Gu Yanzhou left with the bouquet in his hand.
But he didn’t leave immediately.
The black Maybach remained parked outside my flower shop for almost ten minutes.
Through the glass window, I could see his figure sitting inside the car.
Still.
Silent.
Like someone who had suddenly encountered a problem he couldn’t solve.
Su Hang sat beside him.
Neither of them spoke.
Because for the first time in six years…
they didn’t know what to say to me.
Six years ago, when I left Beicheng, I was not calm.
I cried.
I begged.
I asked my father why.
I asked my brother why.
I asked Gu Yanzhou why the man who once promised to protect me could say:
“Su Yan, you are not worthy of me.”
But nobody answered.
The Su family had already made their choice.
My father wanted a daughter who could bring benefits to the family.
My brother wanted to protect the reputation of the Su Group.
And Gu Yanzhou…
wanted a woman who matched his world.
Not me.
The girl who grew up beside him.
The girl who waited for him for eight years.
The girl who loved him before he had everything.
That night, after they left the flower shop, Su Hang didn’t sleep.
He sat in the hotel room and looked at the old photo on his phone.
A family photo.
A younger version of me stood beside him.
My smile was bright.
His hand was resting on my shoulder.
At that time, he still called me:
“Little sister.”
Then everything changed.
The next morning, Su Hang returned alone.
When I saw him enter, I immediately knew.
He wasn’t here to buy flowers.
—Sir, what flowers would you like today?
He stood there.
Silent.
Then he asked:
—Do you really not know me?
I looked at him.
—Should I?
That single sentence made his face turn pale.
Because he understood.
I wasn’t pretending.
I really no longer considered him family.
He walked closer.
—Su Yan…
I interrupted him.
—The flowers are on that shelf.
—If you need help choosing, I can recommend something.
My professional smile remained.
Polite.
Distant.
The same smile I gave every customer.
Su Hang clenched his fingers.
—Six years ago…
I stopped cutting flowers.
But I didn’t look up.
—The past is expensive.
He froze.
I placed the scissors down.
—Especially when the people who hurt you suddenly want to buy it back.
Outside the store, Mrs. Zhang pretended to clean vegetables.
But she was obviously listening.
Later she told me:
“Xiao Su, that man looked like he wanted to cry.”
I laughed.
—People don’t cry when they lose something they didn’t value.
They cry when they finally understand its value.
That afternoon, Gu Yanzhou came again.
This time, he came alone.
No assistant.
No expensive car waiting at the door.
No cold expression.
Just him.
And a tired look I had never seen before.
He placed the bouquet from yesterday on the counter.
The flowers were still beautiful.
But one rose had started to open.
—You remembered.
I looked at him.
—What?
—The way I used to arrange flowers.
My hand paused.
Because I did remember.
Before we got engaged, Gu Yanzhou once told me:
“When we get married, our house should always have fresh flowers.”
So for three years, I changed flowers every week.
But after our engagement was broken…
he probably forgot that promise.
Like he forgot many others.
—Why are you here?
I asked.
Gu Yanzhou looked at me.
For a long time.
Then he said:
—To apologize.
I almost smiled.
—Six years late.
His expression tightened.
—Yes.
A simple answer.
No excuse.
That surprised me.
—Do you know what I hated the most?
I asked.
He looked at me.
—Not that you left.
—Not even that you broke our engagement.
A pause.
—It was that you looked at me like I was embarrassing.
Gu Yanzhou lowered his eyes.
Because he remembered.
That night.
The entire Beicheng elite circle was there.
He returned the ring.
He said those words.
And I stood there.
Alone.
Humiliated.
—I was wrong.
His voice was quiet.
I shook my head.
—Everyone says that after they lose something.
—Su Yan…
—No.
I looked at him.
—You don’t miss me.
—You miss the girl who loved you.
His breathing stopped.
Because that was the truth.
That evening, after closing the store, I received a message.
From an unknown number.
Only one sentence:
“Your biological father is seriously ill. He wants to see you.”
I stared at the screen.
For six years, I had avoided Beicheng.
Avoided the Su family.
Avoided everything connected to my old life.
But now…
the past had found me.
The next morning, before I could decide whether to reply, a familiar black Maybach appeared again.
This time, there were three people.
Gu Yanzhou.
Su Hang.
And an old man sitting in the back seat.
My father.
Su Mingyuan.
The man who once said:
“Take your things and leave. The Su family has no place for you.”
Now he looked much older.
His eyes were full of regret.
He lowered the car window.
And the first thing he said was:
—Yan Yan…
I hadn’t heard that name from him in six years.
My fingers tightened around the flower scissors.
Then he said something I never expected.
—Your mother left something for you.
My heart stopped.
Because my mother…
had been the only person in that family who never abandoned me.
And she had died before I left Beicheng.
I looked at the three people in front of me.
The fiancé who once discarded me.
The brother who pushed me away.
The father who erased me.
Six years ago, they thought they had thrown away a useless daughter.
A forgotten fiancée.
A worthless sister.
But they didn’t know one thing.
The woman who left Beicheng with nothing…
was the same woman who built a peaceful life without needing them.
And now…
they were the ones standing outside my door.
Waiting for my answer.
