The help-wanted sign was written on a sheet of yellowed parchment. Judging by the handwriting, it was written by hand with sharp, fierce strokes—starkly contrasting the man's gentle demeanor when he spoke.
“Help Wanted: One shop assistant. Requirements:
Female, clean scent, loves flowers and plants, willing to offer long-term companionship.
Responsibilities: Manage the florist, tend to the plants, and spend the rest of your life with the owner.
Compensation: Never be lonely, and share everything in the florist.”
What shop assistant? This was clearly a blatant “looking for a wife” ad.
Bai Ci stared at the words “spend the rest of your life” and “never be lonely,” the muscles at the corner of her mouth twitching uncontrollably.
The expression management skills she had honed over years of being a DM came in handy. She forced her twitching lips into a stiff, polite smile.
In her twenty-five years of life, she had seen blind dates and marriage proposals, but she had never seen anyone mix job recruitment with finding a partner—especially with such blunt and bizarre phrasing.
This was no longer just strange; it was absurd to the point of ridiculousness.
Looking up, she happened to meet the gaze of the man inside the glass door. His light gray eyes stared at her unblinkingly, clean and focused.
Bai Ci took a deep breath, reached out to tear down the parchment help-wanted sign, folded it twice, and stuffed it into her pajama pocket. Now was not the time to fret over the job description. Staying in this temporarily safe florist and figuring out the situation was her top priority.
Pushing the door open and stepping inside, the wind chimes jingled once more. The man immediately stood up straight, as if welcoming someone important.
Bai Ci walked over, placed the folded sign on the checkout counter, and tried to make her voice sound as natural as possible. “Boss, the contents of this help-wanted sign... can I double-check them with you?”
The man took the paper, casually placed it on the counter, and then looked at Bai Ci. “What is there to check?”
“Well...” Bai Ci chose her words carefully, trying not to let her voice sound too shocked. “The ‘spend the rest of your life’ part written on there, what does that mean exactly? It sounds like you're looking for a partner.”
The man tilted his head, a trace of confusion gathering in his pale gray eyes, as if he couldn't understand why she would even question it. “What else would it mean?”
“But...” Bai Ci hesitated. “Usually, when people hire shop assistants, they don't write things like that.”
“They don't?” The man paused, seemingly unable to grasp her meaning.
The man picked up a rose and carefully trimmed the thorns off the stem. As he handed it to Bai Ci, the warm yellow light from the flower racks reflected in his pale gray eyes, making him look somewhat innocent. Yet, his tone was unnervingly serious. “Managing a florist takes a lot of time. It requires care day and night, so isn't it normal to do it with a partner? When left alone for too long, the flowers get lonely. And so do I.”
His logic was entirely his own; he saw absolutely nothing wrong with this package deal.
Looking into his mist-shrouded eyes, Bai Ci suddenly realized that this man's way of thinking might differ from that of an ordinary person. The faint, inhuman quality about him was becoming increasingly apparent.
She had to escape!
Bai Ci's heart screamed. Although the man's behavior so far could be described as gentle, he inspired nothing but a hair-raising sense of danger.
But she didn't dare show any resistance. She could only suppress the unease in her heart and continue to probe indirectly. “Then... isn't there some kind of ceremony required? Or rather, don't we need to get to know each other first? For example, I still don't know your name, Boss.”
It was always best to gather information first. His name, background, social relations—even the smallest clue could be key to saving herself later.
“Lin,” he stated his name, his voice still soft and gentle. “Lin, as in forest.”
“You can call me A'ci, as in diction.” She gave her name too, taking the opportunity to press further. “Boss Lin, have you always managed this florist by yourself? Do your family or friends ever come to help?”
Lin shook his head. “No family, no friends.”
His tone was flat, carrying no hint of sadness or regret, as if he were stating an inconsequential fact. His pale gray eyes looked like a lifeless wasteland.
How could a normal human being have absolutely no social relations?
He paused, as if recalling something, and added, “Occasionally, customers come to buy flowers, but it's rare.”
“Rarely any customers?” Bai Ci's mind raced. “The location of this shop seems quite good, and there's no competition around. That shouldn't be the case. People from the nearby residential area should be coming by, right?”
“No,” Lin shook his head. “They don't like my flowers.”
“They don't? Why? These flowers are clearly so beautiful.”
Lin continued to shake his head. “I don't know.”
Seeing this response, Bai Ci didn't press further. She could tell that Lin wasn't good at expressing himself; he couldn't explain many things clearly, so asking would be pointless.
She turned and walked over to the flower racks, pretending to examine the fresh flowers while observing him out of the corner of her eye.
Lin followed her over and pointed to the sunflowers on the rack. “These are sunflowers. They need to be kept in a sunny spot and watered once a day. Not too much, or the roots will rot.”
His fingers were long and slender. He touched the petals with gentle movements, as if caressing a precious treasure.
Bai Ci nodded and, mimicking his action, gently touched a sunflower petal. It felt soft and carried a damp coolness. “Did you grow all these flowers yourself?”
“Yes.” A faint blush crept onto Lin's cheeks, as if he was slightly embarrassed by the attention. “I grow them in the backyard. I can take you to see the greenhouse.”
He led Bai Ci through a small door behind the checkout counter and into the backyard.
The backyard wasn't large, but it was filled with flowers of every color. Unlike the flower racks in the front shop, the plants here grew exceptionally lush, and their petals were unusually vibrant, almost garishly so. The scent of soil was much richer here than in the front, laced with a faint, elusive fragrance of decaying leaves, similar to the scent on Lin.
It was clear that the florist's business was indeed struggling. These weren't some mini-game varieties that matured in dozens of minutes; how could any flower shop supply its stock solely by growing them itself?
Then again, in this bizarre, unfamiliar world, perhaps such varieties actually existed.
“The soil here is different from the outside.” Lin squatted down, scooped up a handful of black soil, and held it out to Bai Ci. “Flowers grown in this soil bloom longer and look more beautiful.”
Bai Ci stared at the black soil but didn't dare take it. Though the soil looked fine and smooth, it exuded an indescribable creepiness. She couldn't help but feel that something was hidden inside it.
“It's fine if you don't want to touch it.” As if reading her concerns, Lin withdrew his hand and let the soil slip back to the ground. “Just remember to water them once every morning, and check again in the evening for any withered petals.”
She could feel Lin Mo's gaze resting on her back. That focused, analytical stare made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
“Boss, you're really good at cultivating flowers. They all grow so beautifully. Did you study this professionally?”
“Lin,” Lin corrected. “I didn't study it. I just grow them by feel.”
By feel? Bai Ci grumbled inwardly. That was a major humblebrag. She had to look up guides just to keep succulents alive; how could someone grow so many delicate flowers so well just “by feel”?
“Then why did you open this florist?” Bai Ci asked again. “Is it because you like flowers?”
“Yes.” Lin's answer remained brief. “Flowers don't lie, and they don't leave.”
These words struck a chord in Bai Ci's heart. They don't lie, and they don't leave? Could he have been deceived before, or abandoned by someone close to him?
Just as she was about to probe further, the old-fashioned flip phone in her pocket suddenly rang. The familiar ringtone sounded exceptionally piercing in the quiet backyard, shattering the bizarre atmosphere between them.
Bai Ci instinctively pulled out the phone. The screen still displayed that same unsaved number. Before she could even react, the call connected automatically.
“Drip, drop. Drip, drop.”
The familiar sound of dripping water came from the receiver, clearer than ever before, as if it were right next to her ear.
Rate on N.U.
