A little revenge scheme

Ding Ding had been wrong.

He had thought the little sprite in the garden would see even a downpour as a blessing, but it turned out that was merely making the best of something he had no choice in.

It was not that Bai Congming did not understand those words. He simply did not care.

Only when the rain fell somewhere in the garden he thought it should not did the little sprite finally fly into a rage and bare his fangs.

Unfortunately, his fangs were neither long nor vicious. Not only did his bite fail to hurt anyone, he had even fallen and left himself battered and bruised.

The night sky was silent, the wind passed without a trace, and Ding Ding sat alone in the courtyard without sleeping a wink all night.

Although he did not have to work, Bai Congming still got up early.

Waking up felt awful, though. The covers were cold, and there was no warm embrace beside him.

In the past, even when Ding Ding had to cook for him, he would come back to bed around this time. It was not that he was particularly attached to anything; Little Bai was simply unbearably adorable when he had just woken up, all drowsy and clingy and reluctant to get up.

With no one beside the bed, Bai Congming panicked a little, wondering whether Brother Ding was angry with him for fighting.

After all, his mother had told him before that good children must not fight. They had to talk nicely to other people.

But Wang Lao'er had gone too far-how could he say that about Brother Ding!

Then Bai Congming remembered Brother Ding saying last night that he should call him and wait for him to come, and he felt less panicked.

Ding Ding's constant companionship and attentive care had not been for nothing. At least now, Bai Congming firmly believed Ding Ding would not leave him on a whim.

The sky outside was gray, and the moisture in the thin mist had dusted the hair of the man who had sat in the courtyard all night white.

"Brother Ding!" Bai Congming frowned. "You can't sleep outside!"

"...Achoo!"

Before Ding Ding had fully opened his eyes, a sneeze escaped him. The chill of the autumn rain seeped into his body, raising goosebumps all over him.

"Why are you wearing so little?"

Hunching against the cold, Ding Ding stood and stamped his feet, then reached back to push Bai Congming inside.

"You can't sleep outside!" Bai Congming repeated.

"I know, I know," Ding Ding said perfunctorily. "I was wrong."

Only then did Bai Congming let it go. His brow relaxed, and he asked Ding Ding what they were having for breakfast.

"What would you like, Little Bai?"

Bai Congming gave it some serious thought. "Little wontons!"

Ding Ding made his own wontons, wrapping a hundred or so at a time and freezing them so he could simply take them out whenever they wanted some.

Afraid a bowl of wontons would not be enough, Ding Ding also fried two large flatbreads.

Since Bai Congming did not have to work, he ate slowly, dawdling over little mouthfuls as he wondered what to do today.

Although it was not a regular day off, it was still a day off. Going out on dates with Brother Ding on days off had become an unspoken understanding between them lately.

Before he could work anything out, Ding Ding came out after washing the dishes and told Bai Congming he was going out.

Bai Congming rubbed his nose. He actually wanted to use the bathroom first, but Ding Ding looked to be in a hurry, so he could hold it a little longer.

"Okay." Bai Congming put on a jacket. "Let's go!"

Ding Ding paused. "Where are you going, Little Bai?"

"Out!" Bai Congming took Ding Ding's hand. "On a date!"

"...Bai Congming." Clearly, Ding Ding had not been thinking along the same lines. "I've got something to take care of outside. Can you wait at home?"

It was not as though Bai Congming could not spend fifteen minutes without someone around, but he was still a little disappointed that he could not go with Brother Ding.

Seeing this, Ding Ding hurried to coax him. "I'll be back at noon. How about we have hot pot then?"

Still obedient, Bai Congming nodded. "Hot pot."

It was cold, so Ding Ding did not ride his bike. He walked to the end of the street, took out his phone, and made a call.

His kid had been bullied. As the parent, of course he could not simply stand by.

Ding Ding had his own principles in life. He had been adept at handling all sorts of people when he ran a business, and now that he was settling a score, he naturally had to tailor his approach.

