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

Seeing the others leave, Xu Nian felt a strange sense of loss.

He threw the brick on the ground and dusted off his hands.

The cruel experiences of the past do not fade with time; like scars, they leave indelible marks on the skin even after they have healed.

Covered in wounds, Xu Nian longed to leave this world filled with suffering.

However, he was a timid person and didn't have the courage to leave on his own.

When he saw those tattooed men about to attack, his first thought was to fight them to the death.

If you die while helping others, that's a relatively respectable thing to do.

Anyway, there's nothing in this world that he cares about.

"They've left, you should go too."

Xu Nian bent down and sat on the ground, picking up the cigarettes that the man in sunglasses had thrown down.

He pulled out a cigarette, lit it with the almost empty lighter in his pocket, and put it in his mouth.

The taste of nicotine stimulated his brain, giving Xu Nian a fleeting sense of being alive.

A soft rustling sound came from the pile of junk behind him. The girl emerged from the pile, her hands clasped in front of her, head bowed, legs slightly bent, and stood silently beside him.

Even after Xu Nian finished smoking the cigarette, the girl showed no sign of leaving.

Xu Nian stood up, put the remaining cigarettes in her pocket, and left the alley.

Soft footsteps sounded behind them, and the girl followed.

Is she afraid those people will come back looking for her?

Xu Nian thought to herself and walked a little further.

The girl kept her head down, occasionally glancing up at Xu Nian's back to confirm the direction before quickly following.

With a thud, she bumped into Xu Nian's back, who had stopped walking, and staggered a few steps before regaining her balance.

"Why are you following me?"

He spoke in a hoarse voice, his cloudy eyes devoid of any emotion.

The girl looked at Xu Nian, her throat bobbing, stammering and unable to speak.

After a long while, she timidly made a sound.

"Can...can I go with you?"

Xu Nian chuckled, as if she had heard a funny joke.

He didn't say anything more and walked towards the police station where he had just come out that morning.

He walked very fast, and the girl had to jog to keep up.

"Go inside, the uncle there will help you find your way."

When they arrived at the police station, Xu Nian pointed inside while tightly clutching the fake ID card in her pocket with her other hand.

He didn't want to go in; he'd heard on TV that making fake documents could get you arrested and imprisoned.

Seeing that the girl remained unmoved, Xu Nian reached out and pushed her further inside.

Her back was very hard; when you put your palm on it, you could almost only touch the bone.

The girl struggled violently, her small body bursting with astonishing strength, and she was not moved an inch.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

A policeman noticed the two people acting strangely at the entrance, came out of his post, and went up to ask them questions.

"Officer, it's like this..."

"dad!"

The girl suddenly cried out, clinging tightly to Xu Nian's leg, large tears streaming down her face.

Xu Nian was stunned and at a loss for what to do.

"Dad... I was wrong. I promise I'll listen to you from now on and never make you angry again. Please, please don't send me to the police station..."

"Who's your dad? Don't talk nonsense!"

Xu Nian quickly broke free, and in her panic, the fake ID card in her pocket fell to the ground.

"Hey, hey, stop! This is the police station, what are you doing?"

The police stepped forward, separated the two, and picked up Xu Nian's dropped ID card from the ground.

Xu Nian had a bad feeling and her face turned deathly pale.

"Is this yours?"

The police officer pointed to the ID card.

Xu Nian nodded reluctantly.

"Little girl, what's your name?"

The policeman crouched down again and asked the crying girl questions.

"I...I am Xu Xi."

"Is he your father?"

Xu Xi nodded heavily.

"I made my dad angry this morning, and he said he's going to send me to the police station and doesn't want me anymore..."

As she was speaking, she put on a wronged expression, rubbed her eyes, and burst into tears again.

"No, officer, let me explain."

Xu Nian was about to explain when she was interrupted by the police.

"Comrade Xu Nian, abandonment is illegal and punishable by law, do you know that?"

The police officer looked at Xu Nian's fake ID card.

Xu Nian, Xu Xi, aren't they family?

Looking at his age, he's thirty-seven. This girl looks about fifteen or sixteen, which is about right.

Combined with Xu Nian's weathered appearance, the police were even more convinced of what Xu Xi had said.

Every time the police looked down at the fake ID card, Xu Nian couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice that the portrait on the fake document was fading.

"Educating children is one thing, but don't send them to the police station at the drop of a hat. We can't let children develop a fear of the police, otherwise they won't dare to come to us if they encounter any illegal harm one day."

As he spoke, the police officer took out a small notebook and began to record the information on the ID card.

Xu Nian quickly snatched the fake certificate and stammered to the police.

"I'm sorry, officer, for the trouble. I'll take her home right away."

After saying that, he grabbed Xu Xi's slender arm and quickly fled the police station.

"This father and daughter are really strange. If I had a precious daughter, I'd be too busy spoiling her."

The policeman watched the two figures leave, then clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Huh? How did I get ink on my fingers?"

......

"What exactly do you want?"

After walking away, Xu Nian shook off Xu Xi's hand and angrily questioned her.

If it weren't for the fact that the other person was a girl, he would have loved to punch her twice.

Having already lost the interview opportunity at the electronics factory, I was feeling frustrated and unable to make ends meet for a while.

Then he encountered a girl who clung to him like a leech, almost causing his fake ID to be discovered.

Xu Xi was thrown back a few steps before regaining her balance.

She lowered her head, not daring to meet Xu Nian's gaze.

A few lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks, leaving tear tracks on her dirty face.

The sound of helpless sobbing reached Xu Nian's ears, and Xu Nian's heart softened a little.

"I...I have nowhere to go. Uncle, you saved me. You are a good person. I want to go with you."

Xu Nian squatted down and carefully examined Xu Xi's face.

Her skin beneath the tear stains was very fair, and even covered in dust, her delicate round face and upturned nose revealed her to be a lovely and charming little girl.

Those big eyes were swollen from crying so many tears.

"I have no intention of adopting you, nor am I capable of doing so. Don't follow me anymore."

"If you have nowhere to go, you can go to the police or a charity."

As she said this, Xu Nian suddenly recalled her experience of seeking help from a welfare home a few years ago.

The welfare home is struggling to survive due to a lack of donations and subsidies. The director, seeing that Xu Nian looked mature, implied his refusal in his words.

Even if we find an orphanage, a 15 or 16-year-old child probably wouldn't meet the adoption requirements.

However, Xu Nian didn't want to think about these things.

He just wanted the plaster to leave him as soon as possible.

Xu Xi looked at Xu Nian's resolute eyes and nodded mechanically.

Seeing that Xu Xi agreed, Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and walked away.