#52: Our Destiny

After Jiang Beibei’s legs recovered, she returned to work at the station on a Monday. On her desk sat a bouquet of fresh flowers.

“Wow, who are these from?”

Her colleague replied, “They were just delivered. They’re for you.”

“For me?” Jiang Beibei was stunned. “But no one called me!”

The bouquet was simple and understated—a single white rose, a few stems of lisianthus, and some hydrangeas. The colors were fresh and elegant, exuding a gentle charm. There was no card or message attached—only the name of the flower shop, “Mirror in My Home,” printed on the ribbon tied around the stems.

Such a familiar name… Was it the little shop in Bottle Alley?

There was no contact information or address provided, so Jiang Beibei couldn’t call to ask who had sent the flowers. After a moment of surprise, she carefully placed them aside.

Who could have sent the flowers? A colleague? Her department head? To celebrate her return? No, that seemed unlikely—she wasn’t a leader, just an ordinary employee. It wasn’t necessary to make such a gesture.

Could it be… Third Brother? But knowing his personality, if he had sent flowers, he would’ve definitely called her to tell her about it.

Or maybe… Chu Yao?

It was possible. Jiang Beibei thought about how different he acted before and after sleeping. Suddenly surprising her with a quiet gesture like ordering flowers wasn’t out of the question.

She sent a text to Chu Yao, but he didn’t reply—he must be busy with work.

“Reporter Jiang, let’s go. Did you check the interview research I sent to your email yesterday?”

“Yes, is it about that private detective couple?” Jiang Beibei clasped her hands together, silently thanking the anonymous sender, grabbed her bag, and followed the camera crew. “Sounds interesting. Are we heading there now?”

“Are you sure? Are your legs better?”

“As good as new!” Jiang Beibei smiled. “I’m perfectly fine.”

The couple they were interviewing that day were private detectives who had gained some fame among wealthy housewives. They were said to be highly skilled at catching cheating husbands and uncovering hidden marital assets. However, their line of work wasn’t entirely legal or above board, making this episode of their program bold and intriguing.

When Jiang Beibei saw the address of the detective agency, she exclaimed in surprise.

“Bottle Alley? What a coincidence!” The flower shop was located here!

“Oh, we’ve been here before—to interview that designer!” her colleague recalled. “The one involved in that fashion plagiarism case—the guy with long hair who smiled sweetly!”

“That’s right!” Jiang Beibei looked up and spotted the window in the middle of Bottle Alley with the words “Detective Agency” pasted on it. “This alley is full of hidden talents.”

The interview was fascinating. The detective couple explained that their main business wasn’t investigating infidelity but rather exorcising demons and ghosts. Their side hustle included fortune-telling and exploring people’s past lives. Though they spoke mysteriously, their personalities were warm, and their words didn’t come off as annoying.

After turning off the cameras, the crew members eagerly extended their hands, asking the male owner to read their fortunes. Even the cameraman joined in.

A junior colleague teased him: “Superstition is bad! This episode is meant to criticize such practices—you shouldn’t encourage it!”

“It’s just for fun. It’s interesting.”

When it was Jiang Beibei’s turn, both husband and wife leaned in to examine her palm—an honor reserved only for her.

“…What do you see?” Jiang Beibei asked curiously.

The female owner said, “You lost your parents early, but you’ve been blessed by their legacy and have had a relatively smooth life. Your romantic fate is excellent—I haven’t seen such a long marriage line in years. But what intrigues me is this hand of yours.”

Mysteriously, the woman called her husband over. “Bi Qing, did you see her past life?”

“Yes.” The man smiled faintly, as if watching an entertaining TV drama. “Just take this as a story I made up. In the clearest past life I see, you were born into a military family with five older brothers who loved you deeply.”

The female owner examined Jiang Beibei’s other hand. “Besides the marriage line on your left hand, there are four threads of emotional connection on your right hand, none of which are broken. This proves that the timing of your reincarnation aligns perfectly—they’re all still here.”

“Like the legendary Yang Family warriors?” Jiang Beibei laughed. “You must’ve seen The People Around Us and know I have five older brothers, right?”

It had to be true—otherwise, how could they say such things?

After the interview ended, the crew left. Watching Jiang Beibei get into her car and drive away, the female owner asked, “That girl’s past life must be quite interesting, huh?”

“I watch it like a TV drama—it’s full of twists and turns,” the male owner said. “In her last life, she and her younger sister died on the battlefield, their bodies left unclaimed. It wasn’t a happy ending. But where there’s suffering, there’s sweetness. This life, she’s found good fortune.”

Jiang Beibei stopped by the “Mirror in My Home” flower shop and asked the staff.

“Jiang Beibei from CCTV?” The clerk checked the registry and smiled. “Yes, it was ordered by Mr. Chu. He arranged for daily flower delivery, and they’ll arrive every morning at nine o’clock.”

So it really was Chu Yao.

Unable to hold back her laughter, Jiang Beibei said, “I’d like to order the same package for a month.”

Since funeral homes wouldn’t deliver flowers daily, Jiang Beibei left Chu Yao’s home address.

The next morning, as Jiang Beibei headed to work, she happened to run into the delivery guy bringing flowers to Chu Yao’s house.

Glancing at her watch, she realized Chu Yao would already be at work by this time. But Chu Yao’s parents were home, so there was no risk of the flowers going undelivered.

When the door opened, it was Chu’s father.

The delivery guy paused, then grinned brightly. “Hello, these are fresh flowers for Mr. Chu.”

Chu’s father took the flowers and turned to Chu’s mother, asking, “When did you order these for me?”

