Chapter 51: Chapter 511: Not Sparing Him a Single Glance

Chi Wan asked the same question. "Hello, and you are...?"

The distinguished-looking man in a well-tailored suit extended a hand from behind the box. "Hello, you must be Chi Wan? My name is Xiahou Yu. My grandfather, Xu Qiannian, contacted you before. I’m here to deliver the flowers."

’Xiahou Yu? Did he take his mother’s surname?’

Seeing the large box in his hands, Chi Wan quickly stepped aside to let him in. As she led him to the flower room, she asked curiously, "Didn’t Grandpa Xu say he was coming himself?"

Following Chi Wan’s directions, Xiahou Yu placed the large box on a table at the entrance to the flower room. He smiled at her question. "Something came up for him last minute, so he asked me to bring it over. He said it’s a thank-you gift, paid in advance."

At his words, Chi Wan carefully opened the box. Inside, to her surprise, was a Zhang Yulan orchid.

She could see the flowers were in full bloom and the leaves were packed tightly in the pot. It was the perfect time to divide the plant.

"Grandpa Xu takes such good care of his flowers." Chi Wan admired it for a moment before looking at Xiahou Yu. "But isn’t he afraid I’ll mess up the division and kill the plant? A Zhang Yulan blooming this beautifully is a rare sight, you know."

Xiahou Yu didn’t actually know much about orchids. He simply replied calmly, "Since my grandfather had me give it to you, it means he trusts you."

Chi Wan chuckled. "Then I’d better not betray Grandpa Xu’s trust."

’She knew this was Xu Qiannian’s way of testing her abilities. She just couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t come to watch in person, sending Xiahou Yu instead. It was obvious Xiahou Yu wasn’t very interested in orchids; after all, his expression hadn’t changed in the slightest when he saw the Dragon Robe in her flower room.’

’Even though the flowers she’d planted in the past had always died from one accident or another, she was completely confident in her basic botanical skills.’

Meanwhile, Li Xingye, who had been listening to Chi Wan and Xiahou Yu’s conversation, was not in a good mood at all.

’First it was some ’Senior Brother,’ and now it’s this ’Octopus Orchid’ guy.’ He wished he could claw a hole through the very fabric of his space to see who on earth this Xiahou Yu really was.

But in the end, it was nothing more than helpless fury.

’Li Xingye could only console himself silently. It was obvious Wanwan didn’t know that ’Octopus Orchid’ guy at all. Their conversation was completely professional, not like when she talked to him—her voice always had that playful, wheedling tone.’

’Ultimately, he was different from that Octopus Orchid guy... wasn’t he?’

As these thoughts churned, he indignantly sprouted the seeds one by one, selected a few of the resulting plants, harvested their fruit, and placed them in the pouch he kept ready for Chi Wan.

"Octopus Orchid, Cuttlefish Orchid... whatever. Just you wait, I’ll find Wanwan a Shark Orchid or a Whale Orchid..."

*

Chi Wan, who was thrilled by the challenge, was naturally unaware that someone was secretly grinding his teeth in frustration.

Before her family went bankrupt, she had often divided and grafted plants in the flower room, so she kept all the necessary tools in her space.

Seeing that Xiahou Yu didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave, she had an idea. ’Perhaps he’s planning to wait until I’m done dividing it so he can take the Zhang Yulan back right away. After all, newly divided orchids require careful attention.’

So, she smiled and said, "Why don’t you have a seat and some tea, then? Just give me a moment, I’ll be done in a flash."

She gestured for Xiahou Yu to sit in a nearby wicker chair, and before he could even open his mouth to respond, Chi Wan had already begun the process of dividing the Zhang Yulan.

Even though Li Xingye’s presence was a near guarantee that the plant wouldn’t be too traumatized by the process, she still meticulously prepared her tools, knowing the steps and techniques for division by heart.

Once she was in her element—immersed in a task she was skilled at and loved—she became oblivious to the fact that someone was watching.

Chi Wan’s hands were steady. She carefully unpotted the Zhang Yulan, then meticulously cleared the old substrate from its root system.

Next, she carefully trimmed away the dried leaves, old pseudobulbs, and any dead roots. Finally, she divided the plant into two clumps and potted each one in the fresh substrate she had prepared beforehand.

Xiahou Yu sat in the wicker chair, silently watching Chi Wan work.

He had intended to tell Chi Wan that his grandfather wasn’t expecting her to divide the plant immediately. The only reason he hadn’t spoken up right away was that he found her house rather distinctive; its style would be perfect for a resort he was currently developing, so he had been silently observing its construction.

He just hadn’t expected Chi Wan to be such a woman of action. By the time Xiahou Yu thought to speak again, she was already engrossed in her work, and it felt wrong to interrupt.

So, Xiahou Yu could only sip his tea quietly and watch as Chi Wan methodically divided the plant. To his surprise, he found a certain fluid, graceful beauty in her movements.

The sunlight streaming through the window created a golden halo around the soft, wispy hairs escaping her ponytail. A faint smile played on her lips as her hands moved deftly, her expression one of utter seriousness and concentration as she focused on the Zhang Yulan, not sparing him a single glance.

For Xiahou Yu, who was accustomed to being the center of attention, this was a novel experience. But he found himself unexpectedly enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

He especially noted how the Zhang Yulan, which had looked a bit overgrown and weighed down before, now seemed much more vibrant after Chi Wan’s tending—even with fewer leaves. For the first time, he could appreciate some of the orchid’s elegant charm.

It wasn’t that Xiahou Yu had never watched his own grandfather divide a plant. It was just that the sight of the old man muttering to himself while waving a pair of shears around simply couldn’t compare to the pleasing spectacle before him now.

Chi Wan cleaned up the last of the substrate, looked at the two newly potted orchids before her, and smiled in satisfaction.

She stretched and straightened up, only to find Xiahou Yu looking at her. Chi Wan froze for a second, then quickly smiled. "You must have gotten bored waiting. They’re all divided now. I’m sure Grandpa Xu knows how to take it from here.

"The blooms are almost past their prime, and it’d be a shame to let them wilt. If you like, you can pick some to put in a vase. Zhang Yulan flowers are quite unique."

Xiahou Yu snapped back to the present and gave a slight nod. Instead of responding to her suggestion, he changed the subject. "Thank you for the tip. But more than the flowers, I find your house even more distinctive. May I ask who designed and built it for you?"

Chi Wan blinked, unsure of what Xiahou Yu was getting at. She could only answer vaguely, "It was... a brother of mine who helped build it. But he lives abroad and doesn’t come back very often. Why?"

Xiahou Yu was silent for a few seconds. "I just find this treehouse very interesting. If it’s possible, I’d like to invite him to build a few vacation cottages for my resort."

Chi Wan put on a regretful expression. "Oh, that’s really unfortunate. My brother isn’t actually an architect or anything. He has his own career; the only reason he helped me with the treehouse was that he happened to be on vacation."

’And even if he weren’t on vacation, it’s not like she could have Li Xingye perform his magic trick of raising a building from thin air for everyone to see.’

Hearing this, Xiahou Yu had no choice but to drop the subject. "My apologies, that was too forward of me. Well, since the plant has been divided, I’ll just..."

But before he could finish his farewell, a hysterical roar erupted from outside the house. "Chi Wan! You goddamn little bitch, get your ass out here!!"