Chapter 194: Juice Balcony

In a villa in a suburban area, a young girl sat in the courtyard, staring at the blooming flowers absent-mindedly.

She was surrounded by many flowers in full bloom—jasmines, camellias, and more—creating a visually pleasing scene.

Unfortunately, the girl didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

She used a book to cover her face, avoiding certain aspects of her life.

A well-dressed lady in a qipao, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers, walked slowly from the other end of the garden.

The flowers in her hands were still dripping with water, indicating they had just been picked.

The lady placed the bouquet on the table and looked at the girl with the book-covered face, her eyes filled with concern.

She spoke softly, “Xinran, what’s wrong? Are you feeling down?”

The lady was Chu Xinran’s adoptive mother, Chu Xuan.

Hearing her voice, Chu Xinran removed the book from her face, opening her wide doe eyes. She hadn’t been asleep, just resting her eyes.

A flash of panic crossed Chu Xinran’s face upon being seen through, but remembering it was her mother, she felt it was okay to show some emotion.

She nodded slightly and replied, “I’m not feeling great, not exactly happy.”

After all, learning that the person you like has multiple ex-girlfriends, all gathering on the same show, who could be happy about that?

Moreover, these ex-girlfriends seemed to be eyeing Fang Zhou, wanting to rekindle their relationships.

How could Chu Xinran be interested in that?

The trending topics had been on the platform all day without anyone addressing them, indicating that the involved parties didn’t care or possibly even wanted the hype.

This made Chu Xinran suspect Qiao Sisi, who likely wanted the whole world to know Fang Zhou was her ex-boyfriend.

Such a high-profile declaration of love couldn’t possibly go unnoticed by Fang Zhou.

Chu Xinran’s heart ached again, her mood sinking further.

Chu Xuan, feeling her daughter’s distress, reached out to stroke her head, comforting her softly, “If something’s bothering you, you can tell Mom. I’ll help you resolve it.”

Such a simple sentence somehow hit Chu Xinran’s emotional trigger.

Throughout her childhood, Chu Xuan had poured all her love into her adopted daughter.

When Chu Xinran was bullied by her peers, Chu Xuan would directly approach the teachers and school, forcing an apology and guarantees from the offenders.

Since then, no one at school dared to bully her.

As she grew older and became more attractive, pursued by boys at school, Chu Xuan initially turned a blind eye.

But when those boys started crossing the line, wanting to take Chu Xinran out alone, Chu Xuan stepped in.

No matter what, her mother was always there, supporting her behind the scenes. Except for the matter with Fang Zhou, she had been very good to her.

That was the coldest and most heartless she had ever seen her mother.

Chu Xinran felt a lump in her throat, blinking back tears.

She thought to herself: Even if I tell her, Mom won’t agree.

She would only take the opportunity to meddle, making things worse and pushing Fang Zhou further away.

So Chu Xinran chose to keep it hidden.

“It’s nothing. I’ll be fine soon. Don’t worry about me. Is that bouquet ‘Juice Balcony’? It looks beautiful.”

Chu Xinran shifted her attention to the bouquet her mother had just placed on the table, touching the orange-yellow flowers.

She knew her mother loved gardening.

Chu Xuan had even created a large private garden in the villa, taking care of the flowers herself, rarely letting the gardeners intervene.

Chu Xuan nodded gently, following the topic.

“Yes, I’ll ask Aunt Wang to put some in your room later.”

Chu Xinran smiled genuinely.

“Thank you, Mom.”

As she played with the leaves, another thought crossed her mind: Fang Zhou also liked the ‘Juice Balcony’ flower.

The yellow roses blooming on the balcony during the rainy season were like rays of sunshine, brightening one’s mood.

They also symbolized beautiful love, luck, and blessings.

A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes. Did Fang Zhou like ‘Juice Balcony’ because he longed for beautiful love too?

If that were the case, why didn’t he believe they could create that beautiful love together?

Chu Xuan didn’t miss the confusion and sadness in her daughter’s eyes, sighing inwardly.

This silly girl must be heartbroken over that man again.

She suddenly remembered the invitation she received that morning and had an idea.

“Xinran, there’s a banquet tonight. Will you come with me?”

Chu Xinran hesitated, instinctively not wanting to go.

Previous banquets were either subtle matchmaking attempts or covert blind dates.

“Mom, I…”

Sensing her reluctance, Chu Xuan interrupted.

“It’s a charity banquet. You just returned from the mountains, right? We can do some good.”

Thinking of the children in the impoverished mountainous areas, Chu Xinran’s heart softened.

“Alright, I’ll go.”

Chu Xuan smiled, satisfied, thinking: Although it’s a charity banquet, there will be many distinguished guests.

Only the rich or those with outstanding achievements in certain fields can attend.

More importantly, there will be many excellent young men.

With so many promising young men, she couldn’t believe Chu Xinran wouldn’t find one to her liking.

Her smart daughter was so confused about love. Why get stuck on one tree?

But it’s okay, she would help her move on.

Chu Xuan smiled confidently, already planning how to find a suitable match for her daughter.

Meanwhile, Fang Zhou was at a clothing store, following Han Xi’s arrangement, choosing an outfit.

According to Han Xi, tonight’s banquet was quite important, and as her companion, his attire must be impeccable.

After trying on five or six outfits, Fang Zhou felt exhausted. Han Xi’s discerning eye was as demanding as ever.

Finally, when he came out in a white suit, he saw a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

“Alright, this one. Put it on my tab.”

Han Xi made a gesture, and the store attendant, delighted, agreed immediately.

Fang Zhou scratched his head, feeling like he was in a scene from a romantic drama where the domineering CEO buys clothes for the little wife.

“Um, maybe I should pay for it. After all, it’s for me.”

Han Xi raised an eyebrow, looking at his suit, and said, “You’re helping me, so of course I’ll cover it.”

With that, the store attendant brought over a rack of women’s clothing for Han Xi to try on.

Feeling bored, Fang Zhou glanced at the price tag and was stunned—six figures.

Suddenly, he felt relieved he didn’t insist on paying to show off.

He couldn’t understand the world of the wealthy.