Grace Li thought that Aiden Thompson's Valentine's Day surprise was just a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a super romantic dinner. But when they returned to his luxurious apartment in Manhattan's Upper East Side, Aiden Thompson walked out of the bedroom holding an exquisite gift bag, and she realized the surprise wasn't over yet.
Inside the bag was a watch from a popular American luxury brand. Grace Li knew that a watch like this would cost somewhere between $6,000 and $8,000. She stared at the sleek and elegant watch in the box, feeling a mix of emotions. She'd always felt that in their relationship, her financial situation was better, so she should be the one buying Aiden Thompson luxury items or contributing more to their everyday expenses. But since they started dating, the situation had been the complete opposite, with Aiden Thompson spending much more on the relationship.
This was Grace Li's first serious relationship, and she was a little overwhelmed by the situation. Especially on this special Valentine's Day, she had no gift to give.
The two of them lounged lazily on the balcony's double wicker chair, with the dazzling lights of New York City spread out before them. In the distance, the Hudson River shimmered under the city lights. Grace Li cleared her throat and shyly said, "I was planning on getting you a Valentine's gift too."
"Now?" Aiden Thompson raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of anticipation, and a teasing smile on his lips.
"Not yet, I might have to make up for it later," Grace Li said, lowering her head slightly, her face turning pink.
Aiden Thompson pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, gently saying, "Honey, as long as it's from you, I'll be happy to wait no matter how long."
Grace Li felt a warmth in her heart. She picked up her phone and showed him a picture of some cars she'd found on a car sales website, saying, "Check this out, which one do you like?"
Aiden Thompson glanced at the screen, which showed four super cool cars, each costing around $200,000. There was a luxury sedan perfect for business trips and an eye-catching SUV. He couldn't help but laugh and looked at Grace Li, saying, "Sweetheart, you're not planning to buy me a car model, are you?"
"Of course not, I mean a real car you can drive on the road," Grace Li said, rolling her eyes at him and being all serious.
Aiden Thompson's eyes widened in surprise. "You're going to give me such an extravagant gift? That's no small amount of money!"
Grace Li had actually been planning this gift for a while. She explained seriously, "You travel a lot for work and meet clients, having a car would make it so much easier. Instead of buying something flashy and useless, I'd rather give you something practical."
"I can afford a car myself, baby. You don't need to spend money on me," Aiden Thompson said, genuinely touched, but still trying to stop her from spending too much.
Grace Li shook her head firmly. "It's really nothing. I'm not a super-rich person, but buying a car is no big deal for me."
Aiden Thompson pretended to be worried, saying, "What should I do now?" He acted like he was troubled. "I'm really into Bentley or Rolls-Royce, but other cars? Honestly, I don't even look twice at them."
Grace Li was momentarily stunned, biting her lip and feeling unsure—luxury cars were way out of her league. But she quickly regained her composure and said seriously, "Well, I guess I'll have to work extra hard to make more money. But seriously, cars like Bentleys and Rolls-Royces are overpriced. Most people buy them just to show off their status. They're paying for a brand's inflated value. If it were me, even if I were rich, I wouldn't consider them. A few hundred thousand dollars? That money could go toward so many other meaningful things. Like investing in innovative startups that could change the world, or funding organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to help sick kids, or even donating to charities that improve the lives of elderly people. That's way more meaningful than spending it on a luxury car."
Aiden Thompson listened to her words and immediately saw luxury cars in a new light. He kept nodding, "You're absolutely right, baby. I've been so shallow."
Grace Li unlocked her phone again and showed it to him. "So, go ahead and pick one from these. If you have another model in mind, just let me know."
Aiden Thompson raised an eyebrow, grinning half-jokingly. "Honey, if I accept a car from you, does that make me a kept man?"
Grace Li knew him so well. Even though he made jokes like that, she knew he cared deeply about his independence and had a strong sense of pride. She quickly reassured him, "Of course not! You buy me gifts, and I give them back to you. That's totally normal in a relationship. It's just my way of showing love, don't overthink it."
"Then, can I make another request?" Aiden Thompson said, his voice suddenly lowering, filled with a bit of playfulness.
Grace Li looked at him curiously. "What do you want?"
Aiden Thompson leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, "About what happened earlier in the stairwell…"
His voice was low and sexy, sending a shiver down Grace Li's spine. Aiden Thompson gently tapped her nose with his finger, his eyes full of affection and expectation. "What do you think, babe?"
