Trying to show off a little, Jason Liu decided to drive his flashy sports car and personally pick up Lin Xiaohan. The two were heading together to the hotel they had booked.
Sure, it was kind of a showy move. But Jason Liu really wanted to make a statement to those smug guys in his group chat—the ones always bragging. He wanted to show them what real success looked like.
After all, Lin Xiaohan—the beautiful school goddess that everyone had admired—was about to become his girlfriend.
A little after 10 in the morning, Lin Xiaohan finished getting dressed and did her makeup. With a small bag slung over her shoulder, she waited downstairs in her neighborhood. When she saw Jason pull up, she was surprised. Instead of his usual low-key business car, he had brought his sleek black Ferrari F8—the one he barely drove.
Right away, she understood what he was up to.
She smiled quietly to herself. Wasn't this just like most guys? Always trying to outshine each other by showing off their cars?
The Ferrari came to a smooth stop beside her. Jason rolled down the window and leaned over to open the passenger door for her, grinning with pride.
"Xiaohan, get in," he said, clearly pleased with himself. "Today I want to show you this car. You haven't ridden in it yet, right? Last time I took Jiang Chuchu in it—we were running errands for the company the whole afternoon."
As Lin Xiaohan slid into the car, she noticed a few neighbors turning their heads to look. She quickly lowered herself into the seat and turned to Jason with a teasing smile.
"Why the sudden thought to pick me up today for the class reunion?" she asked. "You never remember to do this any other time."
Jason's face turned a little red when he heard that. He noticed the playful glint in her eyes and felt his heart skip a beat.
While keeping his eyes on the road, he laughed awkwardly. "Well, you know... it's not just a reunion today. I kind of wanted to show everyone... you know... show them our relationship." He chuckled nervously. "You get it, right?"
Lin Xiaohan understood exactly what he meant. But instead of replying directly, she smiled slyly at him.
"Oh? And what relationship is that?" she asked. "Aren't you my boss, and I'm your employee? I just work for you. What kind of relationship do you mean?"
Jason's heart was pounding in his chest. His ears turned hot, and he felt like she was pushing him to say something more.
Should I just confess now? he wondered. Would it seem too casual?
He remembered all those romantic confessions from movies and shows—flowers, candles, a special moment, and then saying something like, Be my girlfriend or even Will you marry me?
Girls liked that kind of romantic stuff, right?
But Jason wasn't sure what to do. His mind went blank. The car fell into a tense silence. He started overthinking everything. How should he confess so it felt romantic, formal, and sincere?
Lin Xiaohan glanced at him and saw his face was red like a tomato. After a while, she sighed internally.
Seriously? she thought. I've already given him so many hints... Actually, I've practically said it directly. Why is he still frozen like a statue?
Do I not have enough charm? Or is he just... that dense?
She turned away, pressing her lips together slightly, her hands resting in front of her chest. Her soft, round face showed a touch of disappointment.
Through the rearview mirror, Jason noticed the subtle change in her expression. He cursed at himself in his mind.
Come on, Jason, don't be a coward!
He reminded himself that he wasn't the same guy he used to be. Over the past few months, he'd changed. He was successful now. He had the power to travel between worlds. He had real abilities. He was someone important.
You're not some powerless loser anymore, he told himself. Be confident, Jason Liu!
Trying to hype himself up, Jason opened the car's navigation and searched for a flower shop nearby. He figured it was finally time to buy flowers for his confession.
Only then did it hit him—he should've brought flowers from the start! What was he thinking? How could he pick her up without even a bouquet?
He felt like an idiot.
He had focused so much on showing off his car that he forgot the most basic thing. No wonder Lin Xiaohan seemed a bit cold just now.
I have to fix this right away!
Soon, the navigation showed a flower shop a few streets away. He turned the car and headed there quickly.
Well, "quickly" was a stretch. With the city traffic, Jason barely hit 60 to 70 kilometers an hour. Other cars zipped past him easily.
Lin Xiaohan noticed his cautious driving and shook her head. At this speed, I might as well have driven my little Polo car instead!
While she silently complained, the car finally pulled over on the side of the road.
Jason unbuckled his seatbelt, told Lin Xiaohan to wait for him, then hopped out and rushed into the flower shop.
At first, Lin Xiaohan was a little confused. But when she saw where he went, her eyes lit up.
Wait—he's buying flowers? she thought. Is this guy finally learning how to be romantic?
Inside the flower shop, Jason walked up to the counter and proudly told the smiling saleswoman, "Give me a bouquet of 999 roses. I'm going to confess with them later!"
The florist blinked in surprise but kept smiling. "Wow, that's a lot! Sir, are you planning to carry them yourself, or should we help deliver them? A bouquet of 999 roses is actually really hard to hold."
Jason was stunned. He'd assumed roses were light—how heavy could flowers be?
The florist explained gently that a bouquet with 999 roses would be about 1.5 meters wide and incredibly heavy. It wasn't something one person could carry easily.
Hearing that, Jason had no choice but to tone it down. He ended up choosing a bouquet of 99 roses instead, as recommended by the florist.
After paying, he walked back to his car, holding the bouquet in one hand.
Lin Xiaohan sat in the passenger seat and saw him coming toward her with a bunch of vibrant red roses. Her fair cheeks turned slightly pink, and her hands clenched together. She could feel a slight sweat on her palms and her breathing quickened.
This is my first time falling in love, she thought, heart fluttering. Why am I so nervous? Why am I so excited?
Jason, with the bouquet in his left hand, paused outside the car. He quickly fixed his clothes and tried to look calm.
But inside, he was just as nervous as she was.
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