Chapter 46 - 45 Thus, the Art is Complete
Turning his head, Gu Heng caught a glimpse of Lin Ran, whose neck was slightly reddened, her eyes brimming with moisture and somewhat hazy, which made him look puzzled.
"I feel like I’m going to throw up..."
No sooner had she finished speaking than she very seasonably let out a burp...
"???"
Seeing this, Gu Heng was somewhat puzzled. As a company executive who must have had her share of social drinking, how could a few mixed cocktails put her under the table? He found it hard to believe. Still, he instinctively backed away a little and frowned, "You’re not drunk, are you? Just a few damn cocktails and you’re out?"
Watching Gu Heng scurry backward in disarray, Lin Ran pointed at him and giggled stupidly, looking genuinely drunk...
Although he still suspected that she was faking it, he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why she would pretend to be drunk...
Glancing at the time, it was already past ten at night. It didn’t matter if she was really drunk or faking, it was time for him to head back. His "Definite Duan Kun Plan" hadn’t even started yet...
With that thought, Gu Heng stood up, furrowed his brows, and said to her, "I’m about to head back now. Are you coming or not?"
"Burp~ Going back!"
Good, she knew she had to go back. She was not totally out of it.
He directly grabbed Lin Ran’s arm without a hint of tenderness, lifting her as easily as one would a small chick, and a pleasant scent, whether body fragrance or perfume, filled Gu Heng’s nostrils.
"Ouch~ Be gentle..."
A pained moan escaped Lin Ran’s lips, which only served to stoke the flames already kindling within Gu Heng’s lower belly.
Suppressing the inner fire, Gu Heng dragged her towards the hotel exit, warning as they walked, "I’m telling you, you better behave yourself. If you dare throw up on me, I’ll just dump you on the roadside and let the hotel’s people come pick you up!"
...
...
Once out of the bar, the chilly wind laced with fine rain hit their faces, instantly sobering up the somewhat groggy Gu Heng.
Lin Ran, being pulled along by Gu Heng, instinctively tightened her clothes...
Luckily the bar wasn’t far from the Alila Hotel, a mere ten minutes away at most, and the light rain wasn’t enough to drench them.
Just as Gu Heng took a step, a childish voice rose from his left.
"Big brother, wanna buy some flowers? They’re all very pretty. Buy one for the beautiful lady."
Bending down, Gu Heng saw the small figure and remembered...
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This seemed to be the mother and daughter selling flowers by the roadside that he noticed on his way here. Thinking this, Gu Heng looked up and glanced around. He saw the middle-aged woman standing not far off, quietly watching, and he smiled...
Just like most kids standing outside cinemas selling flowers...
These street vendors were savvy, knowing that couples would have a hard time refusing children. This middle-aged woman had purposely sent out the little girl...
Before Gu Heng could speak, Lin Ran, who was on the side and either truly drunk or pretending, suddenly struggled, "Gu Heng, I want a flower!"
With that, she took a beautifully wrapped rose from the little girl’s hands and gently sniffed it at her nose...
Gu Heng didn’t stop Lin Ran; instead, he watched her playfully, then lowered his head again to the little girl before him and asked softly, "Little sister, how many flowers do you have left?"
Not understanding Gu Heng’s intention, the little girl still earnestly counted the bouquets in her hand and then seriously replied, "I still have 31. But my mom has more over there..."
"Then tell your mom that a brother wants to buy all your flowers."
Upon hearing this, the little girl’s sparkling eyes lit up, and she excitedly yelled to the middle-aged woman in the Wu dialect, "Mom, come here, this brother said he’s gonna buy all our flowers!"
The middle-aged woman, hearing her daughter’s excited voice, also hurried over, taking two steps at a time.
Gu Heng’s tone was not as tender when he spoke to the middle-aged woman, "How much would it cost to buy all the flowers you have on hand?"
