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

early morning.

Xu Nian stood at the entrance of the villa, holding Mai Mai, watching Xu Xi sitting on a small stool, putting on her boots.

"Little Creek, are you sure you don't need me to take you home?"

"No need, brother. You've worked so hard these past few days. Just rest well at home."

Xu Xi smiled slightly, "Anyway, I can drive, so I won't trouble you to pick me up and drop me off like this."

"Okay."

Xu Nian nodded.

After putting on her shoes, Xu Xi tiptoed and kissed the man on the cheek.

"I'm going out, brother."

"Be careful on the road."

Then, Xu Xi rubbed the cat's head in the man's arms.

"Sister is going to work and is going to buy canned food for MaiMai. MaiMai, stay home and keep your brother company. Be good to your brother, okay?"

Meow~

Mai Mai responded with a soft, sweet voice.

Under the watchful eyes of a person and a cat, the girl left the house.

Watching the car drive away, Xu Nian looked somewhat lost.

For several days in a row, Xu Xi hadn't let him drive her to work.

Furthermore, she always seemed very depressed when she got home.

Every time Xu Nian asked, the answers she received were very perfunctory.

Xu Nian guessed that she must have encountered difficulties at work.

He wisely refrained from delving into it further.

After all, with his abilities, it would be good enough if he didn't cause trouble for Xu Xi; he couldn't help her at all.

Meow~

A cat's meow interrupted the man's thoughts.

"Are you hungry, you little glutton?"

Xu Nian gently scratched Mai Mai's chin.

"Meow."

Mai Mai cried out, looking aggrieved.

"Didn't I just feed you this morning?"

"Meow meow meow".

Mai Mai raised her white kitten paw and pointed to the dried fish plush toy on the sofa.

"Want some dried anchovies?"

Xu Nian asked tentatively.

"Meow! Meow!"

Xu Nian smiled and pinched its fluffy little face.

"You can really eat! You're making me so hungry!"

He carried Mai Mai upstairs to the second-floor kitchen and began preparing dried anchovies for her.

During the days when he couldn't go out or access the internet, Mai Mai became his only playmate to pass the time.

Fortunately, apart from eating a lot and being a bit lazy, this kitten is very cute and willing to play with Xu Nian, providing a lot of emotional support for the empty-nest old man.

Xu Nian stood in front of the refrigerator for a long time before finally finding a small bag of dried fish.

He weighed the light plastic bag in his hand and frowned.

The little guy has such a big appetite! The several pounds of dried fish I bought last time have been eaten up to just this little bit left.

Buying this stuff is quite troublesome. I can't buy it at the canteen; I have to go to the vegetable market outside the community and find a fishmonger to buy it.

"Is this enough? Is it enough?"

He waved the plastic bag in front of Mai Mai.

"Meow meow."

Mai Mai barked twice in dissatisfaction, biting the man's trouser leg, her little paws, clad in white gloves, pointing towards the door.

It's as if it's saying, "Human, go hunting for me!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go out and buy you some more."

Xu Nian rubbed Mai Mai's cat head, feeling both amused and exasperated.

This kitten is quite intelligent; it can actually understand what he's saying.

Mai Mai meowed happily, licked her pink little paws, jumped onto the shoe cabinet by the door, and crawled into the cat carrier hanging on the wall.

"Are you going out with me to go shopping?"

Xu Nian walked to the cat carrier and gently tapped on the glass porthole.

"Meow."

Mai Mai responded in a sweet, childlike voice, her little tail held high and swaying back and forth in her cat carrier.

"Then you'd better behave and not pee in the cat carrier, understand?"

"Meow~"

Xu Nian slung the cat carrier over her shoulder and left home.

Spring has arrived, and the willows along the roadside are quietly sprouting tender green leaves. The breeze is warm and gentle, and there are more and more pedestrians on the street.

As Xu Nian walked towards the market, she would occasionally reach into the cat carrier to tease the little creature inside.

As he walked, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.

It seemed that every pedestrian who passed by him would stop and look back at him a few times.

Some people seemed to be pointing at him and whispering to those around them.

Why is everyone looking at me?

Xu Nian touched her face to make sure there was nothing dirty on it.

She looked down at her feet again to make sure she wasn't wearing slippers when she went out.

Is it because taking the cat out is too eye-catching?

He patted the glass porthole on the cat carrier: "Xiaomai, you get a lot of attention, don't you? Want to come out and stand on my shoulder for some fresh air?"

"Meow."

Mai Mai immediately curled up into a ball, burying her little head in her furry belly, her whole body filled with resistance.

Oh well, never mind.

Xu Nian scratched Mai Mai's chin and zipped up the cat bag.

As I passed by the entrance of an internet cafe, a blond man with tattoos on his arm was standing outside smoking.

Upon seeing Xu Nian, he was stunned for a moment, then showed a surprised expression.

"Hey, isn't this Face Guy?"

Is he calling me?

Xu Nian glanced at him indifferently, without stopping.

After all, his surname isn't Face, and his given name doesn't contain the character for Face.

Seeing that Xu Nian completely ignored him, a hint of displeasure flashed across the blond-haired man's face.

He rushed forward and patted Xu Nian on the shoulder.

"Is there something you need?"

Xu Nian turned around and looked at him warily.

"So aloof, huh, Face Bro? You won't even answer me when I call you."

"You've mistaken me for someone else, haven't you?"

Huang Mao