Chapter 93 Sunflowers and Red Roses
Song Ni emerged from her bath to find the bed empty. It had been too late to take a good look around when they arrived yesterday, and Tan Zheng had immediately pulled her for drinks. Now, she discovered that Tan Zheng's bedroom not only offered stunning nighttime views but was equally impressive by day. One side overlooked the lake, another faced the mountains, one offered a panorama of the entire floor’s vehicles, and the other revealed a backyard garden.
Song Ni froze. The garden seemed entirely out of place for this villa. By all accounts, Tan Zheng wasn't the type to appreciate flowers, yet this garden was filled with sunflowers and roses. Blazingly yellow, vibrantly red. Neither of these flowers were in season, clearly indicating the use of greenhouse technology. But what Song Ni couldn't comprehend was why these two specific flowers. The sunflower symbolizes faith, radiance, loyalty, and adoration. And the red rose speaks of ardent love. Did Tan Zheng harbor feelings for someone? Song Ni shook her head instinctively. It didn't seem like him, and she hadn't heard anything of the sort from Lu Hao Ting. Yet, if there wasn't someone he admired, why would he go to such lengths to cultivate these flowers in the dead of winter?
Song Ni found herself struggling to picture Tan Zheng, a glass of wine in hand, standing by the window and gazing at these flowers in the dead of night. Her heart ached slightly. She realized she didn't want to delve deeper. Song Ni pursed her lips, intending to investigate the backyard garden herself.
Unexpectedly, the person who had vanished from the bed was indeed in the backyard. He wore a bathrobe, its collar open, as he squatted before the rose bushes. Hearing the sound, he didn't even look up. "These roses were shipped from overseas for me two days ago."
Two days ago? Song Ni's eyes flickered. Wasn't that the day they got married? Wait. If the roses were only delivered two days ago, that meant the entire garden used to be filled with sunflowers? Song Ni's mind raced, unable to fathom why someone like Tan Zheng would like sunflowers. She opened her mouth to ask for clarity, but the person who had been squatting suddenly stood up and walked towards her, holding a freshly picked rose, its crimson petals still beaded with dew. Tan Zheng tucked the flower into Song Ni's hair. Black, wet hair against a red rose. Retro, sexy, beautiful. Tan Zheng gazed at her intently for a long time. "Beautiful." Song Ni had received countless compliments, but Tan Zheng's earnest praise was a first. Her face flushed. For some reason, she felt Tan Zheng was acting strangely today.
"You..."
"Do you like it?" the man interrupted. Song Ni was momentarily taken aback.
"Hm?" Tan Zheng reached out and adjusted her hair.
"The rose." Song Ni raised her hand and gently touched the flower in her hair. She used to think a man tucking a flower into his beloved's hair was a cliché way of expressing affection. But experiencing it firsthand, she truly felt the sweetness of it.
"I do." Tan Zheng chuckled and turned back to look at the sea of red flowers. "A wedding gift for you. It's beautiful, like you."
Song Ni was momentarily stunned. Was it that she was beautiful like it, or was the red rose like her? But none of that mattered. Tan Zheng rarely spoke such sweet words, and she didn't want to spoil the moment. However, after receiving a car last night and a bouquet today, she felt rather insincere in comparison to Tan Zheng. She hadn't prepared a wedding gift. She hadn't anticipated Tan Zheng would go to such lengths. Both the car and the red roses showed considerable thought. For anyone else, Song Ni might have dismissed such gestures as perfunctory and cliché. But she only felt sincerity and romance.
"Should I be reflecting on myself?" Though Song Ni didn't elaborate, Tan Zheng understood. "I lack nothing. You being my obedient Mrs. Tan is the greatest gift." But lacking nothing wasn't an excuse for not preparing a gift. Song Ni thought to herself that during her upcoming filming schedule, she must devise a truly astonishing surprise.
Even though the garden was warm, her thin clothing still made her feel a bit cold. Song Ni looked at Tan Zheng's bare chest and couldn't help but ask, "Why do you seem to dislike wearing clothes so much?" It was the same at her apartment; he wore as little as possible. Back here, he'd even come out in just a bathrobe.
Tan Zheng glanced down. "I'm not cold."
Song Ni mumbled, "I didn't ask if you were cold." Stubborn.
Tan Zheng, however, was in an excellent mood. "Let's go inside and eat." It was then that Song Ni remembered her original purpose for coming to the garden. "Do you really like sunflowers? Why have you planted so many?"
Tan Zheng paused, then shook his head. "Not like."
"Then what?" The man pondered for a moment. He thought that the Song Ni of years ago had been so full of vitality, much like a sunflower forever facing the sun. He also felt that the sunflower resembled the light she brought during a dark period. So, he had cultivated them habitually for years, without interruption throughout the seasons. When times were difficult, he would sit on the floor of his room and gaze at them, as if there were light. "I grow them for a little girl," he said.
"Little girl?" Song Ni's brow furrowed. "Your... sweetheart?" Song Ni found the last three words difficult to utter. The term "little girl" sounded so young. In all other aspects, she was confident she could surpass any such girl, but age was a critical disadvantage. Her 24th birthday was less than two weeks away. She couldn't pretend to be demure and childish all the time, could she? That would be too much of a compromise.
Tan Zheng had almost nodded, but then he considered Song Ni's nature; she would surely investigate thoroughly, and he preferred she didn't know about his past. Besides, he had only met her once five years ago, and she wouldn't be able to find anything even if she tried. It would inevitably sow suspicion. And once suspicion arose, the relationship would develop a rift, one that would be difficult to mend.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Isn't it?" Tan Zheng raised his hand and tapped Song Ni's head. He couldn't quite bring himself to say no. "Just a little girl who is very important to me."
Song Ni: ... Wasn't that stating the obvious? If she weren't important to him, would Tan Zheng go this far?
"Alright, don't be jealous. She's not your love rival."
Song Ni: ... She was jealous?
"You're so full of yourself." Jealous of what? A little girl? Barely out of diapers, what was there to be jealous of? Song Ni turned and walked inside. As she sat down in the dining room, she discovered a call bell on the table. She fiddled with it randomly. "I'm hungry."
Tan Zheng took a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "It should be delivered to the door. Go get it yourself."
Song Ni: ... Was the tender Tan Zheng from the garden possessed by a ghost? She had actually found this dog man romantic! Song Ni never compromised with her stomach. Angrily, she strode to the door and, sure enough, there was a food cart. Four tiers high, fully loaded. She had no idea what had been ordered. Fortunately, the cart had wheels, making it easy to pull in without effort. When she retrieved milk from her usual brand from the cart, Song Ni's anger subsided. Fine, Tan Zheng wasn't entirely terrible.
My Ni Ni is really easy to appease!
(End of this chapter)