Accidentally Becoming a Green Tea Goddess Everyone Loves - Chapter 18

It was March, the peak of cherry blossom season.

Shen Shirou and Lu Yanwei sat together on a bench along the park path. As they chatted and laughed, a gentle breeze swept through, causing a single petal to flutter down and land on the hem of Shen Shirou’s dress.

Shen Shirou picked up the petal and turned to Lu Yanwei. “I didn’t think I’d have anyone to see the blossoms with this year. I was actually ready to just give up on the idea.”

“If you hadn’t come with me, I would have missed such a beautiful sight.” Shen Shirou took Lu Yanwei’s hand and placed the petal in her palm. “Look, isn’t it stunning?”

With Shen Shirou’s reflection mirrored in her dark eyes, Lu Yanwei’s expression softened. “Yes.”

Before meeting Shen Shirou, Lu Yanwei never knew that simply looking at a person could be such a sweet experience. But as she processed what Shen Shirou had just said, her heart grew heavy with a complex mix of emotions.

She was happy, of course, that Shen Shirou viewed her as a close friend and spoke to her without reservation. But the thought that Shen Shirou—aside from her—couldn’t find a single person to join her for something as simple as flower watching made Lu Yanwei’s heart ache with sympathy.

Shen Shirou’s fiancée must be neglecting her terribly.

Lu Yanwei told a small lie. “I’ve actually had a lot of free time lately. I usually just sit around at home on the weekends with nothing to do anyway.”

She looked at Shen Shirou earnestly. “So, wherever you want to go, feel free to call me.”

No matter the destination, she was more than willing to accompany her.

” Yanwei,” Shen Shirou sighed softly. “You have your own life, too. You shouldn’t always spend all your time on me.”

Seeing Shen Shirou being so considerate and selfless only made Lu Yanwei’s heart melt further.

“Well, what can I do about that?” Lu Yanwei teased, mimicking Shen Shirou’s melancholy tone. “I want to spend my time on you. I like revolving around you.” She tilted her head and offered a playful smile.

Amused by the remark, the gloom on Shen Shirou’s face vanished instantly. ” Yanwei, honestly, stop making jokes like that.”

“You don’t have to coddle me. Don’t worry, I’m not that fragile,” Shen Shirou said with a wink. “Just being able to talk like this with you makes me perfectly content.”

“Anyway, enough of that.” Shen Shirou stood up from the bench. “We’ve been out for so long, and you spent all that time cycling. You must be thirsty, Yanwei.”

“I’ll go grab us some water. Wait for me here.”

“You should stay here and rest,” Lu Yanwei insisted. “I’ll go get them.”

“You’re always the one taking care of me,” Shen Shirou interjected, stopping her. “It’s my turn to look after you for once.” She added with mock gravity, “Besides, if you don’t get some rest now, how are you going to have the strength to cycle me back later?”

Lu Yanwei finally relented. “Fine. I’ll wait for you here.”

“Good. I’ll be right back,” Shen Shirou said, hurrying off.

The moment she was out of Lu Yanwei’s line of sight, Shen Shirou slowed her pace. She stopped at a newsstand, bought two bottles of water, and casually asked the vendor for the time.

“Two minutes until three,” the vendor replied.

Perfect. Timing is everything.

If all went according to plan, Lu Yanwei was about to see that photo of her and Jiang Peixing taken at the beach. A meaningful, calculated smile played across Shen Shirou’s lips.

Lu Yanwei sat on the bench, waiting patiently for Shen Shirou’s return. The mere thought of having Shen Shirou close to her again on the ride back filled her with a sense of quiet joy.

Suddenly, the phone Shen Shirou had left on the bench began to ring.

Thinking it was a call, Lu Yanwei reached out to answer it—intending to let the caller know Shen Shirou was temporarily away only to realize it wasn’t a call. It was an alarm.

However, it wasn’t the alarm that caught Lu Yanwei’s attention. It was the wallpaper on Shen Shirou’s phone.

It was a photograph.

Set against a night sky illuminated by fireworks, the photo featured two people. One was clearly Shen Shirou. Standing beside her was a woman with a cold, indifferent expression.

This woman.

Lu Yanwei’s brow furrowed. The smile she had been wearing slowly faded into a grim line.

“I heard President Jiang has a fiancée,” a colleague remarked in the elevator. “But nobody’s actually seen her. It might just be a rumor.”

“Do you have any more details about this fiancée?” Lu Yanwei asked.

“Who knows,” the colleague shrugged. “I just heard it’s a woman. But honestly, the President spends every waking hour at the office. Even if she has a fiancée, she might as well be single.”

The colleague leaned in, peering at Lu Yanwei with curiosity. “But why are you asking, Yanwei? You usually skip the office parties. I didn’t think you cared about company gossip.”

“It’s nothing,” Lu Yanwei smiled thinly. “I just heard someone mention it and asked out of curiosity.”

As she stepped out of the elevator, Lu Yanwei was deep in thought. She was still bothered by the photo she had accidentally seen that day. For Shen Shirou to set that photo as her wallpaper undoubtedly meant the woman beside her held a unique place in her life.

However, Lu Yanwei wasn’t entirely certain if the woman in the photo was indeed Jiang Peixing. Perhaps it was just a striking resemblance. Although they worked in the same company, Lu Yanwei rarely interacted with the CEO, having only seen her a handful of times from a distance.

As it happened, she had work to hand over to Jiang Peixing today, which provided a rare opportunity for a direct encounter.

Lu Yanwei arrived at Jiang Peixing’s office. She knocked, and after a few seconds, a crisp, cool voice drifted from within. “Come in.”

Lu Yanwei entered with the project file. Behind the desk sat the elegant, high-born woman, buried under a mountain of documents. Lu Yanwei studied her from a few feet away, her frown deepening.

Up close, the resemblance to the woman in the photo was undeniable.

“President Jiang, this is the latest project proposal from our department.” Lu Yanwei placed the file on the desk.

“Understood.” Jiang Peixing looked up briefly, glancing at Lu Yanwei. “I’ll review it this afternoon. Is there anything else?”

Before Lu Yanwei could respond, there was another knock at the door. Rong Yuan, Jiang Peixing’s personal assistant, entered.

Seeing Lu Yanwei, Rong Yuan gave a polite nod of acknowledgement before turning to her boss.

“President Jiang, Miss Shen is here.”

Rong Yuan continued, “You instructed last time that I must report to you if Miss Shen comes to the office again, so I’ve kept her downstairs for the moment. Would you like to see her?”