Chapter 99: Everything Is Ready

After dropping Tang Xin off, Liu Sheng did not linger. Since Tang Xin had begun discussing the script with the other actors, Liu Sheng found it somewhat unnecessary to stay and, after parking the car, returned straight to the school.

Back in the dormitory, he found Ren Xiadong, Lao Jiu, and Xiao Jia embroiled in a heated debate. Upon inquiry, Liu Sheng learned that the argument stemmed from Ren Xiadong's confession plans. Ren Xiadong wanted to follow Liu Sheng’s advice, while Lao Jiu preferred a simpler approach—just going straight to the school broadcasting room to announce the confession so that the entire faculty and student body would hear.

Xiao Jia was different; she opposed the confession from the bottom of her heart. She believed confessions were nonsense and would never succeed because she had failed ninety-nine times before.

At that moment, Liu Sheng’s phone vibrated. It was a message from Yang Yu.

“The person you’re looking for has been found at 125 Guangming Road, Luxian County, at Qianxun Flower Shop.”

Liu Sheng replied, “Are you sure it’s the right place?”

Soon after, Yang Yu sent a secretly recorded video; the shop owner in the video was indeed Xiao Ya. Confirming this, Liu Sheng showed the phone to Lao Jiu and Xiao Jia and said, “I need you two to make a trip to Qianxun Flower Shop in Luxian County. I’ll arrange a car for you. Your mission is to buy all the flowers in that shop at a high price.”

“How high is ‘high price’?” Xiao Jia asked, puzzled.

Liu Sheng quickly answered, “Ten yuan per flower is the baseline, but you have to bargain it up to twenty yuan per flower.”

Xiao Jia was stunned, thinking, “Is this bargaining? This is basically giving them money!” Then, teasingly, she said, “That won’t work. You’re cutting the price in half. They won’t sell at a loss.”

Ren Xiadong chuckled at their banter. Suddenly struck by a thought, he asked, “Could it be that Sister Xiao Ya is now running a flower shop?”

Liu Sheng deliberately ignored Ren Xiadong and turned back to Xiao Jia and Lao Jiu. “This task must be done well. Remember—buy at a high price! High price!!”

After hearing Ren Xiadong’s question, both Lao Jiu and Xiao Jia realized that the flower shop was indeed run by Xiao Ya.

Liu Sheng transferred 300,000 yuan to them and said, “If it’s not enough, call me. Any leftover money is your fee for running errands. Once Ren Xiadong’s matter succeeds, have him prepare a big red envelope for each of you!”

The prospect of money made the two agree immediately. Beyond the money, they were genuinely eager to meet Xiao Ya, the woman who had so captivated Liu Sheng.

Night soon fell. Restless and excited, Ren Xiadong couldn’t sleep, so the three of them—Ren Xiadong, Liu Sheng, and the others—played games all night. Ren Xiadong grew more and more confident, fueled by his exhilaration.

The next day was Saturday. With no classes, the campus was quiet. Most students were still sleeping in, while a few female students had been picked up the previous night by businessmen in luxury cars.

Early that morning, Lao Jiu and Xiao Jia boarded the car arranged by Liu Sheng for the trip to Luxian County. Exhausted from the night’s vigil, Liu Sheng quickly fell asleep, while Ren Xiadong, holding pen and paper, scribbled away, showing no signs of fatigue.

After an hour’s journey, Lao Jiu and Xiao Jia arrived at Xiao Ya’s flower shop. Upon seeing her, both were struck by her beauty; her looks and figure surpassed Tang Xin’s, though she was not as tall.

“Are you here to buy flowers?” Xiao Ya asked, looking at the two young men.

Their attention snapped back, and they hastily replied, “Oh, yes, we’re here to buy flowers.”

“What kind of flowers do you need?” Seeing their youth, she asked again, “For your girlfriends?”

Both nodded but then shook their heads. “A classmate of ours is planning a public confession and needs a lot of flowers—any kind will do, as long as there are many.”

Xiao Ya laughed, her charm deepening with her smile, captivating Lao Jiu and Xiao Jia once more.

She continued, “Young people these days are truly romantic. If someone had put so much thought into me when I was young, I’d be much happier now.”

At that moment, Lao Jiu and Xiao Jia were lost in the warmth of Xiao Ya’s smile, barely hearing her words.

Xiao Ya pressed on, “How many do you need? If it’s a large quantity, we can deliver for free.”

Still silent, Lao Jiu and Xiao Jia waited. After a while, Lao Jiu whispered, “You’re really beautiful.”

“What?” Xiao Ya asked, seemingly not hearing him clearly.

Realizing his slip, Lao Jiu quickly corrected himself. “Oh, I mean, I want to buy all the flowers in your shop. Name your price.”

Xiao Ya’s eyes widened in surprise. Running a flower shop was a small business, barely making enough to get by. She had been worried about repaying a friend’s loan. Suddenly meeting such generous buyers brought her great joy.

She replied quickly, “Alright, no problem.” After flipping through her ledger, she said, “We have sixteen thousand flowers in stock. Usually, they’re eight yuan each. Since you’re buying so many, I can offer six yuan per flower.”

