Su Xianyu watched the tense veins on Feng Lin's left wrist. The fingertips that clearly intended to steady the bouquet were actually exerting force in the opposite direction.
Her breathing gradually quickened. "A Lin..."
As soon as she opened her mouth, she saw Feng Lin suddenly let go of her. His left hand abruptly grabbed the toppling bunch of Eustoma, his knuckles turning white from the force.
"I had someone specially grow these last week when you said they were nice," she reminded softly.
Feng Lin paused for a moment, then squeezed the flower in his hand even harder. With a "snap", it was completely broken.
He threw the broken flower back into the bouquet and said stiffly, "They're not nice anymore."
Saying that, he grabbed a white rose beside it.
When Su Xianyu squatted down to pick up the petals of the white rose that had been knocked off, a sudden gust of wind blew on the back of her neck.
The moment she looked up, she caught Feng Lin raising his hand. His fingertips almost grazed her hair.
But he suddenly stopped in mid - air, then pressed hard on his temple instead.
"What are you doing?" She gathered the petals in her palm and looked at the red mark that Feng Lin's fingertip had rubbed out on his temple. Her tone was a bit reproachful.
She didn't suspect that Feng Lin would lay a hand on her. She just didn't understand why he seemed so strange today and insisted on taking it out on these flowers.
Could it be...
Feng Lin didn't say a word. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he turned to walk towards the inner room of the flower shop.
The glass jar on the bar shook from his movement. A few flower label cards inside spilled out and fluttered to Su Xianyu's feet.
One of them read "Snow Mountain Rose", with a small smiling face drawn beside it.
"Be careful." She bent down to pick up the label. Just as she straightened up, she saw Feng Lin flip open the order book on the table.
The pages of the book fluttered open, and the sticky notes tucked inside scattered out.
These were left by the male customer yesterday, saying that he would come to pick up the pre - ordered white roses today. There was also his scrawled signature on it.
Su Xianyu's hand suddenly froze in mid - air.
"What are you so angry about?" She picked up the sticky note. The corner of the paper curled up in the wind. "It's just a few labels."
Feng Lin had his back to her, his shoulders tense, as if he was going to reach out and tear up the order book.
"I'm asking you a question." Su Xianyu slapped the sticky note on the bar, her voice getting colder.
"You helped me move the flowers this morning. But as soon as you came back, you've been acting strange. What on earth is going on?"
Feng Lin finally turned around. His face was deathly pale.
He looked at the sticky note in her hand. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just grabbed the water cup on the bar and pushed it aside.
The cup hit the flower bucket, and the water inside spilled out, soaking the white rose branches she had just arranged and wrinkling the ribbon wrapped around them.
She had prepared this ribbon specially for the male customer yesterday, who said he was going to give the flowers to his mother.
She had carefully chosen the off - white ribbon to make it look gentle.
Su Xianyu stared at the wrinkled ribbon. It felt as if something was clogging her chest.
She knew that Feng Lin was paranoid and couldn't stand her being too enthusiastic towards others.
But the male customer yesterday had just politely asked about the maintenance method of white roses, and Feng Lin was there at the time.
She had just answered a few more questions, and he hadn't said anything then. He had even handed her a bottle of nutrient solution.
"Are you angry because of the man who bought the flowers yesterday?"
Su Xianyu took two steps forward and was almost standing in front of him. "Just because I talked to him a bit more?"
Feng Lin neither nodded nor shook his head.
Suddenly, his left hand made a fist and pounded on the bar, making the remaining glass vases rattle.
One of the vases with a rose in it wobbled and fell to the ground beside her feet. The fragments scattered everywhere.
He could have easily held it steady.
Su Xianyu looked at his hand hanging by his side. It was clearly steady, but he hadn't even moved.
"Feng Lin, you've gone too far."
She took a step back, her voice turning cold. "He's just buying a bouquet of flowers for his mother. Do you have to act like this?"
Feng Lin's face turned even paler. He opened his mouth, and a faint gasp came from his throat as if he was trying to defend himself.
But his left hand didn't wait. He grabbed the pruning shears on the bar and with a "snap", cut off the bunch of just - arranged white roses beside it.
The white petals fell to the ground, mixing with the broken glass from before.
Su Xianyu looked at the petals on the ground, and her eyes suddenly turned red.
She knew that Feng Lin was possessive and sometimes got sulky over small things, but he had never before spoiled the flowers she had carefully arranged.
The last time she had a cold and a fever, when she casually mentioned that she was worried about the jasmine on the windowsill, Feng Lin had gotten up in the middle of the night to change the soil for the flower.
Not long ago, when she had fallen asleep from staying up late arranging flowers, it was Feng Lin who had gently covered her with a blanket and carried her to the inner room to rest.
After that, he had guarded the workbench and clumsily tried to arrange the flower branches like her.
He had also neatly arranged all the tools she might need, just so that she could have an easier time the next day.
How could things have turned out like this?
"Do you find me annoying now?" Su Xianyu's voice trembled as she turned around to take off her apron.
"Fine. I won't arrange the flowers today. Is that okay?"
Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed. It was Feng Lin's right hand, with a somewhat urgent force, and his fingertips were scalding hot.
When she looked back, she caught the panic in his eyes, like a child who had done something wrong.
Su Xianyu was confused by his inconsistent actions. She was both angry and anxious. "What on earth do you want?"
Feng Lin looked at her red - rimmed eyes. His lips trembled. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and pressed it against his chest.
His heart was beating fast and erratically. Through the thin shirt, it made her fingertips tingle.
She could sense that Feng Lin seemed to want to say something, but his left hand didn't allow it. It suddenly lifted up.
Caught off guard, Su Xianyu dodged backward and accidentally bumped into the door frame.
"Ouch—" She gasped in pain.
Feng Lin's face instantly turned as white as a sheet. He wanted to reach out to support her.
But his left hand firmly tugged at his arm, pulling it in the opposite direction.
He was yanked to one side, and his forehead hit the sharp corner of the bar with a dull "thud". A red mark quickly appeared.
Su Xianyu was stunned.
She looked at the quickly swelling bump on Feng Lin's forehead and his fingers desperately pressing on his left hand. Suddenly, she felt that something was off.
He hadn't deliberately not supported her just now.
It was more like... he couldn't move.
But the moment this thought popped up, she immediately pushed it down.
How could that be? He could clearly use his right hand to grab hers. How could he not be able to move?
Feng Lin was the protagonist! The bullet comments couldn't control him!
"Stop pretending." She gritted her teeth and forced back the tears welling up in her eyes.
"A Lin, I think we should calm down for a while."
Su Xianyu turned around and opened the door. The cold wind outside rushed in, chilling her body and mind.
She didn't look back. Nor did she see that at the moment the door closed, Feng Lin reached out and grabbed the fruit knife on the table...