The flower shop closed later than usual that evening.
Outside, the neon lights of Shanghai shimmered against the wet streets after a light rain. Inside, the shop was quiet except for the soft rustling of flower petals as Lian Hua finished arranging the last bouquet.
Zhen Wei was still there.
He hadn't left since the afternoon.
Normally, a man like him would have dozens of meetings, calls, and responsibilities waiting. Yet he simply sat near the window, watching her work.
"You really don't have anything else to do tonight?" Lian Hua finally asked, glancing at him.
Zhen Wei looked up from his phone.
"I do."
"Then why are you still here?"
He stood slowly and walked toward the counter.
"Because I'd rather be here."
Lian Hua shook her head slightly, though a small smile tugged at her lips.
"You're a very strange CEO."
"Only when I'm around you."
She tried to hide the warmth creeping into her cheeks.
Outside, the rain began again, tapping softly against the glass windows.
Lian Hua turned the shop sign to Closed.
"I guess you're stuck here until the rain slows down," she said.
Zhen Wei looked outside briefly.
"I don't mind."
The shop lights were dim now, leaving the room bathed in soft golden light.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Zhen Wei stepped closer.
"Can I ask you something?"
Lian Hua looked up.
"What?"
"Why do you keep letting me come back?"
The question caught her off guard.
"I never said you couldn't come."
"That's not the same as answering."
She hesitated.
Finally she admitted quietly,
"Because… I don't dislike it when you're here."
Zhen Wei's gaze softened.
"That's a dangerous answer."
"Why?"
"Because it makes me want to stay even more."
Lian Hua laughed softly.
"You already stay too much."
"I warned you," he said.
She crossed her arms, pretending to be serious.
"What if I really told you to leave?"
Zhen Wei looked at her carefully.
Then he said quietly,
"I would leave."
She blinked.
"But I would come back tomorrow."
Her heart skipped.
"You're very stubborn."
"Yes."
"And very confident."
"Also yes."
She shook her head.
"I don't understand you."
"You will."
He paused before adding softly,
"Eventually."
Another moment of silence passed between them.
The rain outside grew heavier.
The small flower shop felt warm and strangely intimate.
For the first time, Lian Hua realized something important.
She wasn't nervous around Zhen Wei anymore.
She was comfortable.
And that realization scared her just a little.
Because comfort could easily turn into something much deeper.
Zhen Wei watched her quietly.
"Lian Hua."
"Yes?"
"This night… feels important."
"Why?"
He smiled faintly.
"Because I think something between us is about to change."
Her heart began beating faster.
And somehow… she felt the same way.