There was no need to be too polite with someone like this.

"Don't worry, bro," the person on the other end assured him. "Our line of work is all about dealing with people. Whatever crowd they run with, we can get you the full lowdown.

"But just a name really isn't much to go on. How about you find a way to get us a photo?"

Ding Ding murmured his agreement. "I'll send it in a bit."

After he hung up, a sneeze shattered his composure.

"..."

Hongfang Street was two intersections away from Flower Nursery. Ding Ding bought a mask by the roadside and put it on, transforming himself into a purchasing agent for a landscaping company from the neighboring city.

He had been a boss, after all. When Ding Ding walked into the Flower Nursery office speaking in a shoddy dialect, he really did look the part.

"Forgot to bring my business cards. What varieties have you got here?"

The Flower Nursery manager hurriedly brought out some materials to introduce them.

"Take a look first. For municipal projects, something like these cannas would work, or these red maples."

Ding Ding made a show of leafing through them, putting on a hesitant expression at the right moment.

"They look all right, but how well are they grown?"

"I can take you into Flower Nursery for a look. You can pick them yourself."

Ding Ding nodded and followed the manager into Flower Nursery. Along the way, his eyes barely lingered on the plants; instead, he kept observing the workers.

Yesterday, he had thought the name Wang Lao'er sounded familiar. After a night, he remembered: this was the man he had asked to pass a message to Bai Congming for him back then!

He had taken his hundred yuan without giving the matter a second thought. All Bai Congming knew was that Ding Ding had left without saying goodbye, leaving him deeply insecure for a long time.

What, did a hundred yuan not count as money?

With old grudges piled on top of new ones, Ding Ding had to let off some steam.

"This place of yours sure is a little hard to find," Ding Ding remarked casually.

The Flower Nursery manager looked at Ding Ding as though he were the God of Wealth and would not let a single remark go unanswered.

"It is a little out of the way. How did you hear about us?"

"Oh!" Ding Ding exclaimed oddly. "Don't you have someone here called Wang Lao'er?"

At the mention of that name, the manager's brow creased. It was brief, but Ding Ding caught it immediately.

"He... he referred you?"

Ding Ding hummed in agreement. "He's an old buddy from my hometown. I heard he was working here, and I figured I'd keep the business among our own..."

"Of course, of course," the manager agreed. "How about I call him over so you two can chat?"

"Sure, sure!"

And so Wang Lao'er, who was tidying up Flower Nursery, was summoned by the manager. Hearing that an old buddy from his hometown had come left him completely baffled.

How many years had it been since he had gone back home...

But the manager said it was a major client, so he did not dwell on it. When he arrived, the masked face did indeed look somewhat familiar, reducing his bewilderment from five parts to three.

He could even explain away Ding Ding's strange accent.

After all, they had not seen each other in so many years. It made sense that he would have picked up some dialect after spending so long elsewhere.

"Hey, buddy! It's been years!"

"...Sure has. You've gotten nice and plump!"

The two reminisced about their freshly invented past in front of the manager for a while, and Ding Ding actually started looking at the plants.

"For the first batch, we'll take some samples back for the higher-ups to choose from. Pack a few varieties for me. I've got to check out some other nurseries in a bit."

Catching the look the Flower Nursery manager sent him, Wang Lao'er knew to object.

"Don't bother looking anywhere else. Our stuff is great!"

"It's procedure." Ding Ding smiled. "Here, add me on WeChat, buddy. I'll let you know once I've decided."

"How about..."

The manager had only half reached for his phone when Wang Lao'er eagerly took out his own and scanned the code.

He could not let a respectable buddy like this slip away.

Keeping up the act to the end, Ding Ding took lots of photos on his phone before leaving, nodding as he snapped them and giving both men the impression that the deal was in the bag.

Sure enough, after Ding Ding left, the manager patted Wang Lao'er on the shoulder.

"Keep him happy. If this deal goes through, I'll give you a bonus, and you can have a good New Year!"

"..."