he wouldn’t let himself get drunk.

"Brother, I shouldn’t have made you drink. I forgot your stomach might hurt. Did you feel unwell yesterday?"

"No, maybe because I was happy."

The stomach responds to emotions. When he’s in a good mood, his stomach feels fine too.

"Guai Yezi, can you drink honey water? I made some for you."

Shen Junlan rubbed his temples and extended a small tender sprout, drinking it down eagerly.

The little sprout, as always, adored Huo Yanchi, winding around his wrist and refusing to let go. Its leaves rubbed and clung to him, much more expressive than Shen Junlan himself.

Huo Yanchi gently touched the leaves with his fingertips, counting them carefully several times. Each time, it was four. The newly grown one looked different, almost like a flower bud.

"Xiao Yezi, did you notice the little sprout has an extra leaf?"

"Yeah, maybe."

Shen Junlan tried to make the little sprout retract, even patting it, but it remained stubbornly wrapped around Huo Yanchi’s wrist, not budging at all.

"Xiao Yezi, don’t you think the new growth looks more like a flower bud than a leaf?"

Shen Junlan sat up and examined it carefully, then shook his head skeptically. "No way. Huo Yanchi, do you not love me anymore? I already told you, I don’t bloom. How could it be a flower bud?"

Tears welled up in Shen Junlan’s eyes. Pouting, he said pitifully, "You just like flowering Clivia. If I don’t bloom, you won’t like me."

"No, no, of course not, Xiao Yezi. It must be my eyes playing tricks on me. Think about it—I drank yesterday too. My head is fuzzy, so it’s normal to see things wrong."

The little sprout retracted with a *whoosh*. Huo Yanchi knelt on the bed, almost begging it to come back. His Xiao Yezi seemed genuinely upset.

"Sweetheart, whether you bloom or not, you’ll always be the most unique Clivia in my heart. I’d never stop liking you because of that."

Shen Junlan turned away, wiping the corner of his eye. He let out a muffled "Mm," feeling uncertain, especially since Huo Yanchi seemed so eager for him to bloom.

"Xiao Yezi, what kind of flower fertilizer do you like? I’ll find it for you."

Shen Junlan unconsciously licked his lips and grumbled, "Find one with a cat-shaped design. The biggest size available."

"Okay, right away."

Shen Junlan watched Huo Yanchi’s retreating figure, then picked up his phone, which was buzzing incessantly. He didn’t know who was messaging him.

His social media was filled with red notification dots. Shen Junlan clicked in and found that the only post on Huo Yanchi’s profile was their photo from the previous day.

Even in the photo, the love in Huo Yanchi’s eyes was unmistakable—he had eyes only for him.

In the comments, Lin Hang replied to Huo Yanchi, saying the roses were beautiful. Huo Yanchi responded with just four words: "He’s even more beautiful."

*Hmph*, at least Huo Yanchi has good taste.

He was the most beautiful Clivia in the world.

The list of likes was so long that Shen Junlan scrolled through it for a while. It was filled with congratulations, but suddenly, his heart felt a twinge of sadness.

Over the past eight years, it seemed Huo Yanchi truly had only him. The only photo in his private social media was from the day they first met.

Shen Junlan’s face back then was young and fresh-faced, while Huo Yanchi’s features were sharper, his demeanor tinged with a gloomy intensity. Even when he looked at Shen Junlan gently, a hint of intensity remained in his eyes.

"Xiao Yezi, what are you looking at?"

"Looking at my boyfriend." Shen Junlan thought to himself, *Would it be too indulgent to forgive Huo Yanchi just because of one social media post?*

"Mm, is your boyfriend handsome?"

Shen Junlan took the flower fertilizer Huo Yanchi handed him and mumbled, "Handsome, but compared to me, this most beautiful flower, he’s still a bit lacking."

In the world of orchids, he had no rivals.

"Xiao Yezi, are you coming to the company with me today or going to the flower shop?"

"To the company first, then the flower shop." Shen Junlan got up and went to the bathroom to wash up, giving himself a trendy hairstyle in front of the mirror. Everyone at the company knew about their relationship now, so he had to look his best.

Sure enough, when they arrived at the company, almost everyone cast glances at Shen Junlan.