Jiang Beibei listened intently, only to hear Chu’s groggy mother snap, “For you? Who do you think you are? I didn’t order them! Whoever ordered them can go to hell!”

Jiang Beibei stuck out her tongue and quickly fled the scene. If she stayed any longer, she might have been forced to bark like a dog.

That evening, the siblings gathered for dinner at the restaurant Meow Meow Mi .

Tang Xizhou, whose workplace was nearby, arrived first. Still wearing his police uniform, he rubbed his shoulders and complained, “My back and waist ache…”

Jiang Beibei caught the hint and enthusiastically offered to massage his shoulders and back.

Tang Xizhou closed his eyes in contentment. “You weren’t raised for nothing…”

Jiang Beibei punched his back. “Second Brother, are you raising a daughter now?”

Tang Xizhou grunted. “Isn’t that what you are? Your eldest brother and I watched you grow up. When you were just a month old, your parents dropped you off and went on a mission. It was all up to us to raise you. Back then, disposable diapers weren’t common, so after finishing his homework, your eldest brother had to wash your cloth diapers. If he didn’t clean them properly, his dad would scold him. Your third and fourth brothers were just in elementary school at the time, but they’d rush home early every day to check on you. Eventually, their teacher complained, and they got punished—standing in the hallway with their backpacks on.”

“What about my Yao Brother?”

“At that time, Yao was also just a baby.” Tang Xizhou reminisced. “When he was five or six, he barely spoke. When he started school, his teacher said he never answered questions during class. We were told to take him to see a doctor.”

“Eh?” Jiang Beibei had never heard this story before. “Did Aunt Yao take him to see a doctor?”

“No way.” Tang Xizhou snorted. “Our Captain Yao immediately passed the blame to Yao’s dad. She told the teacher, ‘My son isn’t sick—it’s genetic from his father.’”

“But Yao talks a lot now.”

“He talks a lot with us, but not much with others.” Tang Xizhou chuckled. “I remember when he first started school. Every day after class, he’d come home, finish his homework, and then knock on your door, asking your dad to let him in to see you. But he never said a word—it was always your dad guessing what he wanted. We had to coax him: ‘Yao, are you here to see Beibei?’ He’d just nod. By the time you could talk and walk, he’d tell you boring fairy tales over and over again.”

“Hehe.” Jiang Beibei grinned. “I guess I was just too cute.”

“Yeah, we all wanted a little sister back then.” Tang Xizhou nodded. “But it was boys after boys—this one’s a brother, that one’s a brother. Even when Yao came along, he was another brother. I almost cried. We felt like a sister was what we needed. Before you were born, there was a lot of commotion, and everyone guessed you’d be a boy. From your eldest brother to Yao, we all insisted we’d only accept a sister—if it was another brother, we wouldn’t acknowledge him. It was strange—we somehow knew you’d be a sister…”

“Oh!” Jiang Beibei suddenly remembered yesterday’s fascinating interview. “We interviewed a famous marriage detective agency yesterday. Those two could even read fortunes and said I had five brothers in my past life—blood-related ones!”

“You mean us? Were we related in our past lives?” Tang Xizhou gave her a sidelong glance. “If that’s true, you’re being pretty heartless toward your own brothers in this life.”

“Hahaha, stop it!” Jiang Beibei blushed. “That’s so embarrassing to say.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Qin Yuan walked in, lighting a cigarette. “What’s this about?”

“We’re saying you were my brother in a past life.”

Qin Yuan sat down and took a drag. “Tell me, when weren’t we brothers?”

“Hey, this is a restaurant—no smoking!” Jiang Beibei scolded. “No smoking allowed!”

Without a word, Qin Yuan stubbed out his cigarette.

Jiang Beibei muttered, “Every single one of you is a smoker!”

Song Lang finally finished dealing with the last group of customers, flipped the “Closed” sign, and sat down. “I don’t smoke—just those three.”

“Do you remember when Yao got beaten up for smoking?” Song Lang teased.

“…” Jiang Beibei perked up. “When was that?”

She had assumed Chu Yao had never smoked.

Qin Yuan, holding his extinguished cigarette between his lips, said, “It was when we were in middle school. Big Brother brought us all together during a holiday. He bought a pack of cigarettes and handed one to each of us. We hadn’t been smoking for long when Yao’s mom caught us and beat him up.”

Song Lang interjected, “I didn’t know anything about it! I just came home late that day—how did everyone end up blaming me?”

Tang Xizhou immediately passed the buck: “I didn’t say it—it was Third Brother.”

Qin Yuan shot back, “Second Brother, I wish I had recorded it back then so I could play it for you now and embarrass you.”

Finally, Chu Yao and Yan Qingming arrived. Jiang Beibei rushed over and gave Chu Yao a light kiss.

Chu Yao asked, “Did you buy flowers for Mom and Dad?”

“Yes,” Jiang Beibei replied. “Actually, they’re for you. I ordered a month’s worth. Did they mention it to you?”

“They asked me about it.” Chu Yao smiled. “I guessed it was you… Do you miss me?”

His last words were spoken softly.

“Yes.” Jiang Beibei stood on her tiptoes, pulling him down to whisper in his ear, “I miss Yao Yao.”

Chu Yao’s expression changed dramatically. After a long pause, his voice hoarse, he murmured, “Wait… wait until tonight.”

Tang Xizhou chuckled. “Oh, exchanging sweet nothings?”

Qin Yuan groaned, “Burn my eyes!”

Song Lang teased Qin Yuan, “You should be glad I didn’t bring Yuanbao today. Otherwise, leaving you alone would’ve been pitiful.”

Qin Yuan retorted, “Tomorrow, I’ll run away with Big Miao Miao. I’m done with this place—they’re not giving me a break!”