Sophie Mo originally wanted to refuse, but when the words reached her lips, they turned into: "Sure, it's been a while since I last played chess."
The two set up the board, exchanging moves back and forth, making for a lively scene.
Cecilia Gu whispered to Charles Yin, "Did you already know this would happen?"
Charles Yin gave a faint smile. "It's easy to understand. Julian King has always had a good foundation. Over the years, he only acted that way to mislead his brothers. Even though he knew Sophie Mo didn't like it, he had to endure. Truth is, he never liked that version of himself either. Now that he's in China, he can finally be himself. When it comes to feelings, it's not that complicated. Just be your truest self."
Hmm, he sounds so philosophical.
But I have to admit, he's right.
"Actually, Sophie Mo isn't completely against Julian King. She just can't accept his old image," Charles Yin continued. "This is a good sign. Looks like we won't have to wait long to finish our mission!"
Of course, Cecilia Gu hoped Sophie Mo would wait for her own love.
It wasn't about the mission, or anything else.
She just purely wanted her to be happy.
"Suddenly, I feel confident about our mission too," Cecilia Gu replied with a smile. "If we can help bring them together, maybe that's our blessing as well."
Charles Yin gently kissed Cecilia Gu on the forehead. "We'll all be happy."
Sophie Mo played chess in a complete mess today.
No surprise—her mind was all over the place. How could she play well like that?
Sophie Mo couldn't help but sneak glances at Julian King.
His features were still the same, but somehow, everything felt different.
Of course Julian King knew Sophie Mo was distracted. Even without watching her moves, he could tell exactly how she was feeling.
But he was happy about it.
It proved that this relationship wasn't just wishful thinking on his part.
The next time Sophie Mo sneaked a glance at Julian King, he finally caught her.
Julian King sighed, "Why don't you just finish staring before you play? Look at your moves—they're all over the place."
Sophie Mo's face, for once, turned red. "Who...who...who's staring at you...seriously..."
Julian King suddenly leaned in, making Sophie Mo stiffen up in shock.
"Really not staring at me?" Julian King put on an innocent face as he looked at Sophie Mo.
Just as expected, Sophie Mo's face instantly flushed bright red.
Seeing Sophie Mo's ears turning crimson, Julian King deliberately pretended he was about to kiss her, scaring Sophie Mo into whispering, "There are people around!"
Julian King couldn't help but laugh softly. "What about when no one's around?"
Sophie Mo suddenly wished she could just bite her own tongue off.
Not far away, the two who were pretending to look at the scenery outside were struggling to keep up the act.
Emma, when I was in love, I wasn't this mushy.
Tsk tsk tsk, unbelievable!
Looks like this mission is going to be easy!
Might as well treat this as a vacation and just relax!
Julian King can totally handle this himself!
Cecilia Gu thought of that Korean drama—those soldiers really knew how to flirt.
Turns out Julian King didn't waste his playboy years at all—his flirting skills are way better than those Korean soldiers!
Even the tough Sophie Mo switched sides in an instant!
Tsk tsk tsk, honestly, this really is a looks-driven world.
Charles Yin quietly held Cecilia Gu's hand, pretending to watch the scenery with her, but they were actually eavesdropping on everything happening over there.
Yep, Cecilia Gu was doing the exact same thing.
Cecilia Gu couldn't help but whisper, "Should we find an excuse to leave for a bit and let them do something?"
Charles Yin shook his head. "No rush. Haste makes waste. Relax, Julian King knows better than we do."
Cecilia Gu thought about it, and agreed.
None of them are kids anymore. If Julian King wants some alone time, it's easy for him to make it happen!
So, the two shining third wheels shamelessly kept eavesdropping nearby.
Even though Julian King's sudden change left Sophie Mo flustered, she was still the Mo Family's eldest daughter—she'd seen it all.
After a morning of chaos, she finally calmed down.
To keep that man from messing with her head any further, Sophie Mo ran straight to Cecilia Gu, clinging to her and forcing Charles Yin to go talk to Julian King instead.
"Mr. Yin, your plan really works," Julian King said, looking at Charles Yin with genuine admiration.
Charles Yin looked smug. "Of course it works."
After years of being rivals with Max Mo, Charles Yin had figured out the Mo Family's temperaments. He didn't know Sophie Mo that well, but he did know she was a sucker for good looks.
"The rest is up to you," Charles Yin said, giving Julian King a firm pat on the shoulder.
Brother, our future happiness depends on you!
We rise and fall together!
If you two are happy, then we'll be happy too!
Just try not making us happy, I dare you!
