Boss Hua

The rain lessened somewhat, but it was still enough to dampen people's desire to go out.

"Ugh, this damn rain."

Two young girls dressed in thermal underwear walked together through the streets of the old town. Their heavy makeup, paired with slightly flamboyant earrings and collarbone chains, was novel and fashionable, but it didn't quite bring out the kind of temperament they wanted.

"Yeah, Bad's closed down, what a waste of my time!"

One of them was clearly in a worse mood. She shook the sparkling rhinestone pendant on her earlobe, her high heels swaying in the puddles, and said with a disappointed look, "That new singer at that place is so handsome, he's my type, but I didn't get to see him today."

"Forget it, let's go tomorrow. The weather forecast on my phone says it'll be sunny tomorrow," another girl said, trying to comfort her companion, though she also seemed a little reluctant.

"Pfft, I haven't been home this early since I started high school!"

"Your mom really doesn't care about you?"

"She's busy playing mahjong, she has no time for me."

The two walked and talked under one umbrella, highlighting the unbridled exuberance unique to youth.

Suddenly, one of the girls stopped and pointed ahead with some confusion. "What's that? A flower shop?"

Among a row of shops with their lights off, the only shop with its lights on stood out.

"Huh? Where's the flower shop on this street?" Hearing this, her companion looked in the direction she was pointing, squinting, unable to see clearly through the water droplets on her false eyelashes.

She reached out and wiped away the water droplets. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the entire street adhered to the traditional practices of the old town, with everything turned off at 10 o'clock, leaving it pitch black except for the occasional flickering of the old streetlights.

"Where is it? Are you seeing things?"

The girl, questioned, rubbed her eyes and looked again, indeed seeing no shops with their lights on. "Um... maybe, let's go."

Despite saying this, the girl still had some doubts in her heart. After all, the flower shop she had just seen looked unusually real, and she even remembered a bouquet of pure white flowers placed at the entrance of the shop.

She couldn't possibly recognize what kind of flower it was; it was already quite an achievement that she could make out the color through the heavy rain.

Is it a ghost?

The girl had drunk some alcohol earlier, and the alcohol took effect in her brain, preventing her from feeling any fear. Instead, she forgot about the incident in no time.

The streets and alleys returned to silence. After a while, a petite figure emerged from the end of the alley.

Han Xinyi was just getting soaked in the rain, her head slightly bent as she looked at her phone, walking aimlessly.

For some reason, the police didn't include this street in their search area, which was unusual. But Han Xinyi didn't care anymore; she just wanted a quiet environment.

She had Han Yan's number in her phone. After Han Yan left, she tried calling him. Once the night he left? Once a month later? Once six months later? No one answered.

Since then? All these years? Han Xinyi has never looked at that number again.

Is today an exception? She dialed again.

Wait.

Unmanned.

"The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later..."

A pleasant yet mechanical female voice reached her ears? Han Xinyi's gaze was indifferent; she had already anticipated this outcome.

She wasn't sad at all; she just felt a slight pang of regret.

Han Xinyi changed the phone book to a message box and typed a few words into the number.

Just as she was about to send it, she paused again and closed the window.

"Forget it? I don't want to give you any chance to prepare... Your shocked expression when you're killed without any warning should be much better than your calm expression when you know I'm dead." Han Xinyi's lips curled up, anticipating Yu Xing's promise to send Han Yan to hell to accompany her.

"You can't control me anymore, can you? I'm definitely starting to exceed your expectations."

"I'm going to die. I'll send you a message, I can curse you or scold you, that way you'll be prepared for the future. You know I love you, you know how to control my mind, you must know I'll do this." Han Xinyi's eyes gleamed slightly, her words incoherent, morbid yet hopeful, yet tinged with excitement.

"But I've met someone similar to you yet completely different. I'm different now. I'm going to make you miscalculate. I'm going to make sure you never get a single piece of feedback from me again!"

With a loud thud, Han Xinyi threw her phone to the ground and stomped on it, her eyes filled with regret for her impending death and a suppressed sense of satisfaction.

Even the slightest effective resistance against Han Yan was enough to make her happy.

After venting her frustrations, Han Xinyi felt exhausted.

It swept in both mentally and physically.

She looked up and saw a flower shop with its lights on.

Let's go find shelter from the rain.

