HBWMA -Chapter 314 Nine Pink Roses

Juyuan Garden.

Zhang Ru was applying medicine to Jiang Huashan. After several hours of shooting practice, the web between her thumb and forefinger and her arm were both swollen.

“Everything has its limits. You need to go step by step. If you exhaust your hand in one day, you won’t be able to train anymore later. Wouldn’t today’s effort all go to waste?”

Zhang Ru didn’t know what Jiang Huashan had been doing and only assumed she had gone overboard practicing shooting. Her face was full of concern.

Jiang Huashan teased with a smile. “Oh? Aunt Zhang also knows how to lecture people now?”

Zhang Ru shot her a mock glare. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s just like making soup. If you want a rich broth, you can’t start with high heat. You have to simmer it slowly on low heat for seven or eight hours to get that flavor.”

Jiang Huashan nodded seriously. “Lesson learned.”

Zhang Ru knew she wasn’t really taking it to heart, but didn’t press further. She stood up. “I’ll go get you a bowl of soup.”

Jiang Huashan looked at her. “Aunt Zhang… do you want to go out?”

Zhang Ru paused, confused. “Go where?”

Jiang Huashan thought for a moment. “Anywhere. Go do what you like. See a wider world.”

In her memory, Zhang Ru always seemed to be busy in the kitchen. Her world was small—limited to Shen Garden.

Zhang Ru shook her head.

Now it was Jiang Huashan’s turn to be confused. “Why not? If you’re worried about money, I can—”

Zhang Ru smiled gently. “It’s not about money. It’s because… I’m already doing what I love most right now.”

Jiang Huashan froze, not immediately understanding.

Zhang Ru pointed toward the windowsill. In the glass vase, pink roses were blooming brilliantly. “If you’re really bored, just look at the flowers. Don’t keep thinking about all those messy things.”

Jiang Huashan: “……”

Zhang Ru turned and went back to the kitchen.

Jiang Huashan frowned slightly and shuffled over in her turtle slippers to the windowsill.

The pink roses were in full bloom—vivid and dewy. Exactly nine of them, no more, no less.

Everything feels strange lately.

Even Shen Lanxi.

Today, he must have noticed something, but he didn’t react at all. He didn’t even frown when he saw the shooting targets half-dead all over the floor. That’s not like him.

He suddenly showed up at the café, suddenly appeared in the slum area, and then suddenly sent her flowers…

Weird. So weird it didn’t even feel like Shen Lanxi anymore.

Lanyuan Residence.

Shen Lanxi was standing by the window, looking at the moon, his gaze cool yet faintly lingering.

“Sir.” Gao Zhi pushed the door open, holding a stack of documents.

Shen Lanxi turned his eyes toward him. When he looked up again, only indifference remained. “Say only the important things.”

Too much unnecessary nonsense. Gao Zhi silently clicked his tongue but quickly sorted through the documents and handed over a few.

“Sir, the Su family is being targeted this time. That Su Yun—”

“Next,” Shen Lanxi interrupted, uninterested.

They’re just going to let such a big favor from the Su family slip away?

Gao Zhi thought again. “Got it! Sir, the church in Xilin District—”

Shen Lanxi tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

Gao Zhi couldn’t help rolling his eyes and pulled out another stack. “This is Miss Jiang’s recent daily routine.”

Shen Lanxi lowered his gaze slightly and took it calmly.

Show-off.

Gao Zhi thought but didn’t say it aloud, continuing instead, “At first glance, there was nothing unusual. But if we reverse the results, every part of her daily life has something odd about it. Take the incident at the International Trade Building—Shen family’s dark network and all visible forces were deployed, but there were no leads at all. Yet Miss Jiang left Shen Garden and went straight to the International Trade Center. It was as if she had known in advance.”

Shen Lanxi flipped through the pages one by one without responding.

“Also, that girl from the Zhou family. Miss Jiang had no prior connection with her, but she happened to show up when she needed help most. And even went to plead with you, sir.”

Gao Zhi stroked his chin, analyzing it step by step. “She clearly dislikes you so much, yet she still helped an unrelated person and even begged on their behalf. Strange. Very strange.”

