Chapter 77: Seventy-Seventh Day as a Salted Fish
Qin Jiaojiao sat on the sofa holding a cup of tea, her eyes glued to Zhou Shaoli, who was busy working.
Yang Yutong’s voice came from beside her. “Zhou Shaoli spoils you way too much. Here’s a man who negotiates multi-million-dollar deals every day, yet he ran all the way over here to help out at his wife’s flower shop.”
A blissful smile spread across Qin Jiaojiao’s face.
She had originally assumed Zhou Shaoli would head straight back to the company after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. She never expected him to stay and help out with the manual labor. Since it was the grand opening of the new shop, the two employees were indeed overwhelmed.
Right now, she and Zhou Shaoli carried quite a bit of “celebrity influence.” Many fans who came out of admiration had rushed over, and the afternoon promised to be even busier.
Yang Yutong and Xiao Rui had helped promote the shop on their WeChat Moments. Under normal circumstances, when would the young masters and young ladies of the Beijing circle ever get the chance to see Zhou Shaoli? Hearing the news, they swarmed over just to catch a glimpse of him. If they could get a bouquet personally wrapped by his hands, it would be worth more than gold.
Earlier, rumors had circulated throughout the Beijing circle claiming that Zhou Shaoli was in a secret political marriage—that he had brought a wife home merely as a decorative display and didn’t love Qin Jiaojiao at all.
People in this elite social circle rarely watched variety shows. When they scrolled past hot searches of Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli on social media platforms, most assumed the young couple were just putting on a fake display of affection for commercial interests.
However, after the show aired, Zhou Shaoli personally accompanied Qin Jiaojiao to watch fashion shows, spent astronomical sums to purchase haute couture gowns for her, cooked meals for her, built a swing with his own hands, and spoiled her straight up to the heavens. To the Beijing circle, watching this felt like viewing a science fiction movie. Nobody could believe it was real, suspecting it was all scripted by the production team.
Now, on a whim, Qin Jiaojiao had opened a flower shop. Zhou Shaoli had specially commissioned a pure-gold Beckoning Cat for her, and even went out of his way to procure an authentic original piece from a master painter and calligrapher as a gift for his wife. The whole affair left everyone green with envy.
The wealthy young masters and ladies from the Beijing circle who had come to join the fun were currently spamming their group chats like crazy.
【Holy crap, it’s really Zhou Shaoli in the flesh! He’s actually in the shop wrapping flowers and running the register!】
【Didn’t people use to say that Zhou Shaoli was a cold, abstinent, untouchable deity of the Beijing circle—a emotionless moneymaking machine? How on earth did he suddenly turn into a wife-doting maniac?】
【Did Qin Jiaojiao put a spell on him?】
【Hahaha, I think she definitely cast a spell on him too!】
【Usually, when would I ever get the chance to meet the head of the Zhou family? Today I actually managed to buy a bouquet personally wrapped by him! Sisters, hurry over before Zhou Shaoli leaves!】
【Send me the address! I’m coming right now!】
【I want to go check it out too. What kind of magic does Qin Jiaojiao possess to make a divine deity descend to the mortal realm with earthly desires?】
【Quick, take a photo for me! I want to see how pretty Zhou Shaoli’s wife really is.】
layout wise, the Beijing circle was vast. Wealthy young masters and heiresses whose families had no business dealings with one another had never met or lacked the opportunity to do so. On top of that, they didn’t care for television variety shows, so some of them still had no idea what Qin Jiaojiao actually looked like.
A girl sneakily snapped a photo of Qin Jiaojiao sitting on the sofa, looking down at a tablet, and posted it to the group chat.
【Qin Jiaojiao is ridiculously gorgeous! No wonder Zhou Shaoli fell for her.】
【This face… is truly legendary. It doesn’t look like she’s had any work done at all. Pure, natural, delicate beauty.】
【I once scrolled past a clip of a TV drama Qin Jiaojiao acted in. Zero acting skills, relying entirely on her face to carry the visual. Turns out she looks even better in person than on screen!】
Discussions erupted across the circle.
Meanwhile, more and more people streamed into the flower shop.
