Chapter 48

The boy saw Xu Qinling and Su Yuxi, and turned to push the door to escape back to the bar. He was afraid of Xu Qinling and shy of Su Yuxi. This boy was none other than Huang Xiaqi, whom Li Ling'er had mentioned.

Huang Xiaqi's real name was Huang Luyang. He was the youngest among his close friends, ranking seventh, hence his nickname, Huang Xiaqi. He was a sophomore at Gezhi Private School. His family's company had a lot of business dealings with Xu Qinling's family, making Xu Qinling someone he dared not offend. Moreover, the terrifying memories from elementary school with Xu Qinling were too vivid. So, whenever he saw Xu Qinling, he instinctively wanted to run.

As for Su Yuxi, whom he liked, he didn't have the courage to look at her. He found it strange himself why this was the case. To build up his courage, he once pursued the school's beauty queen. He had someone write a love letter for him, and he blocked the school gate to give her 999 roses, causing a sensation in the school. He then waited at the beauty queen's house every day to go to school with her. Eventually, he moved her, and she agreed to his invitation for a weekend date. On that day, seeing the beauty queen dressed up, he found it boring. After treating her to a meal, he said he had something to do and left.

After that, he never paid attention to the beauty queen again. Later, there were rumors that he had confessed to her and been rejected, but he didn't deny it.

This experience made him feel that girls were actually very easy to pursue. So, he mustered up the courage, tidied himself up, dressed handsomely, and drove his Porsche 911, holding 99 blue roses that he had specially air-freighted from Japan, to Fudan High School to confess his love.

Most people would think, why go to the trouble of air-freighting blue roses from Japan? Some might think 99 blue roses were too stingy, not the style of a rich kid! In fact, Huang Xiaqi had to pester his older brother for a long time to get these 99 blue roses. His brother, Huang Ruijun, was the head of the international trade department of their family's listed company, the Huang Group, and a well-known figure in Shanghai. He had to seek help from a Chinese ambassador to Japan to buy 99 blue roses, at a great cost in terms of favors.

These were genuine blue roses, not the blue roses (blue hybrid roses) that are dyed. The blue roses available on the market are not true blue roses but are dyed using a harmless dye and a color fixative. The dye is applied to white roses (or white chrysanthemums) just before they bloom, allowing the flowers to absorb the dye like water. More formal "blue hybrid roses" are dyed during the growth period, with the color evenly distributed on the petals, looking more natural. Many vendors simply dye ordinary white roses blue after picking them, resulting in an unnatural color that easily fades. These are all fake blue hybrid roses.

Although roses have a 5,000-year history of cultivation, with over 2,500 varieties developed, there has never been a true blue rose. Roses lack the "flavonoid 3'5'-hydroxylase" enzyme needed to produce the blue delphinidin, making true blue roses impossible, hence the English term "blue rose" meaning "impossible."

People have dreamed of creating blue roses, but all attempts have failed. Scientists have tried to breed blue roses by crossing different varieties and suppressing red pigments, but these roses do not contain blue pigments and thus cannot be called true blue roses. Traditional hybrid techniques have produced roses with a purple or grayish hue, derived from red or orange pigments, not a vibrant blue.

Finally, in 2008, Suntory, a Japanese company, spent 3 billion yen to develop a true blue rose. They extracted the blue pigment gene from blue clover (tricolor violet), used genetic recombination to alter the rose's genetic sequence, and successfully isolated the delphinidin pigment. They then transplanted the gene and violet pigment to create a blue rose. The petals of this rose contained 100% pure blue pigment.

The world's first genetically modified blue rose, however, was not as strikingly beautiful as imagined. Its blue was closer to a light purple, appearing more pure and charming. The petals were 100% blue, and it was named "SUNTORYBLUEROSE." Since the technology for widespread cultivation and planting of blue roses is not yet mature, it remains at the laboratory research stage, far from meeting market demand. Only a few people have seen the pure, natural blue hybrid rose, let alone obtained one. Money cannot buy such a flower.

Huang Xiaqi sat in his car, holding the flowers, waiting at the entrance of Fudan High School. He felt nervous for the first time, not expecting his confession to succeed, but this was just the beginning of his pursuit of Su Yuxi.

However, when Su Yuxi walked out of the school gate with her backpack, passing by him with the blue roses, he still couldn't hand her the flowers or say the long-suppressed words, "Su Yuxi, I like you." Huang Xiaqi followed her for a few steps, watching her tall and slender figure, feeling a sense of powerlessness.

Compared to the other girls who pointed and whispered when they saw him, Su Yuxi never looked at him. In her eyes, he was just a tree, a rock, or a weed she passed by.

Huang Xiaqi threw the blue roses into the Huangpu River, and his heart sank with the pristine bouquet.

Just as Huang Xiaqi was about to run, Xu Qinling grabbed his arm, "Huang Xiaqi, why are you running? You see an old classmate and don't even say hello?"

Huang Xiaqi had no choice but to turn around, not daring to look at Su Yuxi, and only staring at Xu Qinling's sunglasses, pretending to be surprised, "You are? Sister Ning?" He then pushed Li Ling'er, "Kitty, why didn't you say Sister Ning was here?"

