Little Butterfly flew back to Tiandu Yuxi. Stepping out of her car, she hummed a tune as she made her way toward the elevator lobby.
Spotting a tall, familiar figure in the distance, Lin Xi paused in her tracks. A white shirt, dress trousers, and no tie—he looked a touch gentler and more relaxed than his usual impeccably polished self. Lin Xi hadn't expected Duan Yiheng to be waiting for her right there at the garage elevators. "Why are you just standing there?" Duan Yiheng had clearly spotted her as well; for once, he didn't take the initiative to walk over to her. "Come here." After a brief moment of bewilderment, her face lit up with delight, and Lin Xi broke into a light jog to rush toward him. She kept a pair of spare flats in her car—a habit she maintained, always swapping out her shoes whenever she got behind the wheel.
Today, she hadn't bothered changing back into her high heels—and thank goodness she hadn't, or else she wouldn't have been able to run like this. As she reached him, Lin Xi reached out to embrace him, but her view was instantly obscured by a large bouquet of flowers. A vibrant, fiery cluster of roses—Lin Xi instinctively reached out to cradle them in her arms. Peeking around the bouquet with delighted surprise, she asked,
"Such a huge bunch—where on earth were you hiding them just now?" Duan Yiheng took her bag and shoes, smiling gently as he replied, "Where else could I hide them? Do you like them?" "I do." Framed by the deep crimson velvet of the roses, Lin Xi's cheeks appeared even rosier than usual. "How did you end up down here?"
Duan Yiheng wrapped an arm around her waist and said, "I was worried you wouldn't dare take the elevator." Lin Xi's heart began to race uncontrollably. She lowered her head, crinkled her nose playfully, and gave the petals a gentle nudge to mask her sudden shyness. "Let's go."
Duan Yiheng placed his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the elevator. Once inside, still basking in the warmth of his concern and attentiveness, Lin Xi murmured softly, "I'm not *that* timid; I was just startled for a moment back then."
Besides, with him by her side, she had completely forgotten about the incident the moment she stepped out of the elevator earlier. Had he not walked her downstairs that morning, it would have been nothing more than a trivial, insignificant little matter. Duan Yiheng gave a low hum of acknowledgment.
"The butler knocked on my door just now to let me know that everyone involved in the elevator malfunction has been fired." Lin Xi blinked in surprise. "Everyone?" Surely Duan Yiheng hadn't been the one behind that decision? Yet his expression suggested otherwise.
Despite causing no actual damage, they had fired every single person involved—the property management department at Tiandu Imperial Seal certainly operated with ruthless efficiency. However, since it was all done for the sake of the residents' safety, Lin Xi had no right to object. Duan Yiheng nodded:
"As a gesture of apology, they gave us a shopping card for the supermarket downstairs." Upon hearing this, Lin Xi's interest was suddenly piqued: "In that case, let me go change my clothes—shall we go browse the supermarket?" Duan Yiheng replied, "...They offer a delivery service for residents." "But browsing it yourself is fun, too!"
Lin Xi looked at him with pleading eyes. "Can we? Please?" Duan Yiheng gave in. "...Alright." Lin Xi immediately broke into a smile; she brushed aside a few rose petals and stepped inside. She placed the roses on the coffee table in the living room, then turned her gaze to Duan Yiheng and asked:
"It's not a holiday or any special occasion today—what made you think to buy me flowers?" Duan Yiheng patted his lap. "Come here." "I need to go change first." Lin Xi set the flowers down and started to walk away; if she got all lovey-dovey with Duan Yiheng right now, they'd never actually make it to the supermarket.
Duan Yiheng watched her, smiling gently. With a quick lift of his hand and a slight lean forward, he caught her by the waist. Lin Xi sat sideways on his lap, laughing as she tried to dodge the ticklish sensation at her neck. "Why do you always like kissing me right here?" A low, soft chuckle escaped Duan Yiheng's throat. "Because you smell sweet." Lin Xi laughed:
"I'm not wearing any perfume, you know." "I played a round of ball with Chairman Zhao today. It was only four o'clock when we finished, and I happened to be passing by a flower shop," Duan Yiheng said suddenly. "I was actually driving right past it, but then I turned back around." Lin Xi looked into his eyes. "Why did you turn back?
