"What's wrong?" asked Shen Nian, seeing that Lu Lingchuan was frowning and showing no intention of paying the bill.
Lu Lingchuan didn't say a word, silently looking at her.
Just that one glance, and Shen Nian immediately understood.
Her mouth twitched.
Alright, he didn't bring his phone.
Shen Nian waved to the server: "I'll pay."
After saying that, she turned to grab her bag out of habit.
But the stool next to her was empty.
Shen Nian: "..."
She had been brought out by Lu Lingchuan, leaving her phone and bag behind in the private room.
Looking at the now empty plates in front of them, the two of them exchanged glances, both silent.
Had they just committed dine and dash?
.....................
Three minutes later, Lu Lingchuan hung up the phone and returned it to the boss: "Sorry about that."
Luckily, the boss was quite understanding, smiling: "No worries."
Less than a minute later, the boss's card received a payment of 5000 yuan from Lu Lingchen. After deducting the cost of the meal, the boss converted the remaining 4000 yuan into cash and gave it to Lu Lingchuan.
As they left the restaurant, Lu Lingchuan's face was still dark.
Shen Nian couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Hahaha!"
The idea that she and Lu Lingchuan had nearly committed dine and dash struck her as incredibly amusing, no matter how she looked at it.
Hearing her laughter, Lu Lingchuan turned to look at her, gruffly demanding: "What are you laughing at?"
"It's funny," Shen Nian replied, her eyes crinkling with a smile that warmed his heart.
Lu Lingchuan looked at her again, as if about to say something else, but the sight of her joyful smile made him swallow his words.
After finishing their meal, the two were about to head back when they noticed a flower shop along the way. Lu Lingchuan stopped and led her inside.
Shen Nian looked at him quizzically: "Why are you bringing me here?"
"To spend money," Lu Lingchuan answered simply.
Shen Nian: "I don't really want anything."
"It's a rare occasion to get money from Lu Lingchen, so I won't feel good unless I spend it. Choose something."
"..." Well, the real victim here was Lu Lingchen.
Seeing the attractive couple enter, the shop assistant eagerly approached them.
"Sir, ma'am, would you like to buy some flowers?"
"Yes."
The assistant beamed. "Our flowers are all air-flown in, with a wide variety to choose from - both buds and fully bloomed. What kind of flowers does the lady prefer? Our roses are quite popular. Sir, you could give the lady a bouquet of roses to express your affection."
As she spoke, she gestured toward the rose section with various types: classic red roses, as well as blue roses (also known as 'blue belles'), and champagne roses.
Lu Lingchuan glanced over, then turned to Shen Nian: "Which one do you like?"
Shen Nian shook her head and scanned the shop, her gaze finally settling on the sunflowers.
She pointed: "I want those."
Lu Lingchuan looked over, his expression darkening slightly.
Nevertheless, he didn't say anything and simply instructed the assistant: "Wrap up a bouquet of those."
"Sure," the assistant chirped, going to pick out the flowers.
A large bouquet would be inconvenient to carry, so Shen Nian only requested a small, compact bundle.
Cradling the sunflowers, Shen Nian was delighted, with a faint, lingering smile on her lips.
Despite the minor hiccup, she felt overall quite happy with how the day had gone.
As the two returned to the hotel, they noticed two figures - one taller, one smaller - waiting by the entrance.
"Hanhan?" Shen Nian immediately recognized the little girl with the radish-head haircut from their encounter on the beach yesterday.
The little girl clung to her mother's hand, drowsy but stubbornly refusing to sleep as she waited for them.
Seeing Shen Nian and Lu Lingchuan, the girl's mother smiled: "This little one is quite stubborn for her age. She remembered the promise from yesterday and insisted on waiting here instead of going upstairs."
Yesterday, Lu Lingchuan had promised they would meet again today, and the child had taken it to heart.
Barely able to keep her eyes open, Hanhan finally spotted Lu Lingchuan and extended her tiny arms: "Hug."
Shen Nian glanced at Lu Lingchuan, who stepped forward and scooped the little girl into his arms.
Lacking experience holding children, Lu Lingchuan's movements were a bit stiff, but luckily Hanhan was old enough that he wouldn't accidentally crush her.
Hanhan wrapped her arms around Lu Lingchuan's neck, letting out a delicate yawn before mumbling: "Bad brother."
Lu Lingchuan looked at her, his eyes brimming with tenderness: "I'm sorry."
Despite their brief acquaintance, Lu Lingchuan's fondness for the little girl was sincere, his patience and gentleness undeniable.
For some reason, whenever he saw Hanhan, his heart unconsciously softened.
Perhaps because Hanhan touched the most tender part of his heart.
Whenever Lu Lingchuan saw Hanhan, he couldn't help but wonder: if the child he and Shen Nian had lost had survived, would they be just as adorable and clingy?
Too young to use proper terms, Hanhan simply called Lu Lingchuan "brother" because of his youthful, handsome looks.
That soft, sweet "brother" also reminded Lu Lingchuan of his late sister, Lu Lingchen.
From a young age, Lu Lingchen had been the most attached to Lu Lingchuan, sweetly calling him "brother" in that same endearing way when she was little.
Shen Nian's birthday was in May, while Lu Lingchen's was in June. Lu Lingchen passed away at 18, while Shen Nian was now 23 - Lu Lingchen would still be 18.
No, by now she would be a four-year-old child.
Hanhan clung to Lu Lingchuan's neck, struggling to stay awake. Seeing this, her mother chided: "After brother apologized, what should you say?"
"Forgive brother," Hanhan murmured obediently.
This little girl was truly endearing.
Upon noticing Shen Nian, Hanhan's drowsiness dissipated as she blinked her large eyes and politely greeted: "Hello, sister."
"Good girl," Shen Nian said, pinching her chubby cheeks. "Brother and sister went to earn money, not because we didn't want to see Hanhan. Since Hanhan forgave brother, will you also forgive sister?"
Hanhan's eyes grew wide: "Earn money?"
"That's right." Shen Nian offered her the sunflowers: "Sister bought these flowers for you. Do you like them?"
The small sunflower bouquet was light for Shen Nian but a bit unwieldy for Hanhan to hold.
Seeing Shen Nian give her daughter a gift, Hanhan's mother quickly protested: "Oh no, we couldn't possibly accept."
She turned to Hanhan: "Baby, give the flowers back to sister."
"It's okay, keep them," Shen Nian insisted with a smile, unable to resist pinching Hanhan's cheeks again. "Little one, always be like a sunflower."
Sunny and vibrant.
