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The rain had stopped without notice.
The roses on the trellis, after their baptism, had become even more delicate and dewy.
Speaking of which, these flowers were originally planted for Cheng Buxi.
Back when she was still in elementary school, the school organized an outing on the weekend—hiking in the mountains. The wild roses along the country road were in full bloom.
Coincidentally, the little boy walking beside her was a chatterbox, chattering nonstop the whole way.
Noticing that she liked looking at the wildflowers by the roadside—roses, specifically—the boy perked up like he'd had a shot of adrenaline, constantly whispering in her ear about how his family also grew lots of beautiful flowers, a hundred times prettier than the ones on the roadside. It was obvious he was trying to lure her to his house to play.
Cheng Buxi was softhearted; how could she resist such temptation? Her eyes and heart yearned, but the Lu residence was no ordinary place. The family rules were strict, especially with her older brother who personally oversaw everything about her. She didn't dare agree casually. The little boy waited for her consent for ages but got nothing, and was dejected for the rest of the day.
That whole day, they only focused on the flowers. Unsurprisingly, their sketching homework came in last, and the teacher made them redo it.
After Lu Tingzhou finished his fencing class, he came to pick her up on the way back. Being a child at heart, Cheng Buxi was disappointed at first about the botched sketching. But then, because her favorite big brother had come to get her, she happily rolled around in the car, exclaiming that she liked the little pink flowers.
The teenage Lu Tingzhou frowned, puzzling over it for a while. "Little pink flowers?"
"Mm! Brother Xiaoye's flowers! So pretty!" Her flushed little face rivaled the beautiful little pink flowers she talked about.
Lu Tingzhou was about fifteen or sixteen back then, the campus heartthrob.
It was his most arrogant and unrestrained age, far from the reserved and composed man he would become. His brows were sharp and fierce.
At the time, he was on the school basketball team as the main center, with his hair cut short in an American-style forward spiky cut—sharp, unruly, and aloof. Not to mention the Lu Family's top-tier status in North City; he was a cool and noble young master straight out of a painting.
Hearing this, he propped his chin and looked toward the butler-turned-driver in the front seat, a questioning glint in his eyes.
The driver was equally baffled. Just from the frown lines on his forehead, three had popped out that day, and he had no idea what species of "little pink flower" the adoptive young lady was talking about.
First, they contacted the teacher, then went to the site in person. But Cheng Buxi was a little directionally challenged and couldn't remember the exact direction. In the end, they wasted half a day for nothing.
With no other choice, the teenage Lu Tingzhou, frowning deeply, half-embraced his unrelated younger sister, holding her close, and searched on a tablet for pink flowers. He flipped through many photos for a long time before confirming they were roses.
When Mrs. Lu heard about this, she even abandoned her mahjong game. She was used to being extravagant, so she simply ordered the entire road to be lined with them.
Years passed, and that was how the road of lush pink and white roses came to be, flourishing every year.
If not for the mansion's strict access control, it might have become a popular photo spot by now.
When he came back today, Lu Tingzhou paused by the flower trellis.
Things that are too intense often don't last long, like fleeting fireworks. But these flowers, similar year after year, had witnessed her growth through the seasons.
That could be considered a meritorious deed.
...
The memory ended, and Lu Tingzhou withdrew his gaze from the window.
Just when she thought the topic was over, he turned sideways and pressed further: "All of a sudden, why did you take his car? Where's the family driver?"
Cheng Buxi stiffened again.
He seemed particularly concerned about this, probing back and forth.
Rather than probing, it felt more like an interrogation.
His clear, cold eyelids were half-lowered as his fingertips rubbed against the cup holding hot tea. His voice was calm and steady.
Though his tone was flat, his attitude was as hazy as clouds.
The thoughts of the superior were as unpredictable as always, in every aspect. But one thing Cheng Buxi was sure of was that he was dissatisfied—even hostile—about Shen Xiushi having driven her home today.
As for the reason... she had no way of knowing.
Logically, they should have a good relationship. After all, they grew up together, achieved remarkable success in their respective fields as adults... and just now, Mrs. Lu had shown great delight.
But then again, how could she, an unrelated adopted daughter raised in the inner chambers, judge whether it was good or not?
Cheng Buxi, ah, Cheng Buxi, haven't you gotten over your foolishness yet?
Still as naive and brainless as three years ago.
The entanglements between powerful families were countless. On the surface, they were friendly and called each other brothers, but behind the scenes, they might not be of one mind. Instead, they plotted against each other, and vice versa.
She had heard that a while ago, both families had their eyes on a piece of land in the western suburbs. In the end, for some unknown reason, the Shen Family let it go. Cheng Buxi had heard about it.
But she didn't dig deeper.
Even blood brothers could fight each other, let alone the friendships of mere aristocratic families. In glamorous places, there was no shortage of scheming.
She had been too well-protected since childhood and hadn't been exposed to the worldly affairs of the vanity fair. But having grown up in such an environment, she had absorbed enough through osmosis.
If she happened to run into trouble, like today, she felt she hadn't done anything wrong.
She had gotten into the car obediently, determined to give a full excuse.
As she finished speaking, "Eldest Young Master, you probably don't know yet, but Second Miss stopped arranging for the family driver to pick her up a long time ago. I'd bet she made plans with the Shen Family's eldest son this morning!"
It was the same quick-tongued servant who answered for her.
Cheng Buxi thought, Oh no. Actively requesting a ride and passively receiving one were two completely different things. She hadn't been so unreasonable as to specially trouble Shen Xiushi to drive her back; it was purely out of necessity... Besides, was she that foolish?
But the old servant, relying on being a relative of Mrs. Lu's family and having worked in the Lu household for many years, had seniority and power to stir things up with just a few words. Cheng Buxi really didn't have the nerve to confront her.