HBWMA -Chapter 163 Borrowing Flowers to Offer Buddha

The second dance was the highlight of the banquet.

As the music started, men and women who were interested could invite each other to dance, while guests who did not wish to dance could continue enjoying the food and socialize freely.

During the final bow, Jiang Huashan handed the rose in her hand to Shen Qingyu, which immediately drew the attention of many people present.

By logic, since she had danced the first dance with Shen Lanxi, the flower should have gone to Shen Lanxi. So why was it Shen Qingyu instead? Was Shen Qingyu actually more important than Shen Lanxi?

As a so-called “background cannon fodder” in the storyline, Shen Qingyu was not supposed to have any presence at such events. No matter how outstanding a person might be, if they were not seen, they were destined to remain unknown and be buried in the long night.

But Jiang Huashan had just stepped on Shen Lanxi’s spotlight and forcibly borrowed a beam of light for Shen Qingyu. Now, everyone’s gaze unconsciously shifted toward this young man holding the first flower.

He was radiant, unruly, and unrestrained—an existence unique in the elite circles of Whale Harbor.

The ladies of the upper-class families suddenly became interested. Which family didn’t have a few precious daughters? Shen Lanxi’s status was out of reach, and Shen Guiling felt slightly lacking in comparison—wasn’t Shen Qingyu just right?

“Mrs. Gu, this child seems quite good. How come we’ve never heard you mention him before?”

Mrs. Gu looked awkward. “Is that so? Didn’t I mention A-Yu? That can’t be right. He’s our old lady’s favorite. Don’t even think about it.” As she spoke, she turned to look at Old Madam Gu in the center seat.

If the old lady insisted on bringing Shen Qingyu back, the Gu family couldn’t do anything about it. But for the sake of their own children, they still hoped he would continue staying in the Shen family peacefully.

Jiang Huashan’s dance earlier had stunned many people, and now they all gathered around.

“Jiang Huashan, why did you give the flower to that brother?”

“Because this brother gave me money,” Jiang Huashan replied.

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Brother Qingyu, if I give you my flower, will you also give me money?”

Shen Qingyu shook his head. “No. I don’t have any money left. It’s all been squeezed out of her.”

“Ah!!!”

The children suddenly grew excited again. “All given away? So generous! Brother Qingyu, then take us out to play next time. We’ll give you all our flowers.”

Shen Qingyu glanced sideways at the little kids in front of him. “Suit yourselves—”

“Hey!” Jiang Huashan glared at him, signaling with her eyes.

[Do you still want to win or not?]

“……”

Shen Qingyu curled his lips slightly. “Fine. When I have some spare money later, I’ll take you all out to play.”

The children cheered and happily handed over their flowers.

Meanwhile, Shen Lanxi was also surrounded. As the main figure of the banquet, he naturally received the most attention. The girls eagerly offered their roses, and in no time his arms were full.

“Young Master.” Gao Zhi arrived in time, holding a flower basket.

Shen Lanxi had no interest in the so-called game. He tossed the roses in his arms into the basket and was about to leave to rest.

Fu Sui’er rushed past him like a gust of wind, clutching two small speakers, heading straight for Shen Qingyu.

“Brother Qingyu, mine is for you too! Shanshan, your final ending pose was so cool—it gave me goosebumps!”

Shen Lanxi’s steps paused. He turned back to look at the crowd.

Shen Qingyu also noticed his gaze and lifted his chin slightly, a hint of provocation on his face.

Jiang Huashan stood on tiptoe to glance at Gao Zhi’s flower basket, then patted Shen Qingyu’s shoulder and said quietly, “Stop provoking him. He has more than you.”

At the center area on the other side—

Old Madam Gu had been watching Shen Qingyu’s movements the entire time. Seeing her grandson getting competitive with Shen Lanxi, she let out a cold snort and handed the rose in her hand to Gu Cifeng.

“Give this to A-Yu.”

She had just voted, so she also received a rose as part of the game.

Gu Cifeng looked embarrassed. “Mother, isn’t that inappropriate? With your status, giving your flower like this is basically blatant bias.”