She was completely drawn into Yu Xing's scheme against the throat-slitting assassin after she started seeking shelter from the rain. At this point, her feelings about seeking shelter from the rain were quite complicated.

It is both a beginning and an end.

As Han Xinyi approached the flower shop, she first saw the warm lights inside through the glass door, and then looked down to find a bunch of tuberoses standing unobstructed at the entrance.

The white, clustered leaves are joined together, and the flowers are in full bloom, pure and delicate, yet they tremble in the rain whipped by the wind, making them seem pitiful.

She stood there staring at the flowers for more than ten seconds until the glass door made a slight sound and warm air seeped out from the crack in the open door, at which point Han Xinyi came back to her senses.

A cheerful voice appeared in front of her. "Little sister, what are you doing standing alone in the rain? Heartbroken?"

A touch of teasing won't make her uncomfortable; instead, it gives her a sense of relaxation and intimacy.

Han Xinyi's gaze moved, first seeing a pair of dark jeans, then a light brown turtleneck sweater, and then a bright face and medium-length black hair tied back and draped over one shoulder.

This is a man whose age is hard to guess; you could say he's twenty, or even thirty. He has the kind of handsome, aloof appearance, yet he carries a gentle, soft smile and exudes a unique charm.

Looking at the person leaning against the shop door who seemed quite weak, Han Xinyi momentarily thought he was an "artist" or a "designer".

In her preconceived notion, it seemed that more men in these two professions had long hair.

However, the next moment, she realized that this person was neither an artist nor a designer, but a florist.

Seeing that she didn't speak, the man stepped aside, revealing his businessman nature. "Would you like to come in and sit down? Or you could buy a bouquet of flowers, and I'll throw in an umbrella for you, how about that?"

"... good."

Han Xinyi responded and went inside.

The glass door was closed, and a warm, cozy feeling enveloped her. She looked around and noticed that although the flower shop was small, the flowers were all exceptionally well-maintained, and every type was exquisitely beautiful.

"Your clothes are all wet. It's a pity you're a girl; I don't have anything for you to change into," the florist said enthusiastically, leading her to the standing air conditioner that was running. "You'll feel much warmer if you stay in the air conditioner for a while."

"Thank you." At this moment, Han Xinyi only wanted to empty her mind and embrace death.

She wanted to die peacefully, in a warm place, rather than outside, covered in dirty water.

So, Han Xinyi was in a pretty good mood. She saw the florist sitting on a flower stand, still smiling at her, seemingly determined to sell a bouquet. She couldn't help but initiate a conversation. "Can I look at your flowers?"

"Of course, the customer is king, look around as much as you like." The florist spread his hand slightly, as if to say, everything here is yours to choose from.

The flower shop has a wide variety, including common varieties like carnations, baby's breath, and red roses, as well as less common ones such as yellow roses, white roses, and blue irises.

Han Xinyi strolled around for a bit and spotted the only black rose in the entire shop on the flower stand where the owner was sitting.

Perhaps it was because of its rarity that it piqued Han Xinyi's interest. She wanted to touch it, but the florist gently stopped her.

He laughed and said, "This one won't do."

Han Xinyi paused, then asked, "Is there any particular custom?"

The florist reached out and gently brushed aside the petals of a black rose, saying softly, "You are a devil, and you belong to me."

Han Xinyi didn't hear clearly.

However, the shop owner didn't intend to repeat himself. His smile widened, "This flower was reserved by someone else, so customers can't touch it. Would you like some hot water? I have a kettle here; there should be some left over."

"Okay, thank you." Han Xinyi then lost interest in the black rose.

After a while, Han Xinyi, holding a cup of hot water, sat on the empty flower stand and asked with some gratitude, "Boss, what's your last name?"

The boss seemed completely unsurprised that she would ask that question, "My last name is Hua."

"Real?"

"Yes, it's quite a coincidence that someone with the surname Hua owns a flower shop?" Seeing Han Xinyi nod, the Boss Hua explained, "It's not a coincidence at all. It's precisely because my surname is Hua that I opened a flower shop."

Han Xinyi suddenly realized that the Boss Hua was incredibly approachable; sitting with him made her feel relaxed without even realizing it. She remembered what she had seen outside the shop earlier. "Boss, what's wrong with that bunch of tuberoses by your door?"

