Chapter 44: Plants

The flight attendant couldn't help but shiver. "Kangping! Don't go too far!"

"You don't understand how important dignity is to a man!" Kangping said fiercely.

"I won't join you in doing bad things!" the flight attendant said coldly.

"Get out of my way!" Kangping pushed her aside, got into the car, started it, and sped off in pursuit.

The bright red BMW was driving on the road, with the white Toyota closely following. Behind them was Wang Yang's blue Mercedes, and finally, Zhang Tianbo's black Audi.

The Toyota approached the BMW like a ghost. Ahead was a sharp turn, and Kangping intended to force Li Yi to crash into the mountain wall.

The BMW was on the left, and the Toyota on the right. On one side was the mountain wall, and on the other, a high embankment.

Guo Xiaoling nervously called out, "Li Yi, what are they trying to do?"

"Nothing! Fasten your seatbelt!" Li Yi smiled wickedly. "Hold on tight, I'm going to make you scream with pleasure!"

Li Yi suddenly accelerated, as if trying to overtake the Toyota.

Kangping spat, "Trying to escape! Let's see if I'll let you!"

Kangping slammed his foot on the gas, and the Toyota tightly pursued the BMW, making it impossible for the BMW to turn.

As they approached the turn, the curve was quite sharp. After the turn, there was a steep slope. This was a section where traffic accidents often occurred, and there were warning signs from the police advising drivers to slow down and be cautious.

Li Yi cursed inwardly, "What a vicious kid! If it weren't for me today, you would have had your way!"

As they neared the turn, Li Yi suddenly performed a high-speed drift, making a 180-degree turn, and then another drift, reversing the car and stopping steadily by the roadside.

"Bang! Boom! Crack!" There was a series of loud noises. Kangping watched as the BMW disappeared from his sight, and in a moment of distraction, the Toyota crashed into the mountain wall, collapsing a section of the stone wall.

Guo Xiaoling, who had just recovered from the thrill of the drift, was immediately frightened by the scene and screamed.

The Mercedes and Audi finally caught up. Seeing the scene, they both stopped their cars.

Zhang Tianbo ran over and asked, "Mr. Li, what happened?"

Li Yi shrugged helplessly, "I don't know what happened, he just crashed."

Wang Yang, who had a good relationship with Kangping, ran up, pushed aside the branches blocking the car, and shouted, "Kangping! Kangping!"

Kangping was already unconscious.

Wang Yang immediately called 120 on his mobile phone.

The 120 ambulance arrived quickly, thanks to the strict measures implemented by Wen Yuxi.

When Kangping was carried out, he was still unconscious, with blood on his left leg and face, indicating serious injuries.

Wang Yang looked at Li Yi meaningfully, "I've notified his family. They will go directly to the hospital. Mr. Li, you are witnesses. Can you come and give a statement?"

Li Yi shrugged indifferently, indicating his willingness.

Guo Xiaoling, somewhat nervously, held Li Yi's hand. Li Yi smiled, thinking, "This little girl is finally seeking security from me. Not bad, she's making progress!"

Kangping was not in danger of losing his life, but his left leg was severely injured, and he would become a cripple after recovery.

When Kangping woke up, he did not mention the car race with Li Yi, insisting that he had crashed due to careless driving.

This surprised Li Yi, as he didn't know that Kangping was a man who valued his face so much that he wouldn't admit to having intended to harm others and losing the race. He would seek revenge another day.

The police questioned the skid marks at the accident scene, as the trajectory of the marks suggested that someone had moved the cars like building blocks. However, since the parties involved did not object, the matter was left unresolved.

Back in the car, Guo Xiaoling patted her chest and said, "This birthday is the most unforgettable one for me!"

"Your birthday?" Li Yi chuckled. Seeing her nod, he exclaimed, "My mistake, let me buy you a cup of coffee!" Without waiting for her agreement, he drove towards the city center.

In the central square, a young man in a suit and tie was arranging roses on the ground, forming a heart-shaped pattern. He held a bouquet of flowers and loudly declared his love to a woman, "I may not be handsome or charming, but I have a broad chest and strong arms. Do you love me?"

The woman blushed and nodded.

Li Yi cursed, "Damn."

Guo Xiaoling, moved by the scene, said, "What? Don't you think it's romantic?"

Li Yi shook his head, "Romantic? I just find it disgusting. It's just using plant reproductive organs to exchange for animal reproductive organs."

"Ah?" Guo Xiaoling was taken aback.

"Flowers are the reproductive organs of plants, aren't they?" Li Yi explained with a smile.

"You! You're such a spoilsport. You turned such a romantic moment into something so vulgar," Guo Xiaoling made a gesture as if she were about to vomit.

"Hehe, okay, let's not talk about them. Get out of the car, I'll buy you something," Li Yi said with a smile.

"No. We're not a couple!"