The storefront Qin Jiaojiao rented was quite spacious, yet it was packed to the brim. Many customers who had already purchased flowers were reluctant to leave, lingering and strolling around the shop.
Business was booming on opening day. After using her tablet to restock some inventory, Qin Jiaojiao stood up to join the hustle and bustle. She walked over to Zhou Shaoli’s side and began wrapping bouquets alongside him.
Yang Yutong and Xiao Rui were extraordinarily silver-tongued and articulate. They entertained the visiting guests enthusiastically, introducing flower species, explaining the language of flowers, and advising which blooms were best suited for different recipients.
The shop had prepared various types of wrapping paper. Since every customer had different tastes, the arrangements were naturally tailored to each individual.
A girl had selected a combination of several flowers to form a bouquet. Qin Jiaojiao asked her with a bright smile whether she would like it wrapped in vintage newsprint. The girl stared blankly at her and stammered, “Yes, yes, that works!”
Qin Jiaojiao wrapped the bouquet neatly in paper and asked, “Would you like to write a greeting card?”
The girl’s eyes remained glued to her face. “Anything is fine.”
Qin Jiaojiao asked once more, “Would you like to write a greeting card?”
Coming back to her senses, the girl blushed and said, “I have an exam coming up soon. Could you write a line on the card wishing me success in passing my exam?”
Knowing her own handwriting wasn’t very neat, Qin Jiaojiao suggested, “How about I have him write it for you?”
The girl nodded hastily and added, “I’m a CP fan of you and President Zhou. Later on, would it be okay if I hold the flowers and take a photo together with both of you?”
Qin Jiaojiao replied with a beaming smile, “Of course you can.”
The girl’s expression turned ecstatic, an uncontrollable grin spreading across her face. “Thank you! You two must stay happy together forever!”
“Mhm,” Qin Jiaojiao replied. “We will.”
Having finished writing the card, Zhou Shaoli tucked it neatly into the bouquet. He looked at the girl with a cool, calm gaze, maintaining polite manners. “Thank you for your blessings.”
The two of them accompanied the girl to a picturesque spot in the shop to take a photo together. Holding her flowers, the girl left overjoyed. The moment she stepped out of the shop, she posted the photo directly into her CP fan group chat and Super Topic.
【Ahhhh! I took a picture with the Yueli CP! Jiaojiao personally wrapped the flowers for me, and President Zhou wrote the card! I’m definitely going to pass my exam!】
The CP fans in the group chat went completely wild.
【I’m dying of jealousy! Wwww, I want to go to the shop to buy flowers too!】
【Jiaojiao is so pretty, President Zhou is so handsome, and the OP is very pretty as well! Wishing you a pass on your first try!】
【Jealousy has disfigured my face! I’m booking a flight to Beijing right this second!】
【Can someone get an autograph for me? I’ll pay!】
The activity level in the Yueli CP Super Topic soared straight to the top spot, completely crushing the CP Super Topics of top-tier A-list celebrities.
With so many people crowding the shop on opening day, accidents could easily happen if one wasn’t careful.
Qin Jiaojiao was currently wrapping a potted flower for a customer when a sudden sharp crack rang out not far away. Something had fallen to the ground and shattered.
Everyone turned to look. The young couple standing in front of the flowerpot appeared utterly flustered, panic written all over their faces. The girl’s face was pale as she tightly clutched her boyfriend’s arm.
Qin Jiaojiao called a female employee over to take over the wrapping, then walked toward the shattered flowerpot.
The girl hurriedly apologized, “I’m so sorry! How much is this pot of flowers? We’ll compensate you according to the price.”
“What are you talking about?” the young man cut in. Seeing the expensive price tag, he was reluctant to pay. “It was clearly because this flowerpot wasn’t placed stably that we accidentally knocked it over.”
Qin Jiaojiao sized them up from head to toe. After confirming that neither of them was injured, she felt slightly at ease.
Since today was the grand opening, she had been a bit worried that someone might be intentionally causing trouble.
“It’s fine, no need to compensate. As long as neither of you is hurt, that’s what matters.” Qin Jiaojiao glanced around the room. Yang Yutong was grabbing flowers for customers, Xiao Rui was hauling inventory with the male employee, and the female clerk was working the register.
