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

The next few days were the final days of the 618 shopping festival, and Xu Xi didn't go home but stayed busy at the company.

As usual, Xu Nian prepared three meals a day, along with toffee mixed with small pills, and entrusted a same-city express delivery service to deliver them to the company.

According to Wen Yao, Xu Xi didn't eat much rice, but he ate all the toffee with every meal.

After the 618 shopping festival ended, Xu Xi returned home and locked himself in the basement, staying indoors all day and remaining silent.

Even the thing that used to be a daily must was no longer insisted on.

After consulting with Leng Huaqiu, Xu Nian learned that these were symptoms of a depressive episode in bipolar disorder.

"Xu Xi, open the door. You haven't eaten all day. I heated up a glass of milk for you to fill your stomach."

Xu Nian stood outside the basement and gently knocked on the heavy iron door.

After a while, footsteps could be heard coming from inside the door.

Immediately afterwards, the iron gate creaked open a crack.

The girl's eyes were sunken, her pretty face was bloodless, her lips were chapped, and her hair was disheveled, making her look like a walking corpse.

She stiffly extended her hand and placed it in front of the man.

"Where's the candy?"

"Oh! Wait a minute, I'll go find it for you."

Xu Nian slapped her forehead, only to realize that Xu Xi hadn't taken her medicine today.

He hurried to the kitchen and took out the toffee containing the pills from the cupboard.

Back at the basement entrance, there was only a slightly ajar door, but no sign of the girl.

He pushed open the door a crack and tiptoed into the basement.

On the messy mattress, the girl curled up, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the damp, moldy wall.

The cool moonlight shone through the cracks in the window and fell on her. She remained motionless, the dried tear stains on her cheeks faintly visible, like water stains forgotten on old paper.

Xu Nian fed her toffee candies one by one.

"What would you like to eat? I'll make it for you."

"No, thank you. I can't eat anymore."

Xu Xi said in a hoarse, cold voice.

Seeing this, Xu Nian didn't insist any further.

He knew that during the depressive phase of bipolar disorder, appetite would drop to its lowest point.

At this point, it would be quite an achievement if you could even swallow the candy with the pill inside.

He sat on the bed, gently embraced the slender girl, and quietly kept her company as she drifted off into a daze, from night to dawn.

Tell me your story with her.

A hoarse voice broke the long silence, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

Xu Nian was stunned for a moment.

"Where should we begin?"

"Let's start from the beginning."

Xu Xi closed his eyes, pretending to listen attentively.

As the days went by, she felt her memory regressing, and the past events faded away before her eyes.

Many things can only be vaguely recalled in general outline.

The most memorable scene was a wedding in a hospital ward, where a boy in a suit uttered the coldest and most ruthless words: "I don't want to."

These words were like a brand, etched into her mind, like a scar that she could never erase.

"Oh, this..."

Xu Nian raised her head and looked at the hole in the ceiling.

"Let's start with this room."

He silently reminisced about how he rescued Xu Xi from human traffickers, how they met in the shantytown, how they moved into the No. 5 compound and depended on each other for survival, how he ate her burnt dishes, how he had an unforgettable birthday when he broke a cake, how he took her to school, how they had snowball fights, how they went shopping, and how they went to the amusement park.

Then, in college, he witnessed her shining brightly step by step. He was confessed to in front of everyone and rejected her in a flustered manner. When he finally came to his senses, he encountered a rare disease that would eventually force them to be separated by death.

He clearly described every detail of Xu Xi's plans for him after she decided to give up treatment: the clothes she bought, the letters she wrote, and the scarf he had heartlessly thrown away.

However, when talking about his final chapter where he risked his life for another, he smiled and said that he had a bad memory and could not remember too many details, which were glossed over in a few words.

As they talked from dawn till sunrise, Xu Nian realized that she and Xu Xi had actually been through so much together.

Although the two of them spent less than a third of the time he had in prison, they could chat for an entire day and still have so much to say.

He held his beloved beside him and smiled foolishly.

At this moment, the eyes of the person he loved were empty and lifeless, like a stagnant pool of water.

No one knows whether she was even listening.

No one knows what she's thinking.

This period of depression lasted for more than a month.

It wasn't until late July that Xu Xi gradually returned to normal and walked out of the basement.

Xu Nian was overjoyed and prepared a table full of delicious food, ready to make up for her lack of appetite this month.

"Xu Xi, hurry up! The dish has been cooked for a while now, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

He looked at the closed door and urged softly.

It took a really long time to change these clothes.

Xu Nian muttered to herself.

As if in response to his call, the door to the room was gently opened after a short while.

A girl of unparalleled beauty walked out from inside.

Her bright, almond-shaped eyes gazed tenderly at the dazed man, and she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Shh~ Brother, she's asleep."