The woman quickly counted the remaining flowers, then responded eagerly, "There are 65 in total, 15 yuan apiece. If sir wants them, 900 yuan will do for all, and I’ll throw in five more for free for you and your girlfriend."
15 yuan per flower...
Not expensive at all.
It’s just the usual price you’d find at a regular cinema or public square.
This indicated that the middle-aged woman was somewhat conscientious, she didn’t take advantage of Gu Heng’s generosity to rip him off...
The woman was quick with her hands, and soon gathered all the flower stalks from the little girl’s hand with her own, tied a beautiful bow, and was about to hand them over to Gu Heng.
But Gu Heng stopped her hand amidst her puzzled look, and with a smile said, "Since I’m buying so many flowers from you, may I make a request?"
The woman was a bit perplexed.
Gu Heng continued to smile, reached out to pat the little girl’s head, and said, "Would you really go and buy her a Kulomi doll tomorrow?"
The woman didn’t understand Gu Heng’s intention, but the little girl suddenly lifted her head up, her big eyes shimmering faintly, staring intently at his face...
Afterwards, Gu Heng didn’t say more. He pulled out his phone, paid the money through the woman’s printed QR code, took the flowers, and with the same roughness, yanked Lin Ran’s arm and headed towards the direction of the hotel...
"WeChat payment received, 1,000 yuan."
Listening to the payment notification on her phone, the middle-aged woman looked after Gu Heng’s retreating figure with some puzzlement...
She had seen many customers who bargained, but it was the first time she saw someone who didn’t ask for a discount and even gave her an extra 100 yuan...
"Mom, we’ve sold all the flowers! Can you really buy me a Kulomi tomorrow?"
The middle-aged woman, who had originally intended to keep prevaricating, suddenly remembered what Gu Heng had said earlier, then took hold of the little girl’s cold hand with a smile and said, "Alright, mom will take you to buy Kulomi tomorrow..."
...
Gu Heng hadn’t gone far when Lin Ran, who had been looking dazed, suddenly seemed to sober up and asked Gu Heng, "Why did you ask that woman to buy a Kulomi doll for that little girl?"
Turning his head towards her at her words, Gu Heng glanced at her with a teasing look, "Sober now?"
Although he didn’t know what trick she was up to, Gu Heng was now certain that this woman had definitely been pretending to be drunk...
"Answer me first."
"Actually, there’s not much to answer."
"When I was little, my dad promised me that if I made it into the top ten of my grade, he’d buy me a mountain bike.
I didn’t like studying at all, but for that mountain bike, I studied for a whole year and finally managed to get into the top ten. When I excitedly ran to my dad to redeem his promise, he told me that a bike would cost several hundred, better to give me some money to buy snacks instead.
In the end, he gave me 10 yuan."
"Now, I can understand my dad’s thinking at that time, and I don’t blame him. Our family didn’t have much, and a few hundred yuan really could be used for a lot of things.
But I can’t reconcile with my younger self, so from then on I never asked my dad for anything again. Even now, when I can afford ten thousand mountain bikes, this matter still haunts me.
So, just think of it as me spending 1,000 yuan to make peace with my younger self."
As his words ended, the system that had appeared two hours ago reappeared...
[Host has helped his younger self dodge the bullet fired from more than a decade ago. With that, artistry has been perfected! Success in indulgence, reward: 10,000 yuan, balance: 10.92 million yuan.]
And receiving Gu Heng’s answer, Lin Ran fixed her gaze on Gu Heng for several seconds, eyes blazing...
"Has anyone ever told you that you’re quite unique?"
Gu Heng glanced at her, "You’re the first, but definitely not the last."
With money, you can do whatever you want, how could you not be unique?
Listening to Gu Heng’s words, Lin Ran snorted, and then her eyes, which had been normal, became "blurry" again...
"Ugh... I think I’m going to throw up..."
Gu Heng: "???"
"You’ve got to be kidding me... Addicted to pretending now, are you?!"