His relationship with Huo Yanchi was no secret—everyone in the company knew him from his daily visits. But making it official was different. The day before, Huo Yanchi had even contacted the legal department to update his Baidu Baike page, adding Shen Junlan with the title "Partner."

The legal manager was floored and immediately shared the news in the group chat, effectively announcing to the world that Shen Junlan was the one.

For someone like Huo Yanchi, an eligible bachelor, many had their eyes on him. Even when Huo Yanchi first brought Shen Junlan to the company, some had hoped they would break up, thinking it wouldn’t last.

After yesterday’s social media post, many hearts were probably broken.

"Good morning, CEO Huo."

"Good morning."

Huo Yanchi didn’t mind the repetitive greetings, responding to each with warm responses. He held Shen Junlan’s hand like a triumphant general returning from battle, glowing with pride.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Shen Junlan’s kiss landed on Huo Yanchi’s lips.

“Brother, I like you.”

Huo Yanchi wasn’t one to be outdone, tilting Shen Junlan’s chin to kiss him back.

*Ding.*

As the elevator doors opened, Huo Yanchi instantly reverted to his cold, distant persona.

“Welcome, Mr. Huo.”

“Hello, Mr. Shen.”

Zhao Qi followed closely behind them, holding a stack of files. He happened to glance over and noticed what looked like bruise-like marks on Shen Junlan’s neck.

Sheesh, in his mind, Huo Yanchi didn’t seem like the type to abuse someone.

“What is it, Zhao Qi? Is there work to discuss?”

“Oh, it’s like this, Mr. Huo. Huo Corporation suddenly pulled out of a bidding war for a project they were competing with us for. I found it strange, so I went through everything with a fine-tooth comb but couldn’t find any issues. I wanted to ask for your opinion—should we just take over the project?”

Huo Yanchi naturally took the file. There were no apparent problems. Huo Corporation had seemed determined to win the project earlier—why would they give up at this critical moment?

“Mr. Huo, based on my investigation, it might be due to Huo Corporation’s assets being divided up. Some funds are tied up, so they can’t secure the project for now.”

It was quite surprising to Huo Yanchi that Zhou Jiayun had decided to divorce. The interests entangled between the Zhou and Huo families ran too deep—separating them completely would likely take months of complicated back-and-forth.

“Alright, have the project team proceed with the schedule. Huo Corporation won’t compete for it anymore.”

Before Zhao could make his exit, Shen Junlan quickly spoke up, “Assistant Zhao, do you have any tasks? Could someone give me a ride to the flower shop? Xiao Zhang is picking up a client.”

“Mr. Huo, would it be alright if I personally take Mr. Shen?”

“Sure, if you’re not busy, go ahead.”

Zhao Qi nodded and left, planning to return after handing off his work.

“Brother, you can pick me up on your way home. Old Turtle’s water needs changing, and I have some online flower orders to package.”

Shen Junlan already had the shop owner thing down. He showed Huo Yanchi the orders he’d received—all thanks to methods he learned online, which had attracted many customers.

“Brother, some people even asked online if I could offer online consults. I told them to come to the shop.”

Making videos was manageable, but diagnosing issues from just a photo? Even if he were god himself, Shen Junlan wouldn’t know how.

“That’s fine. My Little Leaf is getting better and better. Don’t overwork yourself—if there are too many orders, just take fewer.”

“It’s okay, I can handle it. Huo Yanchi, I’m heading out now.”

Shen Junlan’s main goal today was to brag a little. Feeling quite pleased with himself, he had successfully completed his mission, received many blessings, and was on cloud nine.

On the drive, Zhao Qi kept sneaking glances at him through the rearview mirror, making Shen Junlan fidget uncomfortably. He shifted awkwardly and looked at Zhao Qi with unease.

“Assistant Zhao, is there something you want to say to me?”

Don’t be so cryptic—it’s giving me the creeps.

“Haha, no, not really.” Zhao Qi laughed awkwardly, even finding it pointless himself. After working up the courage, he finally said, “Mr. Shen, you and Mr. Huo seem to have a really good relationship.”

“Of course, Huo Yanchi is the best person in the world.”

