"Am I slow?" Lin Ming asked, puzzled.

"Very slow!" Yuhan He declared, hands on her hips, staring at him.

Yaya spoke up then. "Brother, I actually sold all my flowers in just ten minutes. Sister was already waiting for us by then."

Lin Ming’s mouth dropped open in shock. "Ten minutes?! Holy crap."

"Yeah! Ten minutes. Brother, your method worked perfectly—sold out in no time," Yaya said excitedly.

Lin Ming blinked blankly. "How much did you make?"

Yaya’s face flushed bright red with excitement. "Twenty gold coins! I’ve never seen so much money! Those uncles, aunts, older brothers, and sisters were so generous—they even gave me tips after buying the flowers. I tried to refuse, but they insisted!"

Hearing this, Lin Ming tightened his grip on his own gold coins, a flicker of unease in his chest. If he, the mastermind, earned less than them, it’d be beyond embarrassing. He turned to Yuhan He hopefully. "Junior, you were waiting so early... did you lose your flowers? You couldn’t have sold out in under five minutes, right?"

Yuhan He puffed out her chest proudly. "Senior, your method was amazing! The first person who saw me froze and bought every single flower. He was still standing there dumbfounded after I left. Oh, and I made fifty gold coins."

Lin Ming froze like stone. Fake flowers? Same blooms, same plan—why such a gap? A tear welled in his eye. *It’s not me. It’s this unfair world!*

"Senior, are you crying?" Yuhan He spotted the glistening tear.

Lin Ming covered one eye with his hand. "I’m just happy you’ve surpassed your teacher."

"Oh? So how much did you sell for, Senior?"

Lin Ming stiffened. He held out his coins. "Ahem, only ten gold coins. Not many single ladies around, that’s all."

"I see!" Yuhan He squinted at him, making his skin crawl.

"Alright, Senior—let’s give all our coins to Yaya!" she smiled.

"Fine, sigh." Lin Ming handed over his coins. He was principled; he’d never cheat a kid. He added the five gold coins from his first demo too.

"Senior, you’re so awesome! I thought you’d keep those five," Yuhan He said, impressed. She’d doubted he’d hand them over.

Lin Ming shot her a deadpan stare. "What kind of person do you think I am? I love money, but I have principles."

"Got it, Senior!" Yuhan He beamed.

"Yaya, here." She took Lin Ming’s coins, then pulled a small pouch from her Storage Ring—fifty gold coins inside. The pouch was a dedicated money-storage item, about one cubic meter in capacity.

Yaya had been stunned silent since the offer. "Sis... Sister, you don’t need to give me this. You earned it. And the pouch—I don’t deserve it. My flowers aren’t worth much. What I made is enough."

"But Yaya, we were helping you!" Yuhan He insisted.

"This is your hard work. I can’t accept it," Yaya said firmly.

"Senior, what do we do?" Yuhan He looked to Lin Ming anxiously.

Lin Ming sighed. He knelt, hands on Yaya’s shoulders, voice gentle. "Yaya, why do you think Brother and Sister helped you sell flowers?"

Yaya hesitated. "Brother did it for Sister’s task. Sister said she wasted my time."

Lin Ming winced at "task" but pressed on. "Forget that. Why did Sister help you?"

"Because she wasted my time?"

"No. She just wanted to help you. No time was wasted," he shook his head.

Yaya looked dazed. Lin Ming added softly, "If you refuse, Sister will be heartbroken over the coins and pouch." He shot Yuhan He a look. She hurried over, pressing the pouch into Yaya’s hands. "This money is yours. The pouch is my gift."

Lin Ming stood, smiling slightly. Mission accomplished.

Yaya clutched the pouch, tears streaming down her face. She’d never expected such kindness from someone she’d met hours ago. From Yuhan He, she felt the same warmth her brother and Father once gave.

Suddenly, she hugged Yuhan He tightly, burying her face in her chest. "Sister... thank you, thank you..."

Yuhan He held her, gently patting her back. "Don’t cry, Yaya. Don’t cry."

...

High above, a figure in a black robe watched them, a cold smile curling his lips. He twirled a purple flower. "Lin Ming... your strength can’t even pierce my disguise. I stand before you, unseen. When my plans are set in days, will your calm remain?"

"Tonight, I’ll prepare a little game. Let’s see just how weak you’ve become."

...