Li Ling'er, nicknamed Kitty because of her online name "Sexy Wildcat," was not afraid of Huang Xiaqi. She pulled his other arm, "Stop talking nonsense. Sister Xi is here, and you're not even arranging a seat?"

Hearing Su Yuxi's name, Huang Xiaqi's face turned red, and he didn't dare say anything, leading the four girls inside.

Huang Xiaqi brought two boys and three girls to a VIP booth facing the stage, the largest and best-positioned booth with a minimum spending requirement. But for Huang Xiaqi and his friends, who were used to high-end bars like Nirvana and Myth, this was just a fraction of the cost of a bottle of XO.

They wouldn't usually come to such a small bar, but Huang Xiaqi's friend's girlfriend insisted on coming here, so they reluctantly came. They planned to go to Nirvana after listening to Guilty Crown's performance, as their nightlife only began at 11 PM.

Once they reached the booth, Huang Xiaqi asked his friends to make room for Xu Qinling, Su Yuxi, and the others to sit down. He then called the bartender to order drinks. He didn't have the courage to invite them to drink or even sit at the same table, feeling uneasy about his hairstyle and his slightly too casual outfit. Sitting on the sofa, he didn't know where to put his feet or hands, and the usually confident him became somewhat awkward.

The largest booth at Fire and Forest could comfortably seat twelve to thirteen people. Adding four slender girls, it was still spacious. Huang Xiaqi's friends knew Li Ling'er and Tang Wenqian, but Su Yuxi and Xu Qinling were new to them. The two boys and three girls were stunned by the beauty of these two girls, finding it hard to take their eyes off them. Huang Xiaqi's girls were also quite pretty, but compared to Su and Xu, they were like fireflies to the moon. The obvious difference made it hard for ordinary people to feel jealous, only admiration.

Xu Qinling texted Cheng Xiaoyu, saying they had sat down, and started timing.

Cheng Xiaoyu was just finishing Xia Shamoe's makeup, preparing to perform.

Xia Shamoe was wearing a black and white embroidered maid outfit with white stockings, a personal little hobby of Cheng Xiaoyu. But after Xia Shamoe changed, Cheng Xiaoyu regretted it, feeling it was a waste for such a beautiful and alluring girl to be seen by others. Seeing Xia Shamoe's enchanting smile, Cheng Xiaoyu felt a pang of pain.

As the performance was about to start, Cheng Xiaoyu ignored Tang Wenqian's message, replied with a "received," and put her phone on silent.

When Xia Shamoe, dressed in a maid outfit with a sweet, Japanese-style makeup, stepped on stage, the atmosphere in the bar reached its peak, with applause, cheers, and whistles.

Xia Shamoe walked to the stage, grabbed the microphone stand, a habit and signature move of hers, signaling her transformation was complete. She had become slightly more accustomed to the bar atmosphere and didn't blush as easily as before.

Cheng Xiaoyu leaned over to the microphone on the keyboard and said, "Thank you all for staying with us at Fire and Forest at 9 PM. Thank you for your support of Guilty Crown. We hope the next few songs will bring you a different experience. Here's a new song, 'Blossom to the End,' for everyone. We hope you like it." Cheng Xiaoyu used a synthesizer for the arrangement, as three instruments alone couldn't support such a grand musical background.

In the band, only Cheng Xiaoyu was talkative; the others were reluctant to speak. When Cheng Xiaoyu casually spoke a few words, Xu Qinling whispered to Su Yuxi, "Pretty impressive! I heard the lyrics and music are by your brother? Your brother is quite talented!"

Su Yuxi, without turning to look at Xu Qinling, who was leaning on her, said, "He's better than you, who does nothing but dress up and is brainless despite your big chest!"

Xu Qinling, used to Su Yuxi's sarcasm, laughed and put her hand inside Su Yuxi's coat, aiming for her chest, "Oh, you have a good brain and a big chest."

Su Yuxi grabbed Xu Qinling's hands, annoyed, "Listen to the music, don't mess around."

Xu Qinling wrapped her arms around Su Yuxi's waist and sighed, "Too bad your brother isn't handsome. If he were, I'd be willing to settle for him and be your sister-in-law. Then we'd really be a family, and I could stay at your place all the time."

Su Yuxi coldly laughed, "No way, Xu Qinling. My family's temple is too small to accommodate you. Go ruin someone else's life. Besides, is a person's appearance that important? When will you change your shallow worldview?"

Tang Wenqian interjected, "Sister Ning doesn't care about money. No matter how rich a guy is, he can't match her family. She can only look for a handsome one!"

Xu Qinling frowned, "Now that you mention it, I do find it strange. Why don't I think that guy is handsome? Am I a lesbian? I just like you beautiful girls." She then hugged Tang Wenqian and kissed her on the cheek.

Li Ling'er squeezed in and cupped Xu Qinling's chest, "Your real stuff is a waste on any man. How about we get a room tonight and study how your assets are made?"

Xu Qinling glanced at Li Ling'er's flat chest, "If you had a bit more, we could mix it up. Touching you is like touching a man, what's the point?"

Li Ling'er, not backing down, pushed her chest forward, "Who says I don't have a bit more? Try it yourself."

A passing handsome guy's eyes widened at the scene. Seeing Xu Qinling next to her, he immediately had a nosebleed.

The four girls burst into laughter, slapping the table.

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