Original and most updated translations are from volare. Please don't read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.
TL: Zhao
Editing: Krisaia
"This is gold?" Yang Wei's eyes widened in disbelief as he examined the pot of golden flower.
It was a very plain looking plant, which Li Yiming inherited from the old owner. Li Yiming had left it to wilt on the balcony, and it would have died if not for Chen Jiawang's timely rescue. Although the plant was alive, most of its leaves were drooping down. However, now that it had been transformed into solid gold, it became a masterpiece which far surpassed what was humanly possible.
"Wow! The details on the leaves!" Wu Jia knelt down right next to the table, completely ignoring the jewelry piece Yang Mei had given her.
Although the golden flower was exceptionally pretty, it paled in comparison with the level of detail present on the plant. Every single leaf of the potted plant was distinct and looked as natural as a real plant, some of which even had golden drops of water on them.
"This is solid gold?" Yang Wei gulped down a mouthful of saliva. He knew just how much such an artifact was worth. And, from the way Chen Jiawang put it down on the table, it was unlikely to simply be an empty shell.
"How about you have a look at this, Mr. Yang?" Chen Jiawang proposed with a humble pretense. 'Gold? You're going to show off gold here? I can turn the entire tea shop into gold if I wanted!'
Yang Wei smiled bitterly as he took out his magnifying glass and began to examine the object. His hands began to tremble as he realized that the entire plant was indeed made of almost pure gold.
"So, what do you see, Mr. Yang?" Chen Jiawang pushed for an admission.
"It's made of gold. At least on the surface. I don't know about what's inside." Yang Wei looked like he had just been forced to swallow down a ball of wax.
"Even if it's just on the surface, this work is amazing! It's beautiful!" Wu Jia exclaimed. As an artist, she had her own understanding of beauty. Although the jewelry piece offered to her by Yang Wei was pretty in its own right, the plant Chen Jiawang brought out was far more intricate. It was a miracle that someone had managed to put this much detail into such a work.
"This is Mr. Li's family legacy, isn't it?" Yang Wei suddenly came up with another idea. The golden plant was undoubtedly a masterpiece, but that did not take away from the fact that the golden flower was a gift for Wu Jia.
Chen Jiawang immediately caught onto the meaning of Yang Wei's words. He sought Li Yiming's opinion, only to find him staring at the window.
"This is a gift for Ms. Wu, in fact." Chen Jiawang took a deep breath. He was already committed to making Li Yiming proud, so there was no reason for him to back out now. He could have made as many flowers as he wanted, but Li Yiming would have inevitably lectured him for abusing his talent.
"What? This is for me?" Wu Jia shouted in joy and excitement.
"What?" Li Yiming snapped out of his reflection.
"Yes. Boss has just told me that this was the gift he prepared." Chen Jiawang said with a warm smile as he winked at Li Yiming.
"No, no, no. This is way too expensive. I can't." Wu Jia said as she forced herself to look away from the golden plant.
"If you like it, then it's yours." Owing to his highly acute perception, Li Yiming could feel Wu Jia's genuine fascination for the golden plant. Although he did not approve of Chen Jiawang's usage of talent, what was done could no longer be undone.
Yang Wei felt bitter regret, as choosing Li Yiming's tea shop proved to be a costly mistake. 'Good old friend? My ass! Who would give a few kilograms of solid gold to a friend?'
Just as Yang Wei shook his head in frustration, a luxurious car was seen driving toward the tea shop, drawing both his and Li Yiming's attention.
'That Rolls-Royce…' Yang Wei's was shaken. He had seen the car before back when his father signed the deal with the chairman of Yunyu Group to have his company merged — the car belonged to Yun Yiyuan, chairman of Yunyu Group.
'Did father borrow the car to help me impress Wu Jia…?' Yang Wei stood tall once again. In fact, today, his intention for asking Wu Jia out today was to invite her to a corporate banquet, during which he could have even more opportunities to impress her.
As the car door was opened, a young woman possessing a body with alluring curves, but a glacial expression descended.
'Guo Ying?' Yang Wei was more surprised than ever. Guo Ying was known as being the person who was in charge of the daily activities of Yunyu Corporation, with some even calling her the queen of the company. No matter what his father could have done, there was no way he could have made her come here for him.
Ying Mei pushed the door open and stood still at the entrance.
"Ms. Guo." Yang Wei stood up and saluted politely.
Ying Mei glanced coldly at Yang Wei and ignored him completely.
"Long time no see." Ying Mei looked at Li Yiming. For some reason, when she was facing him, she found it impossible to control her soaring emotions, despite being able to do so in front of more powerful individuals, such as Yun Yiyuan himself.
"I assume you aren't here to drink tea. What's your business today?" Li Yiming said as he leaned against the back of his seat. Unlike with Fang Shui'er, Li Yiming knew that it was impossible to reach a truce with her.
"Well, Mr. Yun would like to invite you to the banquet tonight. Here's the invitation." Ying Mei frowned. She could feel that Li Yiming had changed since she last saw him, but could not quite put her finger on it.
Yang Wei's eyes widened at the black-colored invitation Ying Mei took out. Even he himself was only able to attend the banquet using his father's invitation, and yet Li Yiming somehow was receiving a former invitation from Ying Mei herself.
"I'm not interested." To Yang Wei's surprised, Li Yiming refused without even a moment of consideration.
"Times have changed. Mr. Yun wants to see you." Ying Mei looked at Li Yiming — she had expected him to refuse, but she had to pass on Yun Yiyuan's words to him nonetheless.
"Tell him that if he wants to see me, he'll have to come himself," Li Yiming answered as he squinted his eyes.
"Very well." Ying Mei smiled and threw the invitation into the garbage can next to the table. She then turned around and made for the exit. Before leaving the shop, she suddenly stopped and said, "I'll never forget what happened between us."
In the end, Yang Wei left with Wu Jia, both of them having low moods from what happened. Yang Wei from vastly underestimating Li Yiming, and Wu Jia from the rollercoaster of emotions which she experienced after seeing Li Yiming.
"That woman earlier…" Chen Jiawang as he put away the teacups.
"Yes, it's as you've guessed…" Li Yiming knew what Chen Jiawang was thinking.
"She's from Yunyu Corporation…"
"The world has changed…" Li Yiming muttered as he turned his attention toward the rooftop of a newly constructed skyscraper nearby.
Bam!
The wooden door to the entrance was suddenly flung open, and Chen Jiawang almost dropped his teacup.
"Lin Lu?" Li Yiming frowned.
Chen Jiawang froze in place. He did not feel comfortable around people who worked at National Security, especially when he had just used his power when he should not have.
"We need your help."