The next day, Liang got up early while I was still sleeping like the dead. But she wouldn't stop—she kept poking and disturbing me until I groaned and said, half-asleep, "Liang, I know you love him, but it's too early. Even he's probably sleeping now. If you go see him this early, he'll think you're disturbing him!"
Liang frowned. "Then what should I do?"
I pulled her head down gently and muttered, "Go back to sleep."
By 9 a.m., Liang's mother knocked on our door to wake us. We got up, freshened up, and had breakfast. I was still trying to digest my food, but Liang kept elbowing me to go to the flower shop. Her mother just looked at us suspiciously, like we were off to rob someone's house.
We headed out and walked to the flower shop. As soon as we entered, I lit up—everything was blooming and colorful. Liang, on the other hand, lit up for a different reason: Zhichen was standing behind the billing desk, scrolling on his phone.
When he saw us, he quickly stood up and greeted us with a warm smile. He waved at Liang and asked, "Who's she?"
Liang introduced me proudly, "She's my sworn sister."
I laughed and gave him a little wave. "Can you help me choose a bouquet that would suit a boy?"
He showed me a few options and asked me to take my time choosing. Liang, meanwhile, was busy staring at him, so I nudged her and whispered, "Hey, mom asked me to buy some flowers for the neighbors. Go choose with him, I'll take care of this."
She nodded eagerly and walked off with Zhichen toward the garden area. I kept browsing flowers while secretly watching them.
Inside the garden, Liang's eyes sparkled—it was even more beautiful than the shop outside. "Zhichen, how do you have so many flowers in here? Do you really love flowers this much?"
He laughed softly. "Yeah… I love flowers."
"Why?" she asked curiously.
He paused for a moment, then said, "When I was in middle school, I saw a dried flower on the road while crossing. I brought it home and showed it to my mom. I said, 'Ma, the flower is dried. Can we save it?' She smiled and said, 'Yeah, Chen. Give it to me, I'll revive it.' And she did."
Liang asked softly, "Is your mother a horticulturist too?"
He nodded with a faint smile. "Yeah. She was quite famous actually."
Then his voice trembled slightly. "When the plant finally bloomed, I was so happy. I wanted to show her. But… she had passed away. The doctor later told me she had cancer… she hid it from me and didn't get treatment. I was devastated."
Liang's eyes welled up. "I'm so sorry… what happened after that?"
Zhichen continued quietly, "When I went into her room, I found a note. It said, 'Chen, forgive me for leaving you. When I woke up this morning, I saw the flower you brought had bloomed. It's as beautiful as my Chen.' After reading that, I was heartbroken… But I decided that day—I'd become like my mother. I'd grow flowers and make her proud."
As he spoke, Liang gently patted his shoulder. "You've done it, Zhichen. You've become a professional horticulturist. You've grown tall like a coconut tree," she teased, smiling warmly. "I'm sure your mom is proud of you now. And you have me. If anything happens, I'll be your savior."
Zhichen let out a small laugh and affectionately patted her hair.