"What if I insist on giving you something?" Li Yi said, a bit annoyed.

"Then give me a rose. I've never received one before," Guo Xiaoling suddenly smiled, a sweet smile.

"You just said we're not a couple, and now you want a rose?" Li Yi's brain short-circuited.

"Can't a non-couple give a rose? Who said that? I like those plant reproductive organs! I like looking at them and smelling them!" Guo Xiaoling looked at him playfully.

Li Yi, who thought he understood women, was completely baffled.

But he quickly recovered, drove around the city, and stopped at a flower shop. He rushed in, "Boss, do you have roses?"

"Sure, how many do you want?"

...

Guo Xiaoling sat in the car, watching Li Yi come back with a single rose. She pouted, "Why only one?"

"Didn't you say you just wanted one? I wouldn't dare to disobey you."

"One is better than none," Guo Xiaoling took the rose from Li Yi, closed her eyes, and deeply inhaled, enjoying the moment.

Li Yi looked around and drove the car to a building, smiling, "Let's have a cup of coffee."

Guo Xiaoling smiled, "Sure, today has been full of firsts: my first car ride, my first car crash, my first rose, my first coffee! And my first time holding a boy's hand!"

Li Yi smiled, "How about a first kiss?"

Guo Xiaoling raised her fist and hit him, "And my first time hitting someone!"

Li Yi chuckled, parked the car, and led her upstairs.

The coffee shop was on the third floor. It was a weekend, and many young people were out enjoying themselves.

They found a seat and ordered two cups of Mandheling coffee, savoring it slowly.

"Li Yi, I find you more and more mysterious," Guo Xiaoling said, leaning back in her chair.

Li Yi smiled, "Do you feel like I've changed?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you like the old me or the new me?"

"Of course, the new you! The old you... was annoying, always taking advantage of me!"

"Ha, that's you admitting you like the new me! This is a first, right?"

Guo Xiaoling smiled helplessly.

Suddenly, a girl sitting by the window screamed.

The scream was particularly piercing in the quiet coffee shop, and many people looked at her disapprovingly.

But soon, the men and women sitting by the window were infected, and one after another, they let out excited screams.

As the saying goes, "Three people make a tiger." With more people shouting, everyone knew something special must be happening. A few curious people ran over to the window, looked down, and were also infected, letting out screams. Some girls even danced with joy, tears of happiness streaming down their faces.

Soon, everyone in the coffee shop crowded to the window, and everyone was excitedly shouting.

The coffee shop staff couldn't resist the temptation and ran over to look. Finally, even the cashier ran over.

Guo Xiaoling smiled, "There must be something exciting to see. Aren't you curious?"

"Chinese people love to watch spectacles. I remember an old joke about a person who, after work, saw a crowd gathered, watching something. He heard someone say it was a terrible death, but couldn't get through the crowd. So he shouted, 'The dead person is my father, let me through!' The crowd parted, and he went in to find a dead dog. So I never watch spectacles. If you want to see, go ahead," Li Yi sat calmly with his coffee.

Guo Xiaoling said, "I don't believe you can sit still. I'll go and see. If there's something good, I won't tell you!"

Li Yi chuckled, a look of "I knew it" on his face.

The girl couldn't resist the temptation. Guo Xiaoling got up, walked to the window, and looked down, her eyes wide open, her mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

Below, the vast central square was covered with red roses!

A large heart-shaped pattern, an arrow of Cupid, and six large words in the heart: "Guo Xiaoling, you are the most beautiful!" Around the heart were scattered rose petals.

The pattern was surrounded by people, including the man with the tie who had been arranging roses to propose. Now, he looked dejected, completely losing his earlier confidence. The woman beside him, hands on her face, exclaimed, "My God! How many roses are there? It must be tens of thousands! Who is this Guo Xiaoling?"

People were discussing everywhere, "Who is this Guo Xiaoling?"

The coffee shop was also abuzz with discussion.

"This Guo Xiaoling is so lucky!"

"Tens of thousands of roses! A sea of flowers!"

"Who is proposing with such grandeur? I'm so envious!"

"Wow, look, the TV crew is here. This will definitely be tomorrow's top news! Let's go down and see if we can get on camera!"

The heroine of the story, Guo Xiaoling, stood there, moved to tears by the scene.

Even the purest and strongest woman is no match for such a powerful display of romanticism fueled by money.

Li Yi stood quietly behind her and asked softly, "Do you like it?"

"Yes!" Guo Xiaoling wiped her eyes and nodded vigorously. "Silly, why didn't you write those three words?"

"Which three words?"

"I love you!" Guo Xiaoling blurted out, then realized she had been tricked.

"Is this the first time you've said it?" Li Yi put his hands on her shoulders.

Guo Xiaoling lost all her reserve and slowly leaned her head on Li Yi's shoulder.

At that moment, she just wanted to be a small, happy woman.

She tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and looked forward to another first...