Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 929: The Lotus of Dual Stems

Song Ying was somewhat surprised to run into Luo Qiu outside.

After hearing from Song Haoran that Gan Hong was safe and sound, she should have been able to sleep peacefully. However, after returning to her room, she found herself unable to fall asleep.

At this time, it was indeed a bit too early to go to bed... it was only nine o'clock in the evening.

She had simply intended to take a stroll in the yard and enjoy the cool breeze when she spotted Luo Qiu, who was also in the yard.

He must have arrived earlier than she did—besides, the place where Luo Qiu was currently living was in the core area of the Cold Residence, which actually used the same yard.

At first, Song Ying thought about turning around and leaving, but she was curious about what he was doing out here... What left Song Ying in a daze was that Luo Qiu was actually watering the plants.

The yard had many bonsai trees, all of which were cultivated by her grandfather, Song Tianyou, over the past few years as a means of self-cultivation and character refinement.

"You seem pretty bored," Song Ying said as she approached Luo Qiu, speaking in a nonchalant manner.

"I'm not in the mood to read tonight, and there’s nothing on TV that interests me," Luo Qiu casually replied while watering. "It seems these bonsai trees haven't been taken care of for a while, so I thought I'd tidy them up a bit."

Song Ying shook her head, saying, "These bonsai were all painstakingly nurtured by my grandfather; you better not ruin his hard work just by doing a little cleanup!"Luo Qiu smiled and said, "I'm just watering them and cleaning up some dead leaves and weeds; I won't ruin anything. Do you want to help?"

With that, Luo Qiu picked up the shears from the bonsai stand and offered them to Song Ying.

"Why would I want to cut them with you?" Song Ying frowned, crossing her arms and pushing her chest out.

Luo Qiu only widened his smile a bit more, still not taking back the shears.

Song Ying's gaze began to waver...

Why should I accompany him in doing this?

In the end, Song Ying accepted the shears and started to reluctantly prune some wilted leaves from the bonsai.

In fact, she knew that she found it hard to refuse requests from others. But she didn’t know when it started; she had become someone who ignored others' requests and shut out any voices asking for help from her mind.

Constantly responding to others' requests was exhausting... For example, there was the existence of Chinatown. She knew her grandfather Song Tianyou was nostalgic and had a special feeling for overseas Chinese, but that didn’t mean Song Ying could accept the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce's ‘Gate of Life’ practices.

Many times, the ‘Gate of Life’ easily fostered a group of parasites who did nothing but wait for others to solve their problems—along with the stagnant rent that hadn’t changed in so many years.

Those people had probably long forgotten that the place they lived and did business in belonged to the Song family—each inch of it was theirs. They had long treated the land as if it were their own possession.

They even resisted some newly introduced measures... Being soft-hearted wouldn’t work; it would only lead her into a dilemma, so Song Ying's attitude toward Chinatown was also one of two faces—what she showed on the surface was different from what she thought behind the scenes.

Just like cutting off the wilted leaves from these bonsai, the things that were parasitic on the great tree of the Song family should also be cut away to maintain the healthy growth of the Song family.

Cut! Cut! Cut!

Looking at Luo Qiu, who was weeding across from her, the shears in Song Ying’s hand made a rapid and rhythmic snipping sound.

Sensing her gaze, Luo Qiu looked up, but as soon as their eyes met, Song Ying let out a soft hum and walked toward another place.

Luo Qiu glanced at the area she had just pruned and was surprised to see how neatly she had trimmed it; it didn’t look like a random cut—she must have learned how to do this. However, after finishing, leaving the fallen leaves scattered all over made it look somewhat imperfect.

Luo Qiu shook his head and went to get a broom and a shovel to sweep up the fallen leaves.

At this point, Song Ying stopped pruning the bonsai and sat down on a stone stool in the yard, suddenly saying, “Actually, I think you’d be quite suitable as a housekeeper.”

“Why?” Luo Qiu asked curiously.

Song Ying narrowed her eyes and smiled, “Because you look like a little submissive. Doesn’t anyone ever tell you that you have a very delicate appearance?”

