QT: Against My Will

Chapter 55: 2.41 – Flower shop – Mr. and Mrs. Jelly

The university of technology – front gate.

Bing Shi had to arrive ninety minutes before the graduation ceremony would begin, in order to be fitted in academic robes and to collect tickets for her family.

“I’m starting to dislike this car,” Bing Shi sighed with closed eyes. On their way to university, they caught the attention of every passerby. In front of the school gate, students, their parents, and teachers took out their phones to take a photo of a black car with tinted windows. Some even walked near the car to take a selfie. “I thought you have only one. Why did another appear in Sydney?”

Xuan Mu blinked his eyes innocently, “One baby... in...every major country.”

“Was it for free again?” asked Bing Shi, “I don’t want to go out, it’s so embarrassing.”

“It was a thank you gift from my friend. Bing Shi, didn’t you say I can’t lose face before others?” Xuan Mu asked playfully, “If you don’t want to go out...what about a hot car kiss?”

‘I was talking about flowers...’

.....

“No. Having people around is such a turn-off,” Bing Shi shook her head and opened the door, “Bye.”

She waved at him with a sophisticated smile and stepped out of the car. People around started to take photos of her and the car as if she was some celebrity. She ignored the whispering sound around her and walked to the school peacefully.

“It’s not like they could see us kissing,” Xuan Mu mumbled to himself and drove to the flower shop. On his way, he called his people to make an appointment with the best flower shop in the city.

A few students stopped Bing Shi; some of them were her classmates.

“Bing Shi was that your boyfriend?” A bold girl asked with curiosity. Girls surrounded her, while boys made a safe distance from Bing Shi, afraid of triggering the man inside the car.

“How old is he? He has to be extremely rich, doesn’t he? Why didn’t he come out of the car? What does he do?”

Bing Shi grinned, “He’ll be back soon; you can ask him yourself.”

‘An entrepreneur? A businessman? An investor? Maybe?’

Xuan Mu was known as Mr. Xuan Mu, the Innovator, Investor, Crazy genius, Prophet, Market owner, a Brat, and ‘He, Him, His’. He was a shareholder of almost everything. The problem was that his main profit didn’t come from buying and selling off stocks.

‘I can’t tell them that, can I?’

Her classmates couldn’t wait to meet Xuan Mu. She hid him for almost six years! Though Bing Shi always refused to go out with them, she was accepted by males and females alike due to her being pretty active within the school campus.

· · ———- · ???· ———- · ·

Xuan Mu parked in front of the luxurious flower shop with a closed sign. He ignored the warning and walked inside; his nostrils were immediately filled with the scent of fresh flowers, ‘No wonder she doesn’t like them. They smell bad.’

When the young florist and the manager noticed the black car which arrived before the shop, they hurriedly walked before the man and bowed respectfully, “Mr. Xuan Mu.” The man nodded at them with a charming smile, surprising them with his pleasant manners.

“How may we help you?” The florist asked, trying to hide the slight blush that was slowly creeping up her cheeks.

Xuan Mu looked around with a lost expression, “A gift for my girlfriend.”

Remembering the manager’s warning, she immediately recollected herself and switched to a more professional stance, “What type of flower does she like?”

Xuan Mu’s expression turned even more lost, “She dislikes flowers.”

The florist’s professional smile cracked, curiosity taking better hold of her, “Umm... She dislikes flowers? May I ask why?”

“Because they die fast,” Xuan Mu looked at her pitifully as if any failure to buy flowers for his girlfriend would result in the end of the world, “She is a little hard to please, isn’t she?”

“Not at all,” The florist’s heart melted when seeing his childishly cute nervousness, “What about red roses? You can never go wrong with red roses.”

Xuan Mu was at his ends, “Are they unique?”

The florist was almost at her end too, “No...Umm...How many roses would you like?” she asked with less and less confidence. Didn’t men like him want flowers in vast quantities?

Xuan Mu pointed his finger up obliviously, “One.”

“...” His answer left her speechless. Here went her illusion of getting a big deal today, “What about a preserved rose? They last for many months without the need for watering, light, or attention. A blue means unattainable and mysterious. A black one means extreme and undying love.”

“I’ll take both of them,” Xuan Mu said immediately, ‘A coincidence? Of course not, she always knows exactly what she wants.’

“I’ll go prepare them,” the florist hurriedly walked to the back. She was told that he didn’t like to waste time.

While waiting for his order, Xuan Mu took out his wallet before the manager.

“If you please, accept them as our gift.” The manager got a bit scared when he got a private phone call from Xuan Mu’s people, telling him not to offend this young man. The number on the cheque this shop received from them was enough to cover their monthly expenses.

Xuan Mu nodded as he checked the photos inside his wallet, the tapping sound of his shoes sounded like a ticking bomb for the manager and the florist as if telling them to hurry up.

“Mr. Xuan Mu, here are your roses,” The florist showed him two roses inside the boxes.

“Beautiful,” Xuan Mu smiled with satisfaction and immediately gave the florist a ‘small’ tip.

“...” Both of them bowed respectfully, “Thank you for your patronage.”

“I’m the one who should say thank you.” Xuan Mu took the two boxes and walked outside the flower shop. That went smoother than he thought.

The manager and the florist looked at each other, then at their watches.

The mysterious man in black finished his purchase in three minutes!

· · ———- · ???· ———- · ·

Bing Shi was waiting for Xuan Mu and her family in front of the school entrance. Around her, students of all grades waited impatiently for her next orders. She giggled and pointed at the black car, “He is here. Go ahead.”

The whole army of students ran towards Xuan Mu, who just stepped out of the black car and started to attack him with all kinds of questions.

Xuan Mu raised his head, looking for his girlfriend. He spotted her in the back, waving at him cutely. He mouthed to her with a raised eyebrow, ‘What’s the meaning of this?’

‘I like you too.’ Bing Shi lip-synced with a grin and ran towards the black limousine, which arrived after Xuan Mu. Used to be low-key all these years, she couldn’t believe that she was the one to rent a limousine for her family.

‘So awkwaaaard.’

But in all seriousness, she wanted to take this chance to recruit some promising individuals for her new company. And also...

‘It’s been a long time since I met my parents and brothers.’

On Break