"Boss, the delivery service shows that the young lady accepted the gifts, but the young master refused them."
A short while later, Jiali approached Lu Fan and reported this.
At that moment, Lu Fan was in the backyard, playing golf.
After taking a swing, he hopped into a golf cart and drove down the fairway for about ten minutes.
The estate's golf course was immense. The velvety lawns on either side stretched as far as the eye could see. Even the wind seemed to wander over the rolling slopes for ages before daring to brush against the distant treetops.
In the cart, Lu Fan nodded. "It seems my daughter has a better impression of me, after all."
"Well, you did push her stroller for her back then, Boss," Jiali explained.
Lu Fan smiled. "It's true what they say—a daughter warms her father's heart. As for Sifan, it's only natural that he hates me right now. He's the only son, after all. The pressure he's under and what he's had to endure is so much more than Silu."
"In that case, I'll focus on winning over my daughter first. Once she fully accepts me—the day she calls me Dad—I'll be one-third of the way there."
He then looked at Jiali. "I need you to keep tabs on their daily lives. And one more thing, arrange for some people to protect them discreetly. Report to me immediately if anything happens."
"Understood, Boss."
After his round of golf, Lu Fan told Chen He, "You're coming with me to Yangcheng."
Chen He nodded. "I'll have the private jet ready now, Boss."
"Mm."
Needless to say, he was going to Yangcheng to find Jiang Yixia.
Whether Jiang Yixia would be willing to see him, however, was another matter entirely.
But Lu Fan hadn't accumulated all those years of experience chasing women for nothing.
The art of shameless persistence may not be sophisticated, but it was certainly effective.
He soon arrived on the same street as Jiang Yixia's flower shop.
The commercial street was bustling, usually filled with young people wandering about.
Business at Jiang Yixia's flower shop was particularly good during holidays.
As Lu Fan approached, he saw Jiang Yixia describing the different types of flowers to a customer.
"These are garden roses, and these are carnations. If it's for your mother's birthday, I think carnations would be very nice. Of course, we can also add a few roses if you'd like."
Lu Fan watched Jiang Yixia patiently attending to her customer. Her dedicated, earnest expression hadn't changed one bit in nineteen years.
He felt a pang of regret. 'Why was I such a scumbag? How could I have let go of my one perfect love, who was as beautiful as a flower?'
'But it's not too late. There's still time to make things right.'
Just as Lu Fan was lost in his thoughts, Jiang Yixia noticed him.
Her brow furrowed instantly.
But with a customer still in the shop, Jiang Yixia couldn't say anything.
She could only pray that Lu Fan wouldn't cause trouble.
Once the customer finally purchased a bouquet and left, Lu Fan stepped inside.
But Jiang Yixia blocked his path, hands on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?"
Lu Fan gazed at Jiang Yixia. Even though she was already thirty-seven...
...judging by her skincare and figure, she looked every bit as good as she did nineteen years ago.
In fact, with the grace that came with age, she possessed an even deeper charm.
She was more beautiful and captivating than ever.
Noticing his lecherous gaze, Jiang Yixia glanced down at herself before spinning around. "Get out of my shop, you creep! If you don't, I'm calling the police."
"I'm just here to buy some flowers. You can't refuse business, can you? If word got out, people might say your shop is bullying customers." Lu Fan picked up a rose from a vase, using it as a prop. "I just want to buy a single flower, that's all. I have no other intentions."
Jiang Yixia was at a loss for words. After all, when it came to being a smooth-talker, the man was a professional.
His mouth ran like a machine gun.
He had a truly silver tongue.
She had learned all about his clever tricks nineteen years ago.
Jiang Yixia's expression turned cold. "Five dollars a rose. If you want it, scan the code and pay."
"Alright."
Lu Fan took out his phone and scanned the QR code on the wall.
"PAYMENT RECEIVED: FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!"
When Jiang Yixia heard the automated voice announce the payment, her eyes went wide. "What are you doing? Why did you pay me so much?"
"I'm buying flowers. 999 of them, to be precise," Lu Fan explained. "So I just rounded up and paid for 1,000. I couldn't be bothered to calculate it."
But Jiang Yixia refused. "I don't have that many roses in stock. Pull up your payment code; I'm refunding you."
"Don't refund it," Lu Fan replied. "Just have a hundred ready for me each day. I'll be back every day to pick them up, anyway."
Jiang Yixia was exasperated. "You're going to come here every day? How much free time do you have?"
"Haha, you don't need to worry about that."
With that, Lu Fan picked up the single rose. "I'll take this one for today. That leaves 998, so don't forget to prepare them."
"You're doing this just to torment me!" Jiang Yixia fumed.
"I really do need them. I'm going to decorate my house with them, I'm not kidding. I'm not trying to make your life difficult, I swear. If I'm lying, may I be struck by lightning!"
"You said those exact same words countless times nineteen years ago."
Jiang Yixia couldn't be bothered to argue. "Fine. I'll provide you with roses based on my daily stock. Take them or leave them."
"Fine, fine, we'll do it your way."
Just then, Li Li from the dry cleaner's next door rushed in.
"Yixia, do you have change?" she asked anxiously. "This customer just gave me a 100-dollar bill. I asked him to pay with his phone, but he said he couldn't and insists on breaking a hundred for a small purchase."
"I do. Hold on," Jiang Yixia said, turning to get the change.
In the meantime, Li Li glanced at Lu Fan, who was standing nearby.
Lu Fan was handsome, well-dressed in a suit, and carried the unmistakable aura of wealth. As a middle-aged woman, Li Li couldn't help but swallow hard.
'A man like that is really something else,' she thought.
Lu Fan noticed Li Li looking at him, the 100-dollar bill in her hand. He spoke up, "Ma'am, not many people use cash anymore. You need to be extra careful when they do."
Li Li was taken aback. "What? You don't think it's a fake, do you?"
"Let me take a look for you."
With that, Lu Fan walked over.
Li Li quickly handed him the bill.
Lu Fan ran his fingers over the bill. With twenty years in business, handling money was second nature to him.
He would never forget the distinct feel of real currency.
He could tell from a single touch that it was fake.
"Ma'am, this is a counterfeit," Lu Fan said. "Has the customer left yet?"
"What? He's still there! Is it really fake?" Li Li began to panic.
Standing to the side, Jiang Yixia suggested, "I have a counterfeit detector. We can use that to check."
"Yes, yes, please!" Li Li quickly took the bill over to the machine.
Sure enough, the 100-dollar bill was a fake.
Furious, Li Li stormed back to her shop to confront the customer.
"You son of a bitch! You dare try to scam me?! Don't you move! I'm calling the cops!"
Just as the scammer tried to bolt, Lu Fan stuck out a foot and sent him tumbling to the ground.
He then casually called the police.
This whole sequence of events left Li Li feeling both incredibly grateful and deeply impressed.
"Oh, sir! Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I would've been completely duped!"