“Actually, they have.”

Unexpectedly, Luo Qiu directly admitted this. He said, “Since I was a child, my health has been relatively weak. It seems it was because my mother caught a cold when she was pregnant with me. After I was born, the doctor said I was a sickly child; I developed more slowly than my peers, so I appeared quite frail.”

Song Ying was taken aback... This wasn’t the kind of dialogue she had expected.

“Probably when I was in elementary school?” Luo Qiu reminisced, waving his hand. “I was only about this tall, much shorter than my peers. I still looked very weak. My mother often said I looked like a girl.”

Luo Qiu suddenly smiled, and it was a smile that made Song Ying feel very happy. She found herself lost in thought... imagining what this guy looked like as a child in his parents' arms.

What would he have looked like?

Perhaps it was a completely different appearance from now.

“Later, I started taking some traditional Chinese medicine and doing acupuncture. Then my father consciously began to train me, and gradually, my health improved. After a few years, I became quite healthy.”

“And then?” Song Ying asked instinctively.

Luo Qiu replied, “Then I slacked off for a few years and didn’t exercise much until just before college, so I probably still looked a bit frail.”

Song Ying tilted her head to look at him, then suddenly stood up, walked in front of Luo Qiu, and while stroking her chin, she squeezed his arm, studying him and saying, “Hmm... You have a good frame, but you haven’t gained much muscle. But to be honest, a body type like my uncle with eight-pack abs wouldn’t suit you; you should just stick to your delicate image.”

Luo Qiu smiled.

Song Ying suddenly looked at Luo Qiu seriously, stating, “Can I ask you a question... Why do you seem like you never get angry? Isn’t there anything that would make you slightly more excited? I’m not even talking about anger; at least normal people show some emotional fluctuations when they see something they like... Don’t you?”

“Things I like...” Luo Qiu thought for a moment. “Yes, there are.”

“What is it?” Song Ying perked up her ears as if discovering a new continent.

“For example, I quite like your soul,” Luo Qiu said.

Song Ying opened her mouth—this sudden answer from Luo Qiu caught her off guard. “My soul?”

Luo Qiu said softly, "It's like a treasure lost in the vast ocean. It is always protected by a hard shell. You can't pry open that shell, because you're afraid that any violence will make it scared. It might change color because of that, but until it opens on its own, you'll never truly know its real color. Perhaps it's as magnificent as you hope, or perhaps it's just the plain, milky white of an ordinary pearl. But one thing is certain: the anticipation you have for it, and the potential it holds for growth. All of this is actually very wonderful."

Song Ying blinked, trying to understand the meaning behind these words, and furrowed her brows. "What the hell? Your expectations of me, and my own growth?"

Luo Qiu replied gently, "You are beautiful, and perhaps you could be even more beautiful."

Song Ying instinctively widened her eyes—this wasn't the first time she had heard such words from Luo Qiu. She fiddled with her hair and said subconsciously, "Does this mean I can take it as you wanting to do something with me...?"

"I don't want to do anything," Luo Qiu shook his head. "For me right now, just quietly watching is already enough to satisfy me. Liking you doesn't mean it's a romantic liking... Perhaps it can be considered admiration. For instance, someone who loves flowers cherishes the beauty of their blooming."

Song Ying couldn't help but rub her forehead, feeling confused by Luo Qiu's attitude. It suddenly made her feel flustered... After all, who would casually say such things?

"Anyway! You must not have any strange thoughts about me, and I don't have any strange thoughts about you, OK?"

"Do you want to continue?" Luo Qiu offered the scissors again.

"I can't trust someone like you with my grandfather's bonsai!" Song Ying huffed and snatched the scissors from Luo Qiu's hand.

With her back to him, while trimming the leaves of the bonsai, she suddenly asked, "What do you think of Gan Hong?"

"Like a lotus flower."

"A lotus?"

"Double lotus, connected to you."

What does that mean?

Song Ying's hand froze... Double lotus?

Could this guy be planning to bring the two of them together...? But since her grandfather has already sent Gan Hong away, and given Gan Hong's personality...

And herself...

