I leaned back and said to Lu, "You're not good with words~"
He rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. Then we continued walking, hand in hand. Even though we were already together, holding hands felt like a different kind of closeness. We didn't need to speak; we could just sense each other's thoughts.
He walked me back through Liang's street and hugged me like a baby before waving goodbye.
When I reached Liang's house to share my progress, her mother opened the door. I stepped inside, cheerful, poured myself a glass of water, and asked,
"Auntie, where's Liang?"
Her mother sat down and said, "Qin, she went out early this morning."
I nearly spat out the water. "Auntie, where did she go that early?"
"She went to the flower shop. And she came back with a man," her mother replied casually.
I immediately sat beside her, eyes wide. "Tell me more!"
She chuckled. "They were laughing and smiling, planting flowers together in the garden."
I gasped and touched her shoulder in surprise. "She's in the garden?!"
I rushed outside. There she was—Liang sitting in the mud, grinning at the flowers like she'd lost her mind. I went closer, but it wasn't just her smile that stunned me—it was the flowers themselves. Beautiful, vibrant, perfectly planted.
I sat beside her. "Hey, Liang~ who did all this?"
She turned to me with a beaming smile and grabbed my hands. "Qin! I met my fated man at the flower shop yesterday!"
I smacked her shoulder in excitement. "Who is he?!"
"He's a professional horticulturist," she said dreamily. "And get this—he studied at our college!"
I gasped. "Oh my god!" I nudged her with my elbow. "What happened when he came to your house?"
She blushed. "After we went to the garden, he took off his shirt and put on an apron."
I burst out laughing. "Fate really wants you to see him shirtless, huh?"
She giggled. "When he turned around, I was stunned. He asked me where the plants were, and I said I'd bring them. He nodded, and when I came back, he was checking the soil. I went to tap his shoulder, but he turned around first and asked about the flowers. I just pointed and said, 'Right here,' and he got to work."
"Did he let you help?" I asked.
"He told me to go rest, but I felt bad… so I ran into the house. He probably thought I was giving up."
I raised a brow. "What did you do?"
"I came back with an umbrella and stood over him to block the sun," she grinned proudly.
He looked up and asked, 'What are you doing?'
I said, 'I can't help you dig, but I can at least hold the umbrella.'"
I laughed. "That's so like you."
She continued, "He got flustered and mumbled something. But then he asked me to help him dig, since he couldn't see with me blocking the sun. I was so happy! I put the umbrella down and started digging like a kid."
I watched her eyes sparkle as she recalled it.
"He looked at me like I was the only girl in the world," she whispered. "I messed up though—I dug too deep. He came over and said, 'Not so deep,' then grabbed my hands to guide me. My heart was racing…"
She paused, breathless. "When I looked up, he met my eyes… and neither of us looked away."