Chapter 1040: JIAO JIAO'S VALENTINE (V)

IT took them about three hours to go around the art gallery and view every painting. One might say that they stayed far too long. But if one really thought about it, it's not really that weird. Most art enthusiasts could probably stay in an art gallery, appreciating the art inside for hours and hours long.

In their case, it was mostly because of Yu Jiao.

There were 20 paintings in the art gallery in total and she spent more than 10 minutes in front of each painting, appreciating their beauty. Although she couldn't really be considered as an expert, she knew enough to know if one was a great painting or not. It's not just based on whether they're beautiful or not, it's how much emotion they could pull from the person appreciating them.

And Artist Gao Yuan's paintings did just that. At least, that was the case for Yu Jiao.

There's only one thing that's bothering her. All the paintings had a theme related to love. She didn't notice it at first, but when she walked to the 10th painting, the connection finally dawned on her.

Maybe Artist Gao Yuan was in love, so she made this collection. Artist of her caliber could surely paint 20 paintings related to love if they had enough inspiration.

But love, huh?

She glanced around. She was currently sitting in a cozy reading nook inside a cafe. Luo Ren drove them here directly after they left the art gallery.

It was a pretty little cafe nestled in the city. Its exterior boasted large windows framed with lush potted plants and vibrant awnings. Once you stepped inside, you would discover a modern and cozy interior where exposed brick walls blended seamlessly with sleek wood paneling.

The cafe's design showed a balance between contemporary and retro, featuring a mix of leather armchairs, modernist coffee tables, and barstools at the counter. The monochromatic color scheme with muted accents of olive green and navy blue created a sophisticated ambiance.

But surprisingly, despite how cozy and pretty the cafe was, when they arrived, there were no other customers. She was very curious and wanted to ask why was that. But the only person in the cafe was the barista at the counter. Besides that, it seemed like no big deal to Luo Ren. So, she felt like she was the weird one for even thinking that there was something strange about this situation.

After that, the reading nook pulled her attention. That's why she no longer dwelled on that. She had just sat down when Luo Ren excused himself, saying he just needed to step out to make a phone call.

So, she was sitting here alone in the reading nook for a few minutes now. She didn't mind, though, especially since there were books around. It just so happened that a lot of her favorite books were displayed in the nook.

She was on the third chapter of the book she just took when a bouquet appeared in front of her.

It was an enchanting bouquet featuring a cluster of petite, vibrant blue blossoms, each resembling a delicate star. These tiny, vivid flowers were nestled together on slender, graceful stems, forming a captivating formation that brought about a sense of enduring beauty.

Yu Jiao raised her head and saw Luo Ren holding out the bouquet to her.

"Ahm, Brother Ren?" she asked, not really sure what to do.

"It's for you," Luo Ren said with a smile. "There's a flower shop just beside this cafe. They're having a special sale, so I thought of buying you a bouquet."

Yu Jiao robotically took the bouquet since she couldn't really just ignore it and let Luo Ren continue to hold it out to her. "T-thank you. They're very pretty."

"Right? I thought so as well when I saw it," Luo Ren said as he sat down opposite Yu Jiao.

She looked at the bouquet. "But what kind of flower is this?"

"They're called Forget-Me-Nots."

Yu Jiao raised her head from the bouquet when she heard that. Then, she stopped because Luo Ren was looking at her in such a tender manner. The nerves that she managed to calm down started to go haywire again.

When she was panicking inside, wondering how she should react, the barista from the counter walked to their table.

"Are you ready to order?" the barista asked with a friendly smile.

"Can you give us today's special?" Luo Ren said.

"Alright, coming right up."

Once the barista left, Yu Jiao had already managed to calm down once again. So, she asked, "Is Brother Ren a regular here?"

"You can say that," Luo Ren said with a meaningful smile.

It didn't take long for the barista to return once again. He brought with him a tray with two glasses of appealing sunset-orange drink and a charming cake designed in the shape of a cute dove, with smooth, snowy white fondant feathers, chocolate eyes, and a heart-shaped beak.

Once the drinks and cake were put down, the barista said, "Dear guests, we have an event today. We have hidden an accessory on our special chocolate dove cakes today. Maybe you'll get lucky and this will be the winning cake. Then, please do enjoy."

"Then shall we see if this was indeed the 'winning cake'?" Luo Ren asked.

Yu Jiao nodded, wondering what kind of accessory it was. Not that she was confident the accessory would be in their cake.

Luo Ren started to slice the cake in the middle and just as he parted it, a small ziplock bag appeared. Luo Ren picked it up using a tissue and wiped it out before opening it.

The other took out a rose-gold necklace with an infinity pendant. It was simple and yet elegant at the same time.

"Oh, I think it could be separated into two."

As soon as Luo Ren said that, he 'broke' the pendant in the middle, and just like that, the necklace became two necklaces.

"This is indeed the winning cake," Luo Ren said to Yu Jiao with a smile. "Now both of us can have a necklace each."