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

Xu Xi cried fiercely for almost an hour before she slowly stopped sobbing, whether she had cried all her tears or had exhausted all her strength.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoxi."

Gently stroking Xu Xi's disheveled black hair, Xu Nian's eyes were red.

"Brother...why did you push me away...?"

Xu Xi spoke slowly in a hoarse voice.

After a long silence, Xu Nian's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

He wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back down.

His lips twitched incessantly, as if he were organizing his thoughts.

"What's the story behind that love letter?"

After much deliberation, he finally managed to stammer out just this one sentence.

One's true thoughts cannot be concealed.

Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flickered in Xu Xi's eyes.

She was stunned for a long time, then suddenly remembered something, rushed to her schoolbag, and frantically threw out one book after another.

Finally, at the very bottom of her schoolbag, she tremblingly pulled out an envelope with a large heart printed on it.

"Brother...is this... what you're talking about?"

Xu Xi's fingers clenched slightly, and the envelope began to twist and wrinkle.

Xu Nian nodded mechanically.

In an instant, Xu Xi tore the envelope apart with all her might, breaking it into small pieces that fell to the ground like snowflakes falling in winter.

Xu Xi was panting heavily. Her fingers were cut from the excessive force, and several faint bloodstains appeared.

She trembled and spoke in a hoarse voice as she recounted the whole story of the love letter incident to Xu Nian.

...

"I had no idea this love letter was stuffed in my bag. If I had found it, I would have thrown it away immediately..."

Xu Xi's voice held a hint of anger as she clenched her fists tightly.

Because of this love letter, such a huge rift developed between her and her brother.

Xu Xi began to regret it.

I regret tearing it up too soon; I didn't first find out who the blind person was who gave me the love letter.

"Brother... I've never liked these people. I've never spoken a word to them at school, and I don't even know their names!"

Her voice trembled with tears.

"It's not just these love letters... Little Creek."

After learning that the whole thing was a misunderstanding, Xu Nian felt inexplicably relieved.

He wiped Xu Xi's eyes and said earnestly.

"You're an adult now. In the future, you'll meet someone you like, and they'll treat you very well, just like your older brother treated you."

"We will part ways sooner or later. You will fall in love with the person you love, get married, and start a family."

"My brother will be very sad then. To avoid being too upset, we need to keep some distance."

"A gradual departure is always easier to accept than a precipitous break."

"No...no!!!"

Xu Xi covered her ears and screamed loudly.

Seeing Xu Xi's disheveled hair, trembling body, and the gradual collapse of her emotions, Xu Nian quickly interrupted her before she could speak.

"Brother... Xiaoxi will never leave you in this lifetime..."

Xu Xi sat on Xu Nian's lap, stretched out her slender hands to hug him, and sobbed.

"Wherever my brother goes... I'll go..."

"Xiaoxi will only have one family, and her only family member is her brother."

"Brother, you promised me that once I graduate and start earning money, I would take care of you."

"So... Xiaoxi will never leave her brother..."

Every word he said deeply touched Xu Nian's heart.

He trembled as he pulled Xu Xi into his arms, tears streaming down his face.

It's selfish to want Xu Xi to stay by your side forever.

So what? Let me be selfish.

Instead of making plans for an unpredictable future, it's better to live in the present and make decisions that align with your own heart.

"Brother...promise me...don't leave me...okay..."

"good..."

This time, Xu Nian did not refuse, but instead answered by hugging her tightly.

"Brother...who is that woman?"

Xu Nian could clearly sense that Xu Xi's tone had turned several degrees colder when she said those words.

Which woman?

"That woman who smells of violet perfume..."

Xu Nian was startled. How did she know about Zhou Xiaoman's existence?

However, seeing Xu Xi's pleading eyes, Xu Nian sighed and honestly began to explain.

He recounted everything from their first meeting at a karaoke bar a year ago to his fall while delivering food to Zhou Xiaoman today, and how Zhou Xiaoman bandaged him up.

Of course, he concealed the fact that Zhou Xiaoman had figured out his background.

Upon hearing that her brother had been in a car accident, Xu Xi quickly squatted down to check the wound on his leg. Seeing that it was tightly bandaged, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Brother...do you like her?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian was slightly taken aback.

Why would you ask that?

Xu Xi lowered her eyes and tightly gripped the hem of Xu Nian's clothes with her small hands.

She hesitated for a long time, as if organizing her thoughts.

"I...I'm afraid that if my brother finds someone he likes, he'll abandon me..."

Her face flushed red as she managed to utter a sentence that even she later found unbelievable.

But this worked on Xu Nian, and a look of heartache appeared in his eyes.

"Silly girl, no way..."

Xu Nian gently patted her back.

In his heart, love and marriage were not things he could reach.

Supporting Xu Xi and himself had already left him physically and mentally exhausted.

Where would I get the energy to like someone else?

Moreover, regardless of Zhou Xiaoman's past, he was filled with fear of someone who could see right through him.

It was as if the cloak woven from silence and vicissitudes had been stripped bare, exposing all the unbearable and embarrassing aspects of my heart to others like a naked body.

"Having you by my side is enough."

Xu Nian stroked Xu Xi's messy black hair and coaxed her softly.

He was already content with the love that Heaven had given him and would not yearn for any more affection.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xi burst into tears again.

She nestled in Xu Nian's arms, her glistening tears rolling down her cheeks, a mixture of the grievances she had felt over the past few days, and falling onto Xu Nian's clothes.

"Brother, your bandage is a bit dirty. Let me change it for you."

"It's not dirty? Look, it's still clean."

"The perfume scent on it is not good for wound healing."

"Oh... okay then..."

The rain stopped, the dark clouds quietly dispersed, and the stars twinkled in the night sky.

The entire city was washed clean, and the lingering heat of late summer was driven away without a trace.

The croaking of frogs continued, creating a harmonious melody that, through the glass window, played a lullaby from nature for the two people sleeping in a tight embrace.

Two days later, Xu Xi, who had been on sick leave for several days, returned to school.

The first thing she did after returning to school was to tear up the love letters she hadn't had time to throw away in front of everyone.

That resolute attitude and cold gaze sent shivers down the spines of all the students from other classes who still harbored any hope.

"Yaoyao, can you do me a favor?"

"What kind of help?"

"Teach me Taekwondo, I want to use it for self-defense..."