Grace Li's face instantly turned bright red. She slowly put down her phone, raised her arm to wrap around Aiden Thompson's neck, and then kissed him sweetly. In the quiet of that night, with the lights of New York City twinkling in the background, their love was silently witnessed by the city.
**
The AgroTech project had been successfully approved, and Benjamin Harris personally met with the founder. The company was extremely optimistic about the project. Benjamin Harris was actively engaging with a few influential investors in the industry, hoping to bring them on board for the investment.
At the beginning of March, they set off for New Jersey to conduct due diligence. The group consisted of three people: Grace Li, Aiden Thompson, and Ryan.
Aiden Thompson was driving, Grace Li sat in the back seat, and Ryan was in the front passenger seat.
Today, Ryan seemed completely off. The moment he got in the car, he slouched down like a limp fish, barely saying a word the entire trip. Usually, he was the most talkative in the car, chattering nonstop. Grace Li noticed his unusual behavior and casually asked, "Hey, Ryan, you okay? You seem kinda off today."
Ryan clutched his chest with a dramatic expression and said, "Nah, I'm not okay. My heart's hurting."
"What happened? You wanna go to the hospital or something?"
Aiden Thompson chimed in, "The hospital can't fix what's wrong with him."
Grace Li was puzzled. "What's wrong with him, then?"
"Heartbreak. He's got a broken heart."
Ryan let out a long sigh. "Man, I'm so screwed. My life's a total mess."
"What happened, dude?" Grace Li asked sympathetically.
Ryan just shook his head. "Forget it. It's too painful to talk about."
Grace Li's curiosity was piqued, but since Ryan was obviously upset, she held back from asking further.
But then Ryan started loudly groaning, "I'm so screwed! I'm so screwed! Why is my life such a disaster?"
Aiden Thompson was really annoyed. The night before, after Ryan got dumped, he dragged Aiden to a late-night diner and spent the whole time whining. Aiden was already fed up. "Knock it off, Ryan. If you don't stop, I'll drop you right here on the highway."
"Dude, you're so heartless! I just got my heart broken, and you're being like this?"
Grace Li caught the key point. "Ryan, were you dating someone?"
Aiden Thompson didn't really want to explain, but Ryan was making such a scene, clearly fishing for attention. "He got shut down before he even got a chance to start dating."
Now everyone understood he got rejected.
Grace Li tried to comfort him. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Ryan. You're a great guy, and there's someone out there who's perfect for you."
"For real?" Ryan turned his head to look at Grace Li in the back seat. "Boss, you really think I'm a great guy?"
Grace Li smiled. "Of course I do."
"Then, would you ever be into a guy like me?"
Grace Li forced a smile, while Aiden Thompson was fuming with anger. If he wasn't driving, he probably would've strangled Ryan right then. "Ryan, I'm warning you. One more word, and I'm kicking you out of the car."
Ryan immediately backed off. "Just kidding, just kidding."
After a moment, Ryan looked at Aiden Thompson, confused. "Aiden, it was just a joke. Why are you so pissed off?"
Aiden Thompson shot him a glare. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"
"Why should I be ashamed?" Ryan asked, genuinely confused.
Grace Li thought to herself that Aiden Thompson was like a completely different person when he was with her compared to when he was with colleagues. He could be so sharp-tongued with Ryan, but with her, every word he said was like music to her ears. His emotional intelligence was so high that she couldn't help but admire it.
By the time they arrived in New Jersey, it was already lunchtime. The project team had been very thoughtful and prepared a delicious meal. Most of the ingredients were from their vertical farming base.
The base wasn't far from the train station, just a ten-minute taxi ride away. Aiden Thompson had been there several times before, always arriving by train, but this was Grace Li's first visit.
After lunch, the project team took them on a tour of the greenhouses. Grace Li had seen the pictures and videos Aiden Thompson had taken, but being there in person, she was still deeply impressed by the scale and advanced technology of this new type of intelligent agriculture.
The first day's due diligence went smoothly, and they wrapped up around 6:30 p.m. Then, they headed to a local town.
Apparently, today was the beginning of the Spring Celebration in this part of New Jersey. As it was early March, the locals were gearing up for spring festivals and celebrations, marking the end of winter and the start of the growing season. The event was still a small, local celebration, with a parade of colorful floats, live music, and dancers dressed in spring-themed costumes. People from nearby towns always came to join in the fun.
This idea was proposed by Ryan, who said his broken heart needed some cheering up.