Was it just to buy me flowers?" Duan Yiheng replied: "You didn't see it—the sunset was perfect right then, and the light was pouring right into that flower shop." Lin Xi played along perfectly, asking:
"It's just a flower shop—what's so special about that?" Duan Yiheng smiled. "It's tucked away in the old district, amidst crumbling brick walls and tiles. It looked as if the brick walls themselves were built out of fresh flowers. It's a pity, though—I was driving, so I couldn't take a picture to show you." He hadn't originally intended to take that route; he had only taken the detour because his GPS had warned him of construction work ahead.
Lin Xi felt as though she could picture the scene perfectly—just like the flower shop that every girl in every story dreams of opening one day. "So you brought me a bouquet?" She wanted to let herself feel the lingering warmth of the sunset, too. "Once the thought crossed my mind, I couldn't let it go," Duan Yiheng said. "Anyway, I wasn't in a rush, so I simply turned back." Lin Xi leaned forward and tilted her head up: "I love that the thought crossed your mind, and I love your decisiveness in acting on it." Duan Yiheng gazed at her for two seconds, then suddenly cupped the back of her head and leaned in to kiss her.
Today's sunset had already dipped below the horizon, yet—carried by that bouquet of red roses—it remained etched in Lin Xi's heart. The kiss deepened, then softened; Duan Yiheng's hand slid down to the nape of her neck, giving it a gentle press before he finally released her. "Come on," he said. "Let's go grocery shopping." Lin Xi placed her hand against his chest: "I haven't changed out of my clothes yet." Duan Yiheng lifted his chin: "Let's go; I'll go change into something casual, too." Less than ten minutes later, the two of them walked out the door hand in hand. Since they were already out, it went without saying that they would have dinner out as well.
Lin Xi found a nearby Thai restaurant; they finished their meal before heading to the supermarket. They walked the aisles for a while but didn't buy a single thing. Duan Yiheng looked at Lin Xi and cracked a joke: "So we really just came here to *browse* the supermarket?" Lin Xi gave an awkward laugh:
"We don't lack anything at home; the housekeeper restocks everything on a regular schedule." Duan Yiheng casually grabbed a box of cherries—priced at 968 yuan—and tossed it into their cart. "Let's buy some fruit we don't have at home," he suggested. Lin Xi grabbed Duan Yiheng's arm:
"I'm out of cookies in my office; I'll go grab two boxes." One box cost 368 yuan, so two boxes came to 736—with just two or three items, they had already spent nearly two thousand. Lin Xi playfully shook the credit card in her hand:
"How much money is actually on this thing?" Duan Yiheng replied:
"It should be enough for a casual browse like this... but not enough to buy *that*." Lin Xi followed his gaze and spotted a bottle of red wine priced at 338,000 yuan. "We have that in the wine cellar upstairs," Lin Xi said. "Do you want to drink it?" Duan Yiheng shook his head, then turned his eyes toward her and asked:
"Do you need anything else?" Lin Xi wasn't sure; she continued pushing the cart along the aisle, saying, "Let's just keep looking." When they reached the refrigerated section, Lin Xi spotted a particular brand of ice cream—but she hesitated, making no move to pick it up. Duan Yiheng brought over the box of ice cream.
"Go ahead and eat it—just don't have too much at once." Lin Xi linked her arm through his and replied obediently, "Okay." "Do you want anything else?" Duan Yiheng asked. Lin Xi shook her head. "Let's just go home and eat the ice cream." Duan Yiheng chuckled and led her over to the checkout counter.
Since they were already there, Lin Xi decided against having the supermarket deliver their groceries; the bags weren't heavy anyway, so Duan Yiheng could simply carry them. Upon arriving home, Lin Xi forgot to change her shoes and started to rush inside, but Duan Yiheng quickly stopped her. With a helpless smile, he crouched down and placed a pair of slippers right at her feet. "What's the rush?
Do you think the ice cream is going to sprout legs and run away?" Lin Xi gave a dry laugh, kicked off her shoes, slipped into the slippers, and carried the grocery bags into the house. Duan Yiheng quickly changed his own shoes, entered the living room, and sat down beside her.
Lin Xi bent over to rummage through their purchases; only after she had pulled everything else out did she notice two small, brightly colored boxes tucked away in a corner of the bag. "You bought gum..." Lin Xi picked up the small boxes, but her voice trailed off. It wasn't gum at all—it was clearly a pack of condoms.