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

Day 5, Day 6, Day 7... Day 9.

They roamed through seas of flowers, chased kites...traveled through the bustling world, and tasted all the delicacies of the world.

On the tenth day, they returned to Cloud City.

On this day, Xu Xi held her brother's hand and begged him to go shopping with her.

Xu Nian agreed to her request without much thought.

As they walked along the bustling pedestrian street, the girl led the boy into one men's clothing store after another.

"I don't need any clothes, you don't need to pick out clothes for me."

Xu Nian was filled with resistance.

His wardrobe was already overflowing with all sorts of clothes that Xu Xi had bought for him in the past.

He has several sets of clothes for all four seasons, from short-sleeved shirts in summer to cotton-padded coats in winter.

He originally thought that Xu Xi just wanted to buy her some new clothes so that she could dress up beautifully during this last period of time.

But after one round of shopping, he ended up with his hands full of all kinds of men's clothing.

Xu Xi smiled faintly, offering no further explanation.

She could feel that her body was deteriorating day by day.

She wanted to buy all the clothes her brother would need for the future while she was still able to walk.

This silly boy never buys himself new clothes.

He alternated between two shirts to get through the sweltering summer, and a cotton-padded coat to accompany him through the entire winter.

Once I'm gone, there will be no one to buy him clothes.

"Brother, this hoodie is meant to be worn with this short-sleeved shirt and pants. If the weather gets colder, but it's not yet time to wear a down jacket, you can wear this outfit."

"If you're changing clothes, you can wear this trench coat and these pants with this fleece-lined thermal undershirt underneath."

"When it gets cold, just add a pair of thermal underwear and a coat to this outfit, and it'll be a winter look."

......

As she listened, Xu Nian's eyes gradually welled up with tears.

For a long time now, Xu Xi has been choosing the clothes he wears every day when he goes out.

Every morning when I wake up, there are neatly folded, clean clothes placed at the head of my bed.

Xu Xi is teaching him how to dress.

She was afraid that after she left, he wouldn't know how to choose clothes to wear.

"Got it, brother?"

Seeing that the boy seemed distracted, the girl pinched his waist, slightly annoyed.

"I've got it, I've got it..."

Xu Nian turned her head to the side and rubbed her eyes.

"Let me test you. Which outfit do you go with these jeans?"

"Um...this one?"

"Ugh! You were definitely daydreaming!"

The girl stood on tiptoe, grabbed the boy's ear, and repeated what she had just told him.

They patiently repeated the process again and again until the boy had completely memorized it.

I'm going to the restroom.

Xu Nian raised her head and strode into the mall's restroom.

He washed his face repeatedly at the tap, and under the cover of the rushing water, he broke down in tears.

On the other side, in the women's restroom, a young girl was also hiding in a stall, quietly wiping away her tears.

She longed to choose clothes for the boy she loved for the rest of her life.

But she didn't have time.

The boy will have to walk his own path from now on.

He had to be dressed smartly and presentably throughout the journey.

......

At night, after a long day of shopping, they found a park bench and sat down side by side to rest.

The trees in the park were bare, their interlaced shadows weaving a net under the streetlights, enveloping the dark earth.

"Cough cough cough..."

A pained frown appeared between the girl's brows. She covered her mouth and coughed softly a few times.

"Little Creek, how are you feeling?"

Xu Nian rubbed her back with concern.

"I'm fine..."

Xu Xi closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and her breathing gradually calmed down.

"Brother, I'm a little thirsty."

Xu Nian quickly took out a thermos from her bag, unscrewed the lid, and handed it to her.

The girl smiled sweetly, raised her slender finger, and gently touched his lips.

"Brother, I want you to feed me."

The boy understood, tilted his head back, and took a sip.

Then, he aimed at the girl's slightly pouting lips and gently kissed them.

"Gulp..."

Their lips met, their eyes closed, as they savored the deep love emanating from each other.

The evening breeze gently caressed the girl's sparse hair and blew across the boy's weathered face.

Smelling the delicate fragrance from the tips of her hair, Xu Nian hugged the girl in her arms even tighter.

He finally understood why he couldn't refuse Xu Xi's kiss.

Because he loved her to the core.

He loved the feeling of kissing Xu Xi; he couldn't resist it.

His heart ultimately returned to Xuxi, just as birds return to the sky and fish return to the sea.

Feeling the girl's breath on his lips, Xu Nian wished time could stand still forever, never taking away his beloved girl, and making this moment eternal.

Time, stand still, you are so beautiful.

But time only flows cruelly and coldly, turning everything to dust.

They kissed for a long time until Xu Xi could no longer breathe and began to cough uncontrollably, at which point their lips were separated.

The girl lay on the boy's lap, gazing at the face that she would fall for even if she could live her whole life again, and smiled faintly.

What are you laughing at?

Xu Nian asked, puzzled.

"I'm looking at the stars."

The girl pointed to the twinkling stars in the sky.

Xu Nian looked up and, following the direction of her finger, saw a bright light.

It is so captivating that it can illuminate the night path home for travelers even across countless galaxies.

Xu Nian's eyes welled up with tears again.

Because he remembered what the girl in his arms had said to him.

"In the future, the stream will become a star in the sky, guiding my brother on his way."

He didn't want her to become a star; he preferred that his future life be forever dark and devoid of light.

"Brother, I want to sing you a song."

"What song?"

The girl cleared her throat and closed her eyes.

Her gentle singing voice, like a clear spring, flowed slowly from her lovely little mouth.

"In the past, people started harvesting in April."

"Lying on top of the tall haystack, laughing."

"I walked through the golden wheat field to sing for the scarecrow."

"Wait, the mountain wind will blow."

"You pass through a small town called my town."

"Just then, the snow on the roof melted and fell as rain."

"You're wearing see-through clothes, and you're singing for me, all by yourself."

"They're all songs I like."

"We'll go to the lakeside on the grasslands to wait for the migratory birds to return."

"When we're all grown up, we'll have a baby."

"He will grow up and go far away on his own, and we will each go our separate ways."

I'm writing to you.

"You won't reply."

That's fine.

...

(PS: This song is called, If There Is an Afterlife)