"Hmm? What do you mean by 'what happened'?" Boss Hua repeated with interest.

"So... why is it placed outside in particular?"

The Boss Hua said, "Oh, because it's dying. It can't be kept alive."

The words "almost dead" jolted Han Xinyi. She was taken aback. "It looks perfectly fine to me, how could it be dying?"

"Because it tried to steal the Black Rose's water, but failed. It's destined to die tonight, because it's very much connected to the rainstorm." The Boss Hua turned to look outside the glass door. This reason sounded a bit strange, causing Han Xinyi to unconsciously frown.

The shop owner suddenly smiled and asked, "Do you know the meaning of tuberose flowers?"

"Have no idea."

"The joy of being on the verge of danger." Boss Hua looked at the torrential rain outside the door and laughed out loud.

Han Xinyi didn't know what was so funny. She suddenly felt uncomfortable, perhaps because the way the Boss Hua described the bouquet of tuberoses was very similar to her own.

After being stripped of her identity as a deducer, Han Xinyi's mind remained dull, and she only began to think when Han Yan was involved.

But now, she still sensed something was amiss.

The Boss Hua turned back, his smile as warm as the sweater he wore. He was also holding a cup of hot water, still steaming. He asked, "Are you happy?"

"Did you feel pleasure in the danger you created?"

Han Xinyi jumped to her feet. Now that things had come to this point, she could easily tell that the Boss Hua was referring to was her. Then she paused, realizing that she had no way to resist anymore.

So she sat back down and asked, "Who are you? What do you want?" Could you be someone sent by Han Yan?

"Don't be nervous, I'm just a kind florist who wanted to provide you with hot water, heating, and shelter from the rain." The Boss Hua gave an apologetic look, vivid and natural, as if he really felt guilty for scaring Han Xinyi.

The other party's gentlemanly behavior made Han Xinyi purse her lips, waiting for his next words.

Sure enough, the Boss Hua didn't give the silence any chance to build up. He took a sip of hot water, seemingly enjoying it, and squinted his eyes. "It's so warm~ Little sister, as I said, if you buy a bouquet of flowers, I'll give you an umbrella for free."

Han Xinyi: "Mmm."

"But then I realized you don't need an umbrella, so you won't buy my flowers."

Han Xinyi: "..."

"Then I'd like something else in exchange for providing you with hot water, is that alright?"

Han Xinyi: "Whatever, I'm destined to die tonight anyway, I'm really destined for torrential rain."

"That would be perfect!" Boss Hua's eyes crinkled with laughter. "I'll just take a little bit of the memory."

"Memory?" Han Xinyi frowned.

Boss Hua said, "Don't worry, I don't care about your privacy. I just want to see what my demon has grown into."

Han Xinyi glanced at the black rose, then at the tuberose, and finally exclaimed, "Ah!" "You know Yu Xing?"

The next day, as Yu Xing had expected, the news broke.

Some media outlets do indeed possess this amazing skill: their keen eye for gossip rivals that of an eagle, and their sense for smelling gossip and headlines is sharper than a dog's. Just as dawn breaks, almost at the very moment the first batch of office workers open their eyes, a few news reports are already circulating online.

Among them, those focusing on keywords such as "Throat Cutting Case solved, murderer arrested" are probably the media outlets that the police have contacted for cooperation, while other magazines that have caught wind of the news have taken a different approach, trying to attract attention in other ways.

The words "heartthrob" and "death confession" jolted Yu Xing had just woken up early and was still grumpy, a little more awake. He squinted and clicked to read, only to find that most of the reports were about...

At 2 a. m., the perpetrator of the Throat Cutting Case was found dead in an empty storefront that was being rented out on Golden Street. It is reported that the cause of death was a sudden heart attack. Inexplicably, at the moment of his death, the perpetrator was clutching a bunch of fresh tuberoses; the significance of this remains unknown.

[There are no flower shops on Jin Street itself, so the police checked all the flower shops in the nearby streets and confirmed that the tuberoses did not come from these shops. So where did the Throat Cutting Case murderer get the bouquet of flowers? This remains a mystery! We will continue to follow up for you.]

"Tuberose... the pleasure on the edge of danger?" Yu Xing, who had been leaning against the bed with half of her body tucked in the blankets, suddenly found herself no longer sleepy.