The Ordinary Girl in the Flower Shop

White River City in the early morning appeared much more tranquil.

The lonely shadows on the celestial streets, the spring breeze along the willow banks, and the towering pavilions had shed the chaotic haze of the previous night. On the river’s surface, two or three lingering boats glided beneath the suspension bridge. As a tourist city famous for its ancient town charm, the effort put into the imitation ancient architecture and the restoration of old-world style was exceptionally well done.

The only truly modern structure, perhaps, was the massive bridge spanning across the river.

At the entrance of the tourist district, there was a strange but famous flower shop. It didn’t open in the morning, but instead stayed open until the early hours of the dawn.

The rules for selling flowers were equally bizarre. The prices varied from person to person—for some, it was outrageously expensive; for others, it was free; and for some, the shop wouldn’t sell to them at all. However, there was no denying that the quality of the flowers was legendary.

Of course, the shop’s fame didn’t just come from its weird rules or the flowers themselves, but from the two beauties—one older, one younger—who lived there.

The older beauty was named Hua Qianluo, the owner of the shop. She appeared to be in her twenties but possessed a level of laziness entirely inconsistent with her age. On a typical day, if she wasn’t slacking off, she was dozing, or tucked away in a corner playing mobile games.

The younger beauty was named Luo Xiaoxi, a student at the local high school. She had just graduated and was heading to university. Despite her high scores, she chose White River University—less than two miles from her front door—just so she could look after the shop and its manager. After all, she felt that if the gaming-addicted, lazy Hua Qianluo were left to her own devices, she would find it very difficult to survive in this world.

Since it was currently summer break, Xiaoxi was working as a clerk in the shop.

Today was the day of her high school class reunion, so the alarm in Luo Xiaoxi’s room rang early. The little beauty in the room irritably slapped the “head” of Mr. Alarm Clock. She rubbed her eyes; despite her deep attachment to her bed, she chose to get up. She had promised to go, and it wouldn’t look good if she were late.

Slipping on her slippers, Xiaoxi went into the bathroom to wash up, then warmed some milk and fried eggs for breakfast.

“Old Lady, breakfast is ready!“

Xiaoxi shouted toward Hua Qianluo’s door. It took a long time before Hua Qianluo’s voice drifted back.

“Not eating, not eating! Arghhhhh!“

Xiaoxi sighed helplessly. Hua Qianluo had stayed up all night gaming again. Left with no choice, Xiaoxi carried the tray to the door and pushed her way in.

Sure enough, Hua Qianluo was sitting on the bed with dark circles under her eyes, her gaze fixed intensely on her phone screen. Her fingernails were tapping so fast they almost sparked. Unfortunately, a barrage of enemy skills soon covered the screen, and her character died instantly.

“Waaaah! I’m going to lose again!“

Hua Qianluo was practically in tears. She hadn’t gained a single “star” all night; in fact, she had lost several. The enemy was already pushing into her high ground.

“Wow, you’re terrible. It’s only been six minutes and they’re already at the high ground?“

Xiaoxi curled her lip, placed the tray on the bed, snatched the phone away, and began to play. Left without her phone, Hua Qianluo had no choice but to start eating her breakfast while watching Xiaoxi’s hands move.

Xiaoxi wasn’t exaggerating. Hua Qianluo was the definition of “bad but addicted.” She picked flashy, high-skill characters but executed nothing but cringeworthy plays. In contrast, Xiaoxi—who only touched a phone once a month compared to Qianluo’s nightly practice—was a natural talent. Her rank was far higher than Qianluo’s, and her mechanical awareness was a complete stomp.

As soon as Xiaoxi took over, the game changed.

“When you play Jungler, don’t just blindly jump into team fights,” Xiaoxi said while playing, not forgetting to coach her. “You have no farm. Fighting them now is just feeding.” She managed the minion waves, expanded her gold lead, and found the perfect moment to engage.

Even her teammates started typing in shock:“What happened? Did this ‘Black Rat’ swap players?”“Damn, she’s good!”

Finally, Xiaoxi led the team to victory. Gold Medal Assassin. MVP. She handed the phone back.

“Alright, stop playing. Go to sleep.” Xiaoxi glared at her and picked up the empty breakfast tray.

Hua Qianluo nodded frantically, watching Xiaoxi walk to the door.

“Stop playing! Sleep!” Xiaoxi repeated.

“Mhm, mhm,” Qianluo replied. She lay back on the bed and even pulled the covers up for realism, closing her eyes.

Xiaoxi watched her, truly speechless. Having such a guardian…

“Sweet dreams, Mama Qianluo.“

With the sound of the door closing, Hua Qianluo opened her eyes. A flicker of tenderness flashed in her gaze. Although she had told Xiaoxi many times not to call her “Mama Qianluo,” the girl still did it.

However, once she was sure Xiaoxi had left, Qianluo threw off the covers. She couldn’t let her ranking journey end here. She tapped her phone and entered the password.

“Sorry, incorrect password.”

Qianluo was stunned. She tried again. Same prompt. She suddenly remembered that when Xiaoxi took her phone, she had swiped through several settings screens…

“Aaaaagh! You brat!”

Hua Qianluo pinched her fingers together to calculate. Seriously, now she had to perform a Heavenly Divination just to crack a phone password. Just as she was about to complain, her expression shifted. She calculated that Xiaoxi would encounter something during this outing—not exactly danger, but more of a “scare without harm.”

Hua Qianluo suddenly smiled. “I didn’t expect that after all these years, you’ve become so strong. Even I almost failed to detect your aura. But if it’s you, then I can rest easy.”

Having just pushed her bicycle out, Luo Xiaoxi heard Hua Qianluo’s scream from inside.

“Will you go to sleep properly now?” Xiaoxi wrinkled her nose. Everything was going according to her plan.

Riding her bike, Xiaoxi hummed a little tune. She did not notice that in a hidden corner, someone was quietly watching her receding back.