The old lady glanced at Shen Zhuang and said unhappily, “He can hold a banquet to boost votes for his grandson, so why can’t I? Go! Tell your wife too, let her help A-Yu gather more votes.”

“……”

Gu Cifeng looked helpless, but unable to defy his mother, he took the red rose and walked into the crowd.

Shen Guiling glanced into the crowd and turned to leave. Shen Qian set down his wine glass and looked over.

“A-Ling, where are you going?”

“Going to the restroom,” Shen Guiling replied.

Shen Qian nodded.

Shen Guiling left the banquet hall without the slightest hesitation.

Only when his figure completely disappeared did Zhou Yanheng slowly withdraw his gaze. Ever since Shen Guiling had narrowly beaten him last time, Zhou Yanheng had gradually started paying attention to this illegitimate son of the Shen family.

Old Master Zhou said calmly, “Shen Guiling ultimately won’t amount to much. A-Heng, your real opponent is over there.”

Zhou Yanheng smiled faintly and immediately locked his gaze onto Shen Lanxi. “Looks like tonight’s ‘princess’ is about to be decided.”

Old Master Zhou said, “This is the Shen family’s banquet. It would be strange if it weren’t this outcome.”

Everyone in this hall was a prominent figure in Hong Kong. Apart from a few young and naive children, most people had already carefully weighed their decisions before sending out their flowers.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Guochao pointed toward the lively dance floor. “You should also go down and take a walk. Even if it won’t change the result, you shouldn’t end up with not a single flower.”

Zhou Yanheng stood up. “Yes, Grandpa.”

—

Outside the hall.

Shen Guiling had stood under the corridor for a long time. The noise inside had been completely separated from his world.

The night wind carried a faint hint of intoxication as it brushed across his face. He lowered his eyes, staring at a small flower in front of him, momentarily lost in thought.

“Um… Shen Guiling?”

A soft voice suddenly called out beside him.

He turned his head, and the light in his eyes dimmed slightly the moment he saw who it was.

Yu Sheng held a yellow rose, looking a little nervous.

“I’m not very familiar with everyone else, so… I wanted to give this to you.”

Shen Guiling looked up at her without blinking.

Yu Sheng’s face suddenly flushed. “Do you not want it?”

He shook his head and took the yellow rose. “Thank you.”

Yu Sheng froze for a moment, and then visible joy spread across her face. “Then, we—”

Before she could finish, Shen Guiling had already walked straight past her without looking back.

“Shen Guiling?” Yu Sheng turned around, confused.

He stepped out from under the corridor and spoke toward a shadow beneath a tree.

“Come out.”

A rustling came from the shadows, and soon Su Miao awkwardly stepped out from behind the tree.

“I… I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. I originally came to give you flowers, but I saw you talking to someone else and didn’t want to disturb you, so I hid.”

Shen Guiling’s gaze fell on the flower in her hands. His expression softened slightly. “For me?”

Su Miao’s eyes lit up immediately. She quickly handed it over expectantly. “Mm.”

“Thank you.” He took it, nodded slightly, and turned back toward the banquet hall.

“……”

Yu Sheng’s gaze darkened as she stared at the two flowers in his hand.

At that moment, the third dance had already begun, and most of the girls’ flowers had been given away.

Jiang Huashan was tallying the count while holding a flower basket. “There are twenty-nine here in total.”

Fu Sui’er leaned in and whispered, “I just checked—Brother Lanxi has thirty. What do we do? It looks like Brother Qingyu lost. It’s all Shen Mianzhi’s fault; she’s insane. I just went to ask her for a flower and she said she already gave hers to someone else.”

Jiang Huashan glanced at Zhou Yanheng. This man had suddenly entered the dance floor, and many girls had shifted their choices because of him. Shen Mianzhi’s flower was probably given to him.

“What are you looking at?”

Suddenly someone blocked her line of sight toward Zhou Yanheng.

Before she could react, two flowers dropped from above and landed directly into her flower basket.