<strong><b>Chapter 7: The Bouquet in Hand</b></strong>


    For An Yu Wei, earning money still held the highest priority. When it came to her job, she was meticulous and professional.


    She sped the ne around her neck, fastening the sp at the back. As she released her arms, the gold ne gleamed against her snow-white neck. However, there was a slight imperfection—it wasn’t properly centered, with part of the ne resting slightly askew on her ample chest.


    “How does it look?” An Yu Wei tilted her head back slightly, showing off her neck to let Cao Shaoyang evaluate the effect.


    Cao Shaoyang, acting on impulse, reached over the counter with his index finger and gently nudged the pendant that was lying against her chest.


    <em><i>Swish!</i></em>


    The pendant instantly disappeared into the snowy valley.


    Straightening his posture, he nodded in satisfaction.<em><i>It looked much better this way.</i></em>


    An Yu Wei nced down, noticing that the pendant was now hidden, leaving only a thin chain visible around her neck. She had intentionally left the pendant visible, and now it was gone.


    She instinctively reached to retrieve the pendant from its new resting ce, but Cao Shaoyang stopped her.


    “Auntie, there’s no need to take it out. I think it looks perfect just like this.”


    “R-really?”


    “Absolutely,” Cao Shaoyang confirmed, nodding with mock seriousness.


    “<em><i>Haha,</i></em>just kidding. But Auntie, you’re so beautiful—you’d look good in anything.”


    “It really suits you!”


    ttered, An Yu Wei picked up a mirror to inspect her reflection. Although the pendant was no longer visible, she knew its beauty was still there, hidden, which made her appreciate it even more.


    “What do you think, Auntie?”


    “It’s very beautiful!”


    “But my opinion doesn’t matter much—it’s your opinion that counts, Shaoyang. After all, you’re the one buying this as a gift.”


    Cao Shaoyang pulled out his Huawei smartphone from his pocket. “As long as you think it’s beautiful, that’s what matters, Auntie.”


    “I’ll take the ne I chose earlier. Please wrap it for me. As for the one you’re wearing, Auntie, consider it a gift from me. I’ll pay for it.”


    “What?”


    An Yu Wei gasped, genuinely shocked. She covered her small mouth with her hand, almost eximing aloud.


    Hurriedly, she grabbed his hand to stop him from scanning the QR code to pay. Lowering her voice, she said, “Little brother, even if you’re wealthy, you can’t spend money so carelessly! Your parents worked hard to earn it. If you really like me, just pay for the ne you picked earlier. As for the one I’m wearing, let’s leave it.”


    Cao Shaoyang gently patted her hand, which she had willingly ced over his. “Thank you for your kind concern, Auntie. But for me, this isn’t a lot of money. Please ept it.”


    “However, if it makes you ufortable, how about… adding me on WeChat?”


    At this moment, Cao Shaoyang’s true intentions became clear.


    Everything he had done before was leading up to this moment. In his inexperienced mind, if she epted his gift and added him on WeChat, it would mean his efforts had seeded, wouldn’t it?


    An Yu Wei hadn’t expected to encounter such a young, wealthy, and handsome guy today.


    When the young man gave her a gift and then asked for her WeChat, An Yu Wei, as someone experienced, immediately recognized that he had ulterior motives.


    But… how could she refuse? A handsome young “<em><i>little wolf cub</i></em>,” rich and willing to spend generously—who wouldn’t be tempted?


    shing a radiant smile, her already sweet voice grew even sweeter as she replied, “Sure! Auntie will scan your code.”


    After adding him as a contact, Cao Shaoyang couldn’t help but feel a sense of triumph. Married women like An Yu Wei had their charms—they were straightforward, didn’t y coy, and most importantly, responded quickly.


    Her WeChat username was <strong><b>“Night Rain, Cool Breeze”</b></strong>, and her profile picture was a simple one of a real-life puppy. It was likely her private ount.


    After adding her, they exchanged a few brief messages before Cao Shaoyang decided it was time to leave. He had more pressing matters to attend to today, so this new acquaintance could wait.


    He made a casual hand gesture signaling “catch upter” to An Yu Wei and left the store without hesitation.


    Hailing a taxi on the street, he headed to the flower shop where he had pre-ordered a bouquet of fresh roses and a small bag of fresh rose petals.


    When Cao Shaoyang arrived downstairs at his apartmentplex, he noticed a modified RV parked outside.


    It seemed to be for catering, likely for the setup he had arranged earlier. He couldn’t help but admire the impressive setup. “Wow, talk about top-tier service,” he thought.


    Instead of heading straight up, he first boarded the RV to inspect the preparations made by the catering and decorating staff.


    Satisfied with what he saw, he smiled in approval.


    After setting down the bouquet of roses, Cao Shaoyang called his stepmother via WeChat voice chat.


    “Hello? Shaoyang!”


    “Aren’t you supposed to be at school for evening self-study at this hour? Why are you calling me now? Did something happen?”


    Hearing the gentle concern in her voice, a silly smile spread across Cao Shaoyang’s face.