Before Xiao Ya finished, Xiao Jia cut in, “No, that price won’t work for me.”

“Let me be honest,” Xiao Ya said. “I buy flowers for five yuan each, so I only make one yuan per flower. If that’s too high, I can lower it by fifty cents to five and a half yuan per flower.”

Not wanting to lose such big clients, she offered the discount.

Xiao Jia pulled out her phone to calculate. According to Liu Sheng’s instructions, they needed to buy at double the asking price. If the shop wanted six yuan, they had to pay twelve.

Sixteen thousand flowers at twelve yuan each amounted to 192,000 yuan.

After calculating, Xiao Jia pocketed her phone and said to Xiao Ya, “Let’s do the math. If you make fifty cents per flower, you’re actually losing money. You have to hire vehicles to transport the flowers, care for them meticulously, and cover labor, water, and electricity costs, which far exceed fifty cents. Plus, rent isn’t cheap, and sometimes officials come by for fees.”

Xiao Ya was momentarily confused by this.

Before she could respond, Xiao Jia added, “Your flowers look well cared for, like they were just picked. Let’s not argue. I’m willing to pay twelve yuan per flower for all sixteen thousand—that’s 192,000 yuan, but let’s round it to 200,000.”

With that, Xiao Jia walked to the door and waved in the workers waiting outside to start loading the flowers.

She then turned to the still-stunned Xiao Ya and said, “Don’t just stand there. I didn’t bring cash. Give me a card number.”

Without hesitation, Xiao Ya grabbed her bag, found a bank card, and handed it over, adding, “Think it over. If not, stick with my original price—five and a half yuan per flower.”

Xiao Jia took the card, quickly handled the transfer with her phone, and returned the card. Moments later, Xiao Ya’s phone chimed with a notification.

Looking at the workers loading the flowers and then at the received amount on her phone—two hundred thousand yuan exactly—Xiao Ya stood in disbelief. Her first thought was to repay her friend. It wasn’t the full amount, but close enough. With half a year of hard work, she’d pay it off.

The three workers made trip after trip, loading flowers onto the box truck. Once finished, Lao Jiu and Xiao Jia climbed back into the car. Xiao Ya stood at the door, waving them off.

On the return trip, Lao Jiu spoke first. “Forget Liu Sheng, if I met a woman like that, I’d be lost. Why didn’t Liu Sheng appreciate her from the start?”

“Exactly!” Xiao Jia agreed, then quickly added, “Lao Jiu, give me your card number. We split the leftover 100,000 yuan for errands—50,000 each.”

Lao Jiu hesitated, then said, “100,000 yuan is no small sum. Even if Liu Sheng is wealthy, he shouldn’t casually hand out that much. Let’s confirm when we get back, and you can transfer it then.”

Xiao Jia agreed and held off transferring money. By noon, the two returned to the dorm.

“How did it go?” Ren Xiadong asked eagerly as they entered.

Lao Jiu replied, “Xiao Ya is indeed beautiful—and gentle.”

“Get lost! I asked if the flowers were bought!” Ren Xiadong snapped, irritated.

Realizing his mistake, Lao Jiu quickly answered, “Everything’s under control!”

Knowing the flowers were secured, Ren Xiadong approached Liu Sheng’s bed and pinched his nose hard to wake him.

Just as he did, Liu Sheng opened his eyes and said, “I’m a light sleeper. I heard Lao Jiu say the flowers have been bought.”

Embarrassed, Ren Xiadong withdrew his hand. “I thought you were still asleep.”

Liu Sheng sat up and made a call to the manager of the company’s planning department, instructing him to send staff to help set up the venue. He emphasized keeping it simple, fearing that too much complexity might cause Ren Xiadong to forget the flow and embarrass himself.

Liu Sheng’s company occupied its own thirty-three-story building, primarily dedicated to film and television. The basement housed many affiliated businesses, including the wedding planning company responsible for today’s event.

Ren Xiadong spent the day chatting with Tian Yun to keep her company at school. Following Lao Jiu’s advice, everything was kept simple—no sound or lighting technicians—so the event was scheduled for three in the afternoon.

“Time’s nearly up, Ren Xiadong. It’s your moment to shine. I’ve even prepared a surprise for you. Don’t let my surprise make me cry, okay?” Liu Sheng teased in an uncharacteristically playful tone.

Waving his script, Ren Xiadong said confidently, “Everything’s in my hands. When I succeed, you’ll all be rewarded handsomely!”

As the three arrived beneath the girls’ dormitory, a sea of people had already gathered, all waiting to witness who was being so romantic—and which lucky girl would be the happiest.

Ren Xiadong’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it and handed it to Liu Sheng, who saw a message from Tian Yun: “It looks like someone is about to confess downstairs. Not sure which girl it is, but it’s so romantic and happy.”

Liu Sheng smiled, returned the phone, and said, “Make sure it’s completely unexpected.”

Ren Xiadong’s hands trembled as he took back the phone, his voice shaking, “This is more nerve-wracking than going into battle. By the way, what surprise did you prepare for me?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore. You’ll see soon enough.” Liu Sheng glanced toward the venue being set up by the planning team.