When they arrived at the venue and got out of the car, Cecilia Gu couldn't help but light up.
She'd always been so busy before—never had time to visit a big flower expo like this.
Besides, the flower expo in K City was really different from anywhere else.
Other places' expos might only have one or two big halls.
But in K City, the main exhibition hall is the local exchange center, with massive displays covering hundreds of acres. Plus, there are branch halls scattered all over K City.
Each hall has a wall-sized LED screen streaming live updates from the other halls.
So honestly, if someone is lazy, they can just pick a hall, sit down, and watch the LED all day. It'll keep rolling through all the halls in K City, with detailed flower introductions.
And the flowers are organized by variety, each in its own area.
This way, people with a special preference for a certain type can find what they want quickly.
As soon as she got out of the car, Cecilia Gu waved to the others and said, "Xiao Wang, come with me. The rest of you, go explore on your own."
Xiao Wang quickly followed. Hearing Cecilia Gu say that, he knew the young mistress was here to buy flowers today.
Sophie Mo didn't even get a chance to speak before Cecilia Gu took off with Xiao Wang.
Charles was right!
Julian King isn't a kid! As long as he's serious about Sophie Mo and his character checks out, then there's nothing else to worry about!
Might as well treat this test as a vacation!
Now that I finally have time to join such a grand flower expo, of course I can't miss it!
The flowers at home are nice, but when it comes to growing them, there's always someone better out there.
So many creative ideas can really spark a lot of inspiration.
So, with her worries set aside, Cecilia Gu happily took Xiao Wang to tour the orchid hall.
Orchids, also known as Chinese orchids, are listed as the top flower among China's ten famous flowers. The main types are Chunlan, Huilan, Jianlan, Hanlan, Molan, Chunjian, and Lianbanlan, with thousands of horticultural varieties.
At home, Cecilia Gu mostly grows Chunlan and Lianbanlan.
Eric Jiang has way more varieties at his place, and every time Cecilia Gu visits, she gets so tempted.
But it's awkward to keep asking others for flowers, so Cecilia Gu figured she'd use this chance to add to her own collection.
Xiao Wang knows just how much the young mistress loves flowers, so he follows closely. Whenever Cecilia Gu's gaze lands on a pot, without waiting for the staff, Xiao Wang explains its name, type, attributes, and care requirements, then tells her if she already has that kind at home.
After making the rounds, the orchid hall staff practically wanted to kneel to Xiao Wang!
His knowledge is incredible!
Hearing the staff's compliments, Xiao Wang quickly waved his hands, "No, no, don't make a fuss! My young mistress is testing me! She's the real orchid expert in our house. She's just worried I'll mess up her plants, so she checks on me every now and then."
The staff shifted their gaze to Cecilia Gu. "How do you know so much?"
Cecilia Gu was crouched in front of a beautiful Molan orchid. She looked up and smiled, "It's nothing, really. I just like orchids, so I pay more attention. Plus, with so many books at home, I've read quite a few."
The staff was a bit unconvinced. "You learned all that from just a few books? What does your family do—are you in the flower business too?"
Xiao Wang couldn't help but retort—who in the flower business is as knowledgeable as the young mistress?
Cecilia Gu smiled and replied, "Well, sort of."
The Yun Family grows medicinal herbs, some of which are flowers, so I guess that counts as flower business.
The staff wanted to keep chatting, but Xiao Wang politely declined.
Finally, the staff realized this flower buyer was no ordinary customer.
Cecilia Gu held up a pot and said to Xiao Wang, "Pay for this one."
Xiao Wang swiftly went to ask the price and pay.
While Xiao Wang was paying, a flamboyantly dressed girl came over, instantly eyeing the flower in Cecilia Gu's hand. She pointed and said, "I want that flower you're holding."
Cecilia Gu smiled, "Sorry, I'm not a staff member here. I picked this one and already paid for it."
The girl was unconvinced. "I'll pay you double. Sell it to me."
Cecilia Gu shook her head. "Sorry, not for sale."
"Five times!" The girl still wouldn't give up.
Cecilia Gu kept shaking her head.
"Ten times!" The girl got mad, shouting, "It's not even some rare or precious flower—why won't you sell it to me? I'm offering you ten times the price!"
"Not even for a hundred times!" Julian King called out from afar. "You should go look at something else."
Cecilia Gu turned and smiled at Julian King.
The girl turned to look at Julian King and was instantly stunned. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Oppa, you're so handsome!"
Cecilia Gu couldn't help but laugh on the side.
No matter what Julian King looks like, he still has that irresistible charm that attracts girls.