When She Stops Being Dramatic

Seeing Jiang Zishi’s livid face, she chuckled and asked, "What’s wrong? You’re a big-shot CEO, surely you’ve heard the phrase ’all sales final’? You’ve already paid, and we don’t do returns on plants once they’ve left the soil."

"You’re the one who nodded and agreed to the purchase just a moment ago."

Jiang Zishi gave her a cold look, then swept his hand in a gesture encompassing the entire room. His hand paused for a moment as it passed over Chi Yun’er before he said, "Tally up the price for all of this. I’m buying out the entire place!"

Chi Yun’er’s eyes lit up. She smiled and said:

"You’re so incredibly generous, a true cut above the rest. It’s not every day one meets someone so magnanimous."

"I have the utmost admiration for distinguished guests who buy out entire venues, clearing out all the stock."

"Let me tally it up for you. I’ll be sure to give you a special price."

"As you know, every flower here at the Zhaoyang Flower and Lifestyle Center is a premium specimen, and many are exclusive to our shop. Your willingness to buy out our entire collection just goes to show you have truly extraordinary taste."

Jiang Zishi was so disoriented by her shameless, over-the-top flattery—so effective it broke right through his defenses—that he could barely think straight.

Back when the airheaded Chi Yun’er was chasing after him, he hadn’t thought much of it. But ever since she’d cleared her head, regained her book smarts, and started looking down on him...

...it was like a cat was scratching at his heart, making him desperately want to pull her into his arms and torment her.

In fact, Jiang Zishi found her indifference particularly captivating.

Men enjoy the thrill of conquest, and in that, he was just like any other man.

"Tally it up. Consider it a gift... from me to you," Jiang Zishi said, his voice suddenly gentle as he spoke on an impulse.

Bian Yumin was so furious she was practically steaming. She clenched her fists so tightly that she cracked her freshly manicured nails!

’Given Yun’er’s place in Jiang Zishi’s heart, if she so much as nodded, he would probably give my position as his rightful partner away. Without the title of Matriarch of the Cook family, if Chi Yun’er then bore Jiang Zishi a son, what would become of my child and me?’

’I absolutely will not allow it!’

Chi Yun’er shot Jiang Zishi a sidelong glance and chuckled, then took out a jade abacus. Her slender, porcelain-white fingers danced over the beads as if playing a piano, producing a rapid CLACK-CLACK-CLACK.

As she worked the abacus, she muttered under her breath, listing off reasons: one flower was out of season and required meticulous care in the greenhouse; another was a newly acquired, valuable ornamental variety exclusive to her shop; the one next to it was a rare, unusually shaped specimen...

Every flower came with a justification for its high price, with each starting in the tens of thousands. After rattling off this litany, Chi Yun’er brought her calculations to a halt with a final, sharp *smack* of the abacus and announced with a light laugh, "Your total comes to 8,394,533 yuan."

That was equivalent to one million Pounds!

Jiang Zishi’s brow twitched upon hearing the price. But then he met Chi Yun’er’s outstretched hand and her mocking, contemptuous gaze.

He felt a flash of anger. The number really was a bit steep.

"Young Master, we only brought five million with us this time. You can’t act rashly..."

"Even though you’re the sole heir to the Cook family, the other branches and your extended relatives are all watching you. You need to find a highly profitable project to invest in here in Xiahua to solidify your position, not..."

The assistant by Jiang Zishi’s side, an expert on all things Xiahua, had naturally understood every word Chi Yun’er said.

He couldn’t help but step forward and whisper to Jiang Zishi in English.

Jiang Zishi was the kind of man who put his pride on a pedestal. He could be so poor he had to survive on scraps, but his dignity and reputation had to remain immaculate. He would not tolerate being contradicted.

He had already been feeling conflicted, but now he was reeling. First, Chi Yun’er had hit him with an outrageous price, implicitly mocking his inability to pay. Then, his own assistant had reminded him of his precarious position within the Cook family.

In a fit of pique, Jiang Zishi said coldly, "Pay her. But, since Yun’er has been tending to these flowers for so long, she must not find them all that special anymore. In that case, I’ll buy them and give them to the other members of our investment delegation. Let’s show everyone just how skilled the florists of our Xiahua are!"

’One million Pounds is no small sum. He had to find a way to recoup some of that investment.’

’He knew the rich and powerful loved flowers. A single, unique plant could sell for an astronomical price. He could use them to befriend influential people and expand his network.’

Bian Yumin knew the temperament of the man she shared a bed with. The one million Pounds was as good as spent. But then, an idea sparked in her eyes. She whispered, "Zishi, we could buy them... and hold an auction..."

She spoke so quietly it was practically just a breath of air. No one besides the two of them could possibly have heard.

Bian Yumin had been reborn. The rich benefactors she’d latched onto had all been businessmen, and she’d picked up a few things by sheer osmosis. She might not be capable of executing a plan herself, but she was good at providing novel ideas for others to consider.

In fact, this was precisely how she had become Jiang Zishi’s personal oracle. Otherwise, a mere village girl like her could never have leveraged a pregnancy to climb her way into the position of his primary partner.