Chapter 1
“Little Di, are you here?” Liu Hao hurriedly ran over, with a somewhat embarrassed smile on his face. Qu Di could tell from his expression that he must have a favor to ask.
Qu Di put down his school bag, fastened the flower shop’s logo pin to his chest, and put on the flower shop’s apron. He asked, “What do you need help with again?”
“Hehe, Little Di, you understand me the best. Here’s the thing, I have a date tonight with that girl Little Yue. You know her, right? She finally agreed to go out with me. You see, tonight…” He knew Qu Di was easy to persuade, and as long as he asked, Qu Di would definitely agree.
Qu Di smiled and readily agreed, “You go ahead. Tonight, I’ll cover for you, but make sure the boss doesn’t find out.”
Covering for someone meant a deduction in salary.
“I knew you’re the best! If this works out, I’ll treat you to dinner!” Liu Hao quickly removed the flower shop apron, put on his coat, and left eagerly. After a while, he returned, sticking his head outside the door, reminding Qu Di, “Little Di, we have a few orders to fulfill in the shop. Remember to take care of them. They need to be delivered tomorrow!”
“I got it.”
After Liu Hao left, Qu Di started to check the day’s sales, fully aware that Liu Hao probably hadn’t done any organization work. Liu Hao was talkative and often made customers happy, which brought in a lot of orders. However, he was also lazy and frequently passed off his responsibilities to Qu Di. As long as it wasn’t too excessive, Qu Di was willing to help him because, despite his shortcomings, Liu Hao was his best friend, and he was the one who recommended Qu Di and allowed him to get the job in the first place.
Qu Di’s diligent and hardworking nature could be seen as both an advantage and a disadvantage. He thought there would only be a few orders, but when he checked, there were more than twenty. Had Liu Hao done nothing else but accept orders all day?
He sighed and decided that he would talk to Liu Hao about this next time. There was too much work for him to handle alone, but every time he thought of discussing it with Liu Hao, he was talked into helping again. The next time, he would willingly help him with the workload.
He organized the day’s income and expenses, entered them into the computer, and then began working on the orders.
“Phoenix tails, lilies…” He looked up and, as he expected, there were no phoenix tails in the shop. How could Liu Hao be so careless? He had to call the customer and apologize.
In the end, they agreed to substitute another flower, but not without a barrage of complaints. Qu Di could only nod and apologize, unable to say much.
He worked until past 1 a.m., barely finishing the tasks. After watering the flowers on the windowsill, he prepared to leave. He changed his clothes, turned off the lights, and locked the door. He was about to take out the trash through the back door when he stumbled upon a person.
He almost lost his balance, dropping the trash he was holding. He used both hands to steady the person who had fallen on him.
“Sir?”
“Inside…” The man pushed him inside, and then he slid down to the floor, motionless.
Qu Di’s heart raced. The area had a history of poor safety, with various types of people frequenting it. Had this person run into trouble with the wrong people? If those individuals came back, they would be in big trouble. Logic told him he should immediately throw this person out and not get involved, but Qu Di couldn’t ignore someone in need.
He struggled for a moment, then decisively closed the door and dragged the person behind the cash register, hiding from view.
He crouched there in the darkness, unable to see anything clearly. He strained to hear any signs of activity outside. After a while, he heard footsteps and saw the light of a flashlight.
“Where is he?”
“The guy must be around here; he couldn’t get far with the tranquilizer.”
“Check the nearby shops.”
“Okay…” The man suddenly made a sound, as if he was trying to get up. Qu Di quickly covered his mouth and whispered, “Shh, don’t make a sound.”
The man, who seemed to be an Alpha, had a faint sandalwood scent. However, as a Beta, Qu Di didn’t sense anything unusual. He was one of the rare Betas who could slightly detect pheromones.
Tang Chaobai struggled to open his eyes to get a look at the person who had saved him. Due to the effects of the drugs, he felt drowsy and couldn’t see if this person was male or female.
Was this the scent of his pheromones?
The people outside shone a powerful flashlight into the window, but luckily, the cash register area was in a blind spot. They couldn’t see anyone inside, so they eventually left.
Qu Di breathed a sigh of relief. He cautiously checked the man in his arms. He had lost consciousness, and Qu Di was afraid the attackers might return. Therefore, he stayed with the stranger behind the cash register for over an hour until his legs went numb. He finally stood up, struggling to move the man.
Qu Di tried to carry him, but he was too heavy. He couldn’t lift him. Should he leave him here alone?
He crouched down and shook Tang Chaobai, but there was no response. He checked the man’s body and found no external injuries, so that was a relief. He must be experiencing dizziness due to the drugs.
He glanced at his phone and realized it was getting late. His messages from this afternoon had gone unanswered. He felt dejected. He and his partner hadn’t seen each other for two days. They were both busy with their graduation projects, and Qu Di had just finished his. He had hoped to spend some quality time together, but his partner hadn’t replied to his messages.
He looked down at the man on the floor and sighed. Well, he would have to stay here with you tonight.
He searched through a cabinet and found a blanket he had used for napping. It was surprisingly clean, so he covered Tang Chaobai with it. Qu Di sat in a corner, bending his legs and waiting for daylight.
Qu Di had thought the man would wake up quickly, but he remained unconscious, and Qu Di could only wait. When the morning sun shone through the window, Qu Di was the first to wake up. He blinked his dry, uncomfortable eyes and felt a throbbing headache. His entire body ached from sitting in one position all night.