Zhao Qi chuckled awkwardly again, then took a breath and blurted out, “Then... do you think Mr. Huo has a good temper? Does he ever... hit people? Like, maybe put his hands on someone’s neck?”

“Huh?” Shen Junlan touched his neck. Oops—he must have forgotten to use his abilities to remove the marks this morning. Did that mean most people in the company had seen them?

“Assistant Zhao, why would you think these marks are from being hit?”

An awkward silence hung in the air. Shen Junlan rubbed his neck awkwardly. “You’re not in a relationship, are you? Maybe you should get yourself a partner when you have time. The company keeps you busy, and you work hard. Thank you.”

Crap.

Zhao Qi’s face flushed bright red. Could it be what he was thinking? It was love? What was he thinking? He’d never hear the end of it from Huo Yanchi.

“Mr. Shen, please, I’m begging you, don’t tell Mr. Huo about this. It’s too embarrassing.”

Shen Junlan silently raised his phone and let out an awkward laugh.

“I’m afraid it’s not very convenient. Huo Yanchi video-chatted me right after I left the company. He’s working, so I didn’t say anything.”

Great. Where was a hole to crawl into? He wanted to die on the spot.

“Zhao Qi, hurry up and find someone to date.”

If you don’t understand the little intimacies of couples, at least look it up online. At your age, you expect the boss to share videos and articles with you?

“Mr. Huo, I’ll get on that right away.”

Shen Junlan covered his mouth and chuckled softly. Zhao Qi was the most hard-working and pretty fun assistant he’d ever met.

“Brother, I’m hanging up now. Focus on your work.”

There was already a customer waiting in front of the flower shop. When they saw Shen Junlan step out of a Rolls-Royce, their eyes widened.

Must be nice to be rich.

“Mr. Shen, I’ll head back now.”

“Okay.”

Shen Junlan quickly wrapped the flowers for the customer. His gaze fell on the little bird perched on the customer’s shoulder, and before leaving, he couldn’t help but remind her, “You should really take a harder look at who you’re dating.”

The bird had told him it saw its owner’s boyfriend cheating with multiple people. It couldn’t warn her directly and was going out of its mind.

“Boss, what do you mean by that? You’ve never even met him. How do you know my taste in partners is bad? Or are you saying this because you think I’m buying a small order?”

The customer was clearly upset. The little bird on her shoulder chirped and flew over to Shen Junlan, going into detail about how the owner’s boyfriend had brought people home to cheat.

“Really, he’s an animal. Once, he even brought three people at once.”

Shen Junlan’s eyes went wide, blinking in disbelief. One person with three others at the same time?

He gently stroked the bird’s feathers and suggested, “Um, maybe you should head home and see what’s up?”

According to the bird, the boyfriend was up to no good whenever the owner was away.

The owner had slipped out today to surprise him—it was their three-year anniversary, which he had completely forgotten.

"Xiao Mo, aren't you afraid of him?"

His pearl bird is quite delicate—she mopes for days if anyone else touches her—yet she seems so close to Shen Junlan. He suddenly remembered Shen Junlan mentioning he could treat little creatures. Could it be that he noticed something?

"Xiao Mo, what did you say to the boss?"

"She said he's a scumbag, and there might be more than two people involved with him."

Shit.

The customer looked completely distraught, running off without even paying.

Shen Junlan was eating up the drama and didn't forget to share it with the old turtle.

"Why can't one person be devoted to just one person? Why involve four people?"

The old turtle looked at Shen Junlan kindly, thinking that perhaps only people like him and Huo Yanchi would love only one person their whole lives.

"My heart is very small; it only has room for Huo Yanchi."

He didn't understand those who cheat when they already have a partner. If you don't like someone, just don't be with them.

"Old turtle, how’s our fortune been lately? Huo Yanchi has been quite happy recently."

Shen Junlan placed his hand on the old turtle's back. After a few seconds, the old turtle said, "Turn bad luck into good."

"Welcome—"

Shen Junlan's heart lurched. Was this an omen of great misfortune?

"Hello."

Shen Junlan's smile froze on his face. The person who had appeared in the flower shop was none other than Zhou Jiayun.

A much older-looking Zhou Jiayun, without makeup, without her seven-centimeter heels, looking so plain, almost... motherly.