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

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lin's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Wen Yao, who was spouting nonsense.

No, who is it that wants to watch anime but doesn't feel too guilty about slacking off alone, so they beg her to watch it with them in bed?

However, Xu Xi seemed to recognize Wen Yao's nonsense at a glance. She stretched out her two little hands and angrily pinched Wen Yao's face.

"There are less than three months until the college entrance exam! Time is money now! Everyone is studying hard, and your and Linlin's rankings keep dropping! How can you watch anime?!"

"Waaah... Master Xu, please stop reading, my head hurts..."

Wen Yao covered her ears while sobbing, looking somewhat like Sun Wukong being subjected to the Tightening-Headband Mantra by Tang Sanzang.

"Linlin, where did Brother Qiyu go?"

Xu Xi let Wen Yao, who had raised her hands in surrender, go free, and then looked at Zhao Lin, who was pretending to be innocent.

"Um...he went to buy omelet rice..."

Zhao Lin avoided eye contact, tapping her two index fingers together lightly, not daring to look directly at Xu Xi.

Seeing Kanna's adorable omelet rice made her mouth water. Qi Yu, who had just arrived at Wen Yao's house, hadn't even had time to take off his coat before grabbing his electric scooter keys and going downstairs again.

"I knew it..."

Xu Xi rubbed her forehead helplessly, looking utterly disappointed.

"Um... there's a portion of omelet rice for you."

Wen Yao whispered from the side.

Upon hearing this, a hint of delight appeared in Xu Xi's eyes, and she couldn't help but swallow.

"Hmm...but I've already eaten..."

"So, are you going to eat it or not?"

"eat!"

......

For delivery drivers, the most relaxed time of day is between 2 and 3 pm.

At this point, the lunch rush had ended, but it was still far from dinner time.

Therefore, the number of orders is the lowest at this time.

At this time of year, Xu Nian would usually find a park bench, lock her electric scooter, and lie down for a short rest.

But not today.

The Yuncheng Bookstore was bustling with people.

Besides customers buying books, there are many more people coming to read.

The bookstore does not drive away customers who only browse but do not buy anything; instead, it provides them with seats and rest areas.

In addition, the bookstore also offers tea and beverage sales, from which it can earn a considerable income.

The entire bookstore was bright and filled with the aroma of books.

Xu Nian strolled through the area, her slightly faded yellow delivery vest looking out of place with the atmosphere.

The first time I walked into a bookstore, I felt like a country bumpkin in the city, completely bewildered by everything around me.

"Sir, which book are you looking for?"

A sales clerk came up to Xu Nian and gave her a professional smile.

However, when her gaze fell on Xu Nian's dirty cloth shoes, she couldn't help but keep a distance from him.

"I'm looking for these books, could you help me find where they are?"

Xu Nian took out the note Xu Xi had given him yesterday from his pocket, carefully unfolded it, and handed it to the sales clerk.

"The '53 Past Exam Papers'... Olympiad Problem Sets... these are in the textbook section, please follow me."

The sales clerk glanced at the contents of the note and led Xu Nian to an area deep inside the bookstore.

Compared to other areas where people sit and read everywhere, this place is deserted and almost empty.

The sales clerk quickly organized the books Xu Nian needed and handed them to her.

"Thanks."

Xu Nian carefully compared the book title with the contents of the note, thanked the clerk, and then went to the cashier to pay.

"The total is 263.47 yuan. Scan the code here."

After paying, the cashier packed the books into a bag.

"Sir, the new books for this month have arrived. Please take a look in the new book section to see if there are any works you like."

Following the procedure, she promoted her new book to each customer who checked out.

"I see."

Xu Nian nodded, took the packed books, and turned to leave the bookstore.

He had little interest in reading.

"Xiaoyu, how many of the new books have you read this month?"

"I've basically finished reading them all, but there's not much good stuff, except for one novel called 'Butterfly' which is pretty good."

"I've heard about that book too. It was written by Teacher Fuping, right? The reviews aren't very good. People say the whole book is in a tragic tone and makes it hard to read."

"The reason I like it is precisely because it's depicted so realistically, unlike other wish-fulfillment novels that are all about showing off and getting slapped in the face..."

On the way from the cashier to the exit, you'll pass the new book section.

The purpose of placing the new book section here is probably to attract customers' attention with the new books one last time before they leave.

Listening to the chattering of two female students beside her, Xu Nian stopped in front of a bookshelf as if possessed.

The book displayed here is the one they mentioned, "Butterfly's Desire".

Compared to the other bookshelves, which were mostly empty, this bookshelf was completely filled, with almost no gaps.

It's obvious at a glance that sales aren't good; not many copies have been sold.

Fine, considering how much Zhou Xiaoman tipped me, I'll just take a quick look.

He carefully took down a book, held it in his palm, and began to read.

The story begins with a little girl crying loudly under a bridge.

Her name is Dieyi, she is five years old, and she was abandoned here by the person who had just been called her mother.

She didn't know what a jinx or an illegitimate child meant.

All she knew was that she was very hungry and wanted to eat the spoiled food her mother had thrown on the ground.

The sky gradually darkened, and a light drizzle began to fall.

Dieyi was cold and hungry, curled up in her small body, and gradually lost the strength to even cry.

At that moment, an old scavenger heard the crying and found Dieyi under the bridge.

He seemed unable to speak, only making muffled sounds, and constantly gesturing with his fingers in front of Dieyi.

Dieyi clung tightly to the old man's thin, bony legs, begging him to give her something to eat.

The old man looked like he was struggling.

He looked at his empty waste bag, then at Dieyi's thin clothes.

Finally, he sighed and took the petite Dieyi back to his residence.

In that abandoned, unfinished building, Dieyi slowly grew up, gradually learning to do laundry and cook, and understanding how to communicate with the elderly using sign language.

She was very clever. She learned knowledge from the books the old man had picked up, and she also learned handicrafts. She could weave some exquisite little things to supplement the family income.

The old man also doted on the little girl he had found, and would play his own compositions for Dieyi on old musical instruments he had found. This became the warmest spiritual comfort in their life of relying on each other.

Time flies, and amidst the fluttering butterflies, sunflowers bloom again and again.

Dieyi grew into a graceful young woman, while the old man's hunched figure grew thinner and thinner.

On the very day Dieyi came of age, the old man collapsed.

In the hospital, faced with the exorbitant bill, Dieyi's heart sank to the bottom.

She works four or five jobs at the same time, but she still can't afford to cover the elderly person's medical expenses for even one day.

Just as the old man was about to have his medication stopped, a madam approached Dieyi.

She gave her virginity to a fat man who ran a seafood business for two thousand yuan.

The lingering fishy smell emanating from him, and his slug-like tongue, are memories that Dieyi can never forget.

From then on, Dieyi entered the mortal world and became immersed in wine, women, and meat.

With her good looks, sweet talk, and all-knowing intelligence, she quickly became the top hostess at the karaoke bar and was deeply loved by the customers.

The body is getting dirtier, but the elderly are getting better and better medical care.

It even gave Dieyi the feeling that she could bring the old man back to her side.

But on a sweltering summer day filled with the incessant chirping of cicadas, the old man left Dieyi forever.

Before she died, Dieyi read the old man's innermost thoughts from the struggling movements of his face.

I feel guilty for not being able to let you be a normal little girl.

...