Shen Lanxi lifted his eyes and glanced indifferently at Gao Zhi.

Gao Zhi pretended not to see it and smoothly changed the topic. “Also, that Fu Xiaoxiao—although Miss Jiang and she were already on bad terms before, it was mostly just verbal conflicts. But recently, Miss Jiang has been directly using force without any reasoning at all. She’s usually so lazy, yet she’s personally beating people up now. That’s abnormal. Suspicious.”

Shen Lanxi did not comment.

From the very first moment he saw Jiang Huashan walk into the café, he already knew Fu Xiaoxiao had been set up.

What kind of girl brings two guns and a backpack full of bullets just to drink coffee?

And they still tolerated this?

Gao Zhi studied Shen Lanxi from head to toe. As expected, a young master who had stayed in the mountains too long was easy to fool—just a pretty girl waving at him and he’d lose all principles.

As if sensing his thoughts, Shen Lanxi seemed to have eyes on the top of his head and instantly saw through the disrespect in Gao Zhi’s gaze. His tone remained casual.

“Don’t want your eyes anymore?”

“Huh?” Gao Zhi was startled. So he actually had a brain?

He quickly put on his sunglasses, afraid his true feelings might leak out.

Shen Lanxi had no time to “train monkeys.” “Put the things down. Get out.”

“Yes.”

Used and discarded—what a heartless young master.

Just as Gao Zhi turned to leave, Shen Lanxi suddenly seemed to think of something and called him back.

“Have you found out who’s behind that email?”

Three days ago, Shen Lanxi’s inbox had been secretly infiltrated. The intruder didn’t take any data—instead, they left behind a letter.

And it was precisely the clues in that letter that led Shen Lanxi to notice the Fu family and understand Fu Xiaoxiao’s scheme.

Gao Zhi’s expression turned serious. “Not yet.”

Shen Lanxi didn’t reprimand him. “Keep investigating. Destroy all previous data. Rebuild the database from scratch.”

“Yes.”

The hot tea had already gone cold, untouched.

The young man leaned against the luohan couch, flipping page by page through information about Jiang Huashan’s daily life.

He was intelligent enough to see the whole picture from a single detail. All the fragmented clues connected together formed a massive intelligence network.

At fifteen, when they first met, she had pointed at his nose and cursed him with vulgar words—she was a type of person he had never encountered before.

But now, looking back, every time she crossed a line, it was precisely and perfectly measured.

Sui’er was like that. Mianzhi was like that. Zhou Qishan was like that. And now even Su Miao was like that.

Shen Lanxi raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the night sky.

Nanwan.

Shen Guiling sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at his phone.

The city lights shimmered like flowing silk, casting a warm orange glow over him, making him appear both lonely and quiet.

Mo Ran was momentarily dazed, only snapping back when Shen Guiling’s gaze turned toward her.

“What is it?” the young man asked first.

Mo Ran placed a glass of orange juice on the table and took out a small hard drive from her pocket, her attitude respectful.

“Young master, this is the information from Whale Harbor.”

Shen Guiling flipped his phone over and took a sip of the orange juice.

After spending time with him, Mo Ran no longer dared to treat the boy in front of him like an ordinary teenager. He explained proactively: “This is the chairman’s instruction. The national council is overloaded with political affairs, and he can’t divide his attention. From now on, all regional intelligence matters will be handled by you, young master.”

Shen Guiling set down the orange juice and calmly took the hard drive.

“Tell Father I’ll handle it properly.”

“Yes.” Mo Ran nodded, then hesitated before turning to leave. But he stopped again.

“A-Ling Young Master… previously, regional intelligence was handled by Madam.”

Shen Guiling glanced at him and smiled faintly, his brows gentle. “I understand.”

Mo Ran lowered his eyes and bowed slightly before exiting the room.

The moment the door closed, the smile in Shen Guiling’s eyes vanished instantly. He casually tossed the hard drive aside without interest.

He turned his head, resting his chin in his hand, and stared faintly at the moon outside, his fingers absentmindedly tapping on his phone.

The screen lit up.

The page displayed was an AI encyclopedia.

—Nine pink roses represent: first love, I like you.