He looked at the man on the floor and noticed that he was still asleep. Now, he could clearly see the man’s appearance. He might be of mixed heritage, with deep facial features and a strong jawline. He was at least 1.8 meters tall, dressed in a black suit, and exuded an exquisite and enticing aura.
“Sir? Wake up! Sir? Hey…”
Qu Di didn’t manage to wake the man, but he heard the sound of keys, and he immediately stood up. It was the shop manager.
“Little Di? Did you sleep here last night?” Manager Fang Yingying was an Omega, three years older than him. She had a sweet appearance and was good at acting coquettish, but she could be a bit stingy at times, often finding ways to deduct employees’ salaries.
Qu Di could understand, though. Fang Yingying’s family situation wasn’t great, and she had borrowed money to take over the shop. Due to limited funds, she could only rent it in this kind of neighborhood.
“Manager…”
“Oh my god! Did you… kill someone?” Fang Yingying was terrified when she saw the legs sticking out from behind the cash register.
Qu Di hurriedly explained, “No, no… Manager, this man seemed to have been chased last night, and he ended up in our shop. I didn’t know what to do…”
Fang Yingying’s face paled. Her voice unintentionally rose, “What have you done!? Didn’t I tell you all to stay out of such matters? We’re just a small shop and can’t afford trouble!” Various incidents occurred in this neighborhood every day, and Fang Yingying had always taken the attitude of “not my business.” She was just an ordinary person and didn’t want to get into trouble.
“Quick, throw him into the alley!”
“Manager…” Qu Di stopped her. “He should be waking up soon. We can let him leave on his own when he does.”
“Go away! You’re really meddling in things. What you do is your business, but don’t involve me, okay? I… Tang Chaobai!?” Fang Yingying’s anger quickly dissipated when she saw the man’s face on the ground. She was overcome with surprise.
Qu Di might not recognize this face, but Fang Yingying, a young girl who surfed the internet daily, couldn’t possibly not recognize the CEO of Tangyi Entertainment Company!
“What?” Qu Di didn’t quite understand why Fang Yingying, who had just been furious, suddenly calmed down.
“Oh… It’s nothing.” Fang Yingying’s eyes flickered, and she had some hidden thoughts she didn’t want Qu Di to know. She couldn’t believe Qu Di’s good luck in saving the CEO of Tangyi Entertainment.
“I’m… I’m not heartless. You’re right; it’s almost morning, so we can let him stay and leave when he wakes up on his own. You’ve been here all night. Go rest now. I’ll watch over him.” She rushed Qu Di away.
“Or…” Qu Di was about to suggest that he could stay until the man woke up, as he was afraid that if he left, Fang Yingying might throw the man out. But before he could finish, he received a call.
He saw the incoming call was from Yang Ji, his current boyfriend. He answered eagerly, “Yang Ji? Why are you calling me now? I messaged you yesterday, but you didn’t reply… I’ve passed my graduation project. Let’s go out to eat tonight.” His tone was filled with undisguised happiness. He genuinely liked Yang Ji, who was a gentle and considerate boyfriend.
However, the person on the other end of the line didn’t seem as excited as him. Yang Ji’s voice was calm as he said, “Where are you? Come home now.”
“Okay, I’ll head home now. Have you had breakfast…?”
“Click…”
Before he could finish speaking, the call was abruptly cut off. Qu Di stood there in confusion for a few seconds before putting his phone away. Perhaps Yang Ji had something important to attend to, after all, he was a somewhat well-known celebrity now.
Qu Di had always had strong self-healing abilities and was good at comforting himself. He quickly regained his composure and packed his things.
“Manager, something’s come up at home, so I’m leaving. Please take care of this person.” He said this, and Fang Yingying was waiting for him to say it, eager to have him out of there.
“Otherwise…”
He wanted to suggest that he could stay until the man woke up, as he feared that if he left, Fang Yingying might throw the man out. However, he didn’t get to finish his sentence as he received a phone call.
He saw the incoming call was from Yang Ji, his current boyfriend. He answered eagerly, “Yang Ji? Why are you calling me now? I messaged you yesterday, but you didn’t reply… I’ve passed my graduation project. Let’s go out to eat tonight.” His tone was filled with undisguised happiness. He genuinely liked Yang Ji, who was a gentle and considerate boyfriend.
However, the person on the other end of the line didn’t seem as excited as him. Yang Ji’s voice was calm as he said, “Where are you? Come home now.”
“Okay, I’ll head home now. Have you had breakfast…?”
“Click…”
Before he could finish speaking, the call was abruptly cut off. Qu Di stood there in confusion for a few seconds before putting his phone away. Perhaps Yang Ji had something important to attend to, after all, he was a somewhat well-known celebrity now.
Qu Di had always had strong self-sustaining abilities and was good at comforting himself. He quickly regained his composure and packed his things.
“Manager, something’s come up at home, so I’m leaving. Please take care of this person.”
Fang Yingying was just waiting for him to say it, eager to have him out of there.
T/N: Ahaha, I felt really bad one of the show-biz/ flowershop MC Bad Ending novel from September 2023 (I’ll wait for you on a spring day), so here’s a novel where the flowershop MC gets many handsome-looking men chasing him! Let’s pretend he died, and then got reborn into this beautiful world!! He deserves so much more asdfg
Ofc, the MC is also as meek as the MC from that BE short…
Anyway, there is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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I really, really appreciate all the support from my readers <3 It goes a long way and motivates me lots!
Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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