If this guy had even the slightest hint of interest... would she end up...

"I warn you, don't even think about it!" Song Ying suddenly turned around, the scissors pointing directly at Luo Qiu, "If you dare to think anything, I'll snip you!"

Snip, snip—the sound of the scissors echoed.

Luo Qiu asked, "So, are you feeling better?"

"Better my foot! I hate seeing you!" Song Ying gritted her teeth in anger... She felt like she was being toyed with and wanted nothing more than to give this guy a good beating!

Luo Qiu suddenly said, "Gan Hong is injured and will need some time to recuperate. I don't think it's suitable for her to continue acting as my bodyguard. I want to talk to Grandpa Song and ask him to temporarily remove Gan Hong; that shouldn't be a problem, right? And..."

He suddenly stepped closer to Song Ying.

She instinctively stepped back a little, feeling a bit frightened—she rarely let strange men get so close to her, especially in such a strange atmosphere.

But if she took another step back, she would surely bump into the bonsai shelf, so she had to stop.

Luo Qiu extended his hand—this made it easy for Song Ying to understand his intention and reach out her own hand.

"What do you want?!" Song Ying glared at him, regaining some of her confidence.

But Luo Qiu only smiled slightly, remaining silent.

Song Ying felt a headache coming on again... That look in his eyes, that attitude that made it hard to refuse—it was as if he knew she would follow his lead.

"What do you want?!" After hesitating for a moment, Song Ying finally placed her palm against Luo Qiu's.

However, Luo Qiu flipped her palm over and placed a silver bracelet in her hand.

"What is this..."

She noticed that her wrist already had a nearly identical silver bracelet.

"I think it would be most appropriate for you to return it to Gan Hong," Luo Qiu said softly. "Since it’s a kind of witness, next time, don’t take it off casually. Because if there's a next time, I might not be willing to give it up."

...

—Because if there's a next time, I might not be willing to give it up.

Song Ying sat alone on a round stone bench in the courtyard, resting her chin on the marble table, gazing at the moonlight. The silver bracelet lay before her.

Luo Qiu had already left.

She felt as if her life had become a chaotic mess...

...

...

"Mr. Bai, this way, please."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The servant was leading Bai Shuitang to the guest room prepared for him to rest—because of his kinship with the Song family, if Bai Shuitang stayed at the Cold Residence, he would be accommodated in the central area.

To outsiders, being invited to stay overnight here could be seen as a kind of privilege.

Bai Shuitang calmly followed behind the servant, taking in the scenery of the Cold Residence... No matter how many times he saw it, the uniqueness of this place truly made him want to hold onto it.

However, Bai Shuitang's thoughts soon faded like a tide—because ahead in the hallway, a young man was walking towards him.

Bai Shuitang felt as if the other person's gaze was on him, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Young Master Qiu, good evening!" The servant immediately greeted when he saw the young man approaching.

The young man smiled and nodded, acknowledging the greeting, then slightly nodded towards Bai Shuitang before brushing past him.

Once he felt that the young man had walked a few meters away, Bai Shuitang instinctively let out a sigh of relief, and a feeling of unease that he couldn’t quite explain finally vanished.

Bai Shuitang instinctively turned to look back, but the young man had already disappeared around the corner of the hallway.

What a frightening feeling... A suffocating feeling, making Bai Shuitang feel as if he were seeing Song Tianyou from over a decade ago.

But Song Tianyou had given him a feeling of decisiveness and tyrannical authority that was undeniable... Whereas this young guy made him feel utterly insignificant!

"Who is that young man?" Bai Shuitang couldn’t help but ask the servant.

Since Bai Shuitang had a close relationship with the Song family, the servant thought nothing of it and replied directly, "Mr. Bai, he is Young Master Qiu, now the grandson of the Song family. He was recognized back by the eldest young master. The old master has been very happy since the grandson's return!"

Bai Shuitang was slightly taken aback; he suddenly remembered that he had met this young man before—back then, he had indeed been following Song Haoran.

But...

The grandson of the Song family... Grandson!

Doesn't that mean the Song family's heir just gained another one?