The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

On my way home, a light drizzle began to fall.

When the rain fell on the back of Xu Nian's neck, his hand gripping the handlebars of the electric scooter trembled slightly.

He rushed back to his neighborhood before the rain intensified.

The lights in the house were still on, but the little girl who usually sat at the door waiting for him was gone.

When Xu Nian entered the room, she found Xu Xi squatting on the dining chair, curled up and asleep.

She was sleeping very restlessly; her body was swaying slightly, and her eyelids seemed to be twitching constantly.

On the dining table were hot dishes wrapped in plastic wrap.

Hearing Xu Nian's voice as she returned home, Xu Xi's eyes twitched, and she slowly opened them.

"elder brother..."

Have you eaten yet?

Xu Nian took off her rain-soaked coat and casually hung it on the chair.

Xu Xi shook her head: "Not yet."

She served two bowls of rice and placed them in the usual spot where the two of them ate.

The two remained silent at the dinner table.

Apart from the sound of chopsticks hitting the rice bowl, all that could be heard was the sound of heavy rain pounding against the window.

"How was your rest today?"

After finishing their meal, Xu Nian broke the silence.

Xu Xi paused for a few seconds, then gently shook her head.

Her complexion was still very poor, deathly pale with no color in her eyes, and with heavy dark circles under her eyes, she looked extremely weak.

"Then I'll take another day off tomorrow."

After Xu Nian finished cleaning up the dishes, she went into the bathroom to take a shower.

After the bathroom door was closed, Xu Xi lowered her eyes and walked to the chair where Xu Nian had hung her coat.

A flash of lightning illuminated the night sky, and Xu Xi's small body trembled slightly.

She picked up the wet clothes and put them on.

These past two days, Xu Xi has been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding her brother, and her heart has been filled with unease.

Only the taste of my brother can slightly alleviate this unease.

Xu Xi closed her eyes and carefully smelled the scent on her coat.

wrong!

Xu Xi struggled to take off her coat, held it in front of her, and stared at it intently.

This... has a familiar violet perfume scent!

Xu Xi pressed the tip of her nose tightly against the inside of her coat and sniffed carefully again.

You're not mistaken! This smells like another woman's perfume!

Moreover, it comes from the inside of the clothing!

With a "thud," the clothes fell to the ground.

Xu Xi's pupils suddenly dilated, and her legs trembled uncontrollably.

Tension, anxiety, fear, anger... countless negative emotions surged into her heart.

...

When Xu Nian came out of the shower, she saw Xu Xi standing at the bathroom door with a gloomy face.

"What's wrong?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Xi hugged her tightly.

She used a lot of force, squeezing Xu Nian's waist until it ached.

"Let go!"

Xu Nian pushed her away, panting heavily.

The Xu Xi in front of her felt like a stranger; her face was expressionless, as if she were a robot that had been stripped of its soul.

A bolt of lightning ripped through the night sky, its blinding light illuminating Xu Xi's face.

Her eyes were empty, as if they had lost all life.

Faced with Xu Xi like this, Xu Nian felt a sense of fear for no reason.

"Get some rest, I'm tired."

Xu Nian bypassed her and rushed back to her room.

The door clicked shut, the sound of it being locked.

Xu Nian lay in bed, trying to calm herself down.

He knew that Xu Xi's unusual behavior these past two days was because he was deliberately avoiding her.

However, the two will eventually separate.

Just as Zhou Xiaoman said, she will meet her Mr. Right and start a new family with someone else.

To avoid feeling too bad when the time comes to part ways, it's necessary to maintain some distance.

Xu Nian comforted herself with these words and lay down on the bed to prepare for sleep.

He hadn't slept for almost a day and a half, and his body was nearing its limit.

Go to sleep, and try to get out of that dazed state as soon as possible.

They need to go back to earn money to support the two of them.

Thunder rumbled outside the window, its low rumble piercing the night sky like streaks of silver.

Before he knew it, Xu Nian felt himself soaked through. He hugged his legs tightly, feeling uneasy, as if he had returned to that cold, rainy night that he would never forget.

Meanwhile, in another room, Xu Xi lay on the bed in the same position as Xu Nian, her body trembling slightly.

Just now, she seemed to lose all consciousness in an instant, and only after waking up did she feel that she had a dream in which her brother pushed her away forcefully.

She was gripped by endless fear. After failing to open Xu Nian's room door, she had no choice but to return to her own bed, curl up in the blankets, and tremble with anxiety.

The events of the past two days replayed in her mind like a revolving lantern.

Brother, estrangement, pushing away, perfume...

Then, the scene began to change.

A woman smelling of violets stood in front of her, affectionately linking her arm with her brother's. She tilted her head back and kicked her, sending her sprawling to the ground.

She struggled to her feet and frantically tried to grab her brother's clothes, but he pushed her away forcefully.

"Xu Xi, I don't want you anymore. I have my own family now. Stay away from me and don't let my lover misunderstand."

Her brother looked at her coldly, as if she were a stranger.

"Xu Xi, your father doesn't care about you, your mother has left you, and now your brother is going to abandon you too. It seems that you can't keep anyone by your side."

The woman smiled at her mockingly.

不 ...

no, do not want...

No...no!

Just then, a deafening clap of thunder resounded across the sky.

"ah!!!!!!!"

"Little Creek!! What's wrong?"

The room door was suddenly pushed open, and Xu Nian rushed to Xu Xi's bedside.

Xu Xi was drenched in cold sweat, the sheets and blankets were soaked, and her body was convulsing uncontrollably.

She threw herself into Xu Nian's arms and burst into tears.

Xu Nian sat on the edge of the bed, her trembling hand gently patting her back.

His condition wasn't much better than Xu Xi's; his face was covered in cold sweat, and he looked like he had been soaked in water.

He had made up his mind that no matter how much Xu Xi begged or knocked on the door, he would not open it.

Starting today, I will keep my distance from Xu Xi and prepare for the inevitable farewell.

But the moment Xu Nian heard Xu Xi scream, all of her mental preparations crumbled.

"Waaah... Brother... please... don't leave me..."

"From now on... from now on, Xiaoxi will earn money... will cook for her brother... will take care of her brother... I'll be more useful... please don't leave me... please..."

Tears mixed with snot streamed down her face as Xu Xi sobbed uncontrollably, clinging tightly to Xu Nian's neck and refusing to let go.

The scenes in her dream were too terrifying, and Xu Xi worried that if she let go, her brother would really leave her.

Each tearful lament was like a flying knife piercing Xu Nian's heart, causing him unbearable anguish.