C12 Flowers Bloom for Me!

"Young Master Qin sure has a way with words. If orchids were as common as dirt, that mountain would've been monopolized by some international conglomerate by now."

Qin Fann just shrugged, thinking to himself that not even a powerhouse consortium, one that backs presidents, could locate that mountain. If their hideaway had been discovered, he and the old ghost's eighteen years of partnership would've been for naught—they'd have been ousted long ago.

In the mountains, time stood still, while clouds veiled the world beyond.

He never imagined that the orchids he'd nonchalantly used as a makeshift mattress could be so valuable.

With a smile, he reached out to touch one, "Sister Ye, the Sorrow Orchid is actually..."

"Don't, don't touch it! Young Master Qin, pull your hand back now!" In her urgency, Little Ye, his assistant, dropped all pretense of flattery.

Nearby, a group of office workers exchanged knowing glances and chuckled. Seeing nothing more of interest, and with the workday at an end, they decided to save the gossip for tomorrow's lunch break.

The crowd dispersed with laughter, leaving the hall quieter as Qin Fann slowly retracted his hand.

Having spoken sharply to Young Master Qin in her haste, Little Ye no longer bothered with a facade of respect. Her contempt was clear, and she made no effort to hide it as she meticulously trimmed the leaves with her delicate scissors.

Two meters away, a dejected Qin Fann felt like weeping. He wished he could tell Little Ye how these plants were nothing special on the mountain—how he could drench them just by relieving himself—but he let it go.

After three long minutes, Little Ye, feeling she may have overstepped, shelved her mocking attitude and turned back to Qin Fann.

Despite his shortcomings, his naivety, and his accidental luck with Tang Ruoyan's favor, it had been quite some time since anyone had heard of him succumbing to the follies often associated with the wealthy youth.

To a man who prides himself on his integrity, it seems only right to offer a modicum of respect.

With this in mind, Assistant Little Ye mustered a faint smile and said, "I apologize, Young Master Qin. I was so engrossed in my work that I forgot to prepare a drink for you. What would you like?"

"There's no need. Just keep busy. To be honest, after observing for a while, I think your management skills are quite average," Qin Fann replied, his patience seemingly wearing thin.

Qin Fann seemed to have lost his usual composure, adopting a detached tone as he spoke. The idea of reciprocating a small kindness with great gratitude was evidently foreign to him.

Little Ye recognized her error. She had extended a mere gesture of respect to Qin Fann, but in this large corporation, surrounded daily by office workers embroiled in constant intrigue, her tired nature had little resilience left. Upon hearing Qin Fann's lack of appreciation, she hesitated in her task of fetching a drink and instead gently caressed the leaves of the Sorrow Orchid.

"Oh? It appears you have a deep understanding of plants, Mr. Qin. Could you possibly teach me how to make this Sorrow Orchid bloom? Director Tang was gifted this treasure when he assumed control of the company, and we have yet to experience its fragrance."

Her challenge was evident, as she knew that not even a handsome opportunist, much less a world-renowned gardening master, would boast of being able to accomplish such a feat.

Qin Fann stood up, took a step forward, and delicately picked up a leaf that Little Ye had pruned. With a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, he grabbed another potted plant and nestled the leaf into the soil.

Little Ye was momentarily stunned by the scene unfolding before her. A surge of irritation crossed her perfect features. She had exhaustively searched online for ways to care for the Sorrow Orchid, yet even its simple name was nowhere to be found on Baidu.

And yet, there was Qin Fann, the shameless in-law, casually attempting to plant a leaf she had cut. Was this a blatant insult?

Finding herself at a loss for words, she thought of her postdoctoral credentials, which now seemed inadequate to describe Qin Fann's ignorance and hubris.

If the leaf he carelessly inserted into the pot could sprout another Sorrow Orchid, then there would be no need for Tang's to continue its operations. Such a valuable asset could be mass-produced and sold to the world's elite. Why bother with running a company or holding meetings?

The most direct course of action would be to walk into the offices of tycoons like Rockefeller or Bill Gates with a pot of the plant in hand, and ask if it could be exchanged for a 10% share of their business.

With a sneer of contempt, Little Ye, the female assistant, decided against preparing beverages. Instead, she sat down, crossed her arms, and pushed her chest forward, creating a noticeable gap.

If Qin Fann could manage to make a fool of himself today, then anyone could waltz through that opening without a care.

Unperturbed by his surroundings, Qin Fann held a flowerpot no bigger than his hand, sweet-talking the butterfly orchid nestled within. "Let's make a deal, okay? Lan Lan is still small, and you're the big sister. Give her some space. I promise I won't remove you."

Xiao Ye was taken aback by his monologue, her fears confirmed: Director Tang had truly married a man who seemed destined for a mental institution until he was eighty.

Unwittingly, Xiao Ye had fitted Qin Fann with another hat he didn't deserve—the hat of a lunatic. He was already pegged as a useless son-in-law; now, he had another label to add to his weekly rotation.

But she shrugged it off. What could Qin Fann do against the cheeky wind trying to peek under a woman's skirt? He could only watch, his only hope being to avoid the addition of yet another cuckold's cap to his collection.

Finally, under Xiao Ye's frosty gaze, Qin Fann struck a deal and praised the orchid with a tender "Good girl." He clicked his fingers to a beat, softly humming an old-fashioned song, "You are my wife, fragrant and sweet. Life must be filled with joy, no wandering off..."

The tune rendered Xiao Ye speechless, her face a mix of black and white, with lines of bewilderment streaming down, dripping in disbelief.

"Mr. Qin, you..."

"Lil' Ye, send me the revised proposal for the maritime trade fleet, and the specs for the new Mercedes-Benz tugboat engines too," came Tang Ruoyan's voice, cool yet ethereal, from the phone. It was a voice that could comfort anyone who listened, even Little Ye, who could easily imagine the exquisite lips that produced such a heavenly sound.

She promptly complied, sending the documents from her computer, detailing the specifications for Tang's newly upgraded tugboat model.

As Tang Ruoyan's right-hand woman, Little Ye's diligence was crucial to their success.

Content with her work and filled with self-assurance, she turned to confront her husband Qin Fann once more, intent on challenging his brazen confidence. Yet the scene before her struck her heart with the force of a thousand blades.

She hastily agreed, swiftly turning to operate the computer beside her, sending out a document that clearly listed Tang's newly replaced offshore tugboat models, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Indeed, as Director Tang Ruoyan's right-hand woman, Little Ye's contributions were indispensable to their current success.

Frozen in place, her delicate hand subconsciously reached for the precious Sorrow Orchid beside her...