Zhou Shaoli had just stepped outside to take a phone call.
Surprised, the girl asked to double-check, “Is it really okay without us paying? I accidentally bumped into the pot and caused it to fall. I can pay for half.”
Noticing the young man secretly tugging at the girl’s hem, Qin Jiaojiao gave a gentle smile and nodded. “No need. I’ll clean this up. You two can go look around elsewhere.”
The girl cast a disdainful look at her boyfriend, pulled him by the hand, and walked away.
Qin Jiaojiao turned toward the storage room to fetch a broom. Just as she was about to sweep up the mess, her wrist was gently caught. She raised her head—it was Zhou Shaoli.
“Finished with your call?”
Zhou Shaoli nodded. “Let me handle this.”
Qin Jiaojiao handed the broom and dustpan over to him.
Holding the broom and dustpan, the man meticulously swept up the dirt and scattered petals from the floor.
Standing beside him, Qin Jiaojiao watched with the corners of her lips curled up in a smile. Having been born into luxury and pampered his whole life, seeing this high-and-mighty young master standing beside her doing chores really did make him look like a divine deity descending to the mortal realm, just as the people in their circle said.
Observing this scene, many people in the shop gasped inwardly with emotion. President Zhou truly was a wife-doting maniac. Qin Jiaojiao was simply incredible; a man like Zhou Shaoli actually let her command him around, following every order without question.
Because the shop was packed for the grand opening, there was no time to go out for lunch at noon. Qin Jiaojiao ordered food from the restaurant owned by Jiang Baizhi, He Juanbai’s wife, and had it delivered directly to the store.
The group gathered in the flower shop’s lounge area to eat their boxed meals.
Qin Jiaojiao tallied up the morning’s revenue—it actually amounted to twenty thousand yuan! Although what they had sold were mostly individual small bouquets with low costs and low prices, this impressive turnover made Qin Jiaojiao immensely happy.
If it were a special occasion—such as May 20th, Valentine’s Day, Qixi Festival, or major holidays—the shop’s revenue would undoubtedly skyrocket.
Qin Jiaojiao waved her hand grandly. “Lunch today is on Miss Qin!”
A mere twenty thousand yuan might be loose change to elite families, but to ordinary working folks, it was a substantial income. On top of their base salary, the two employees earned monthly performance bonuses. They were instantly invigorated, feeling as though a bright future lined with gold was waving at them. Bursting with motivation, they finished their meals in a rush and hurried back to work.
Zhou Shaoli had work duties to attend to in the afternoon, so he arranged for two bodyguards from Zhuxing Group to come over to help haul inventory and wrap bouquets.
Qin Jiaojiao remained busy without a moment’s rest all afternoon. There were simply too many people. It was as if her freshly opened flower shop had instantly transformed into an internet-famous check-in spot. Some influencers even flocked outside the storefront to set up livestreams just to ride the wave of traffic.
Qin Jiaojiao strongly disliked these influencers who rushed over to hijack traffic whenever something blew up. However, since it was opening day, she couldn’t sour her face and chase them away. She had no choice but to pick up her phone and call Han Xiao.
Upon understanding the situation, Han Xiao quickly dispatched personnel to handle it. Influencers were allowed to stream to leverage the traffic, but they were strictly forbidden from blocking the storefront or interfering with the shop’s business.
As dusk gradually fell, the flower shop’s first day of business concluded with a bountiful harvest.
The flow of customers inside the store began to thin out, finally giving Qin Jiaojiao time to rest. She sat on the sofa, gazing through the glass windows at the towering skyscrapers outside.
There would definitely be another wave of foot traffic after off-work hours. With only two employees in the shop, it seemed insufficient. Qin Jiaojiao pondered whether she should hire two temporary workers to navigate through this busy opening period.
Qin Jiaojiao sought the opinion of her two employees, asking if they were too exhausted from working all day and wanted to close up early.
Though tired, both employees were thrilled in spirit. Seeing how well business was doing, both expressed their willingness to stay until closing time at eight in the evening.
After attending to the rush of customers at six o’clock, Qin Jiaojiao instructed the two employees to tidy up the shop, preparing to invite Xiao Rui and Yang Yutong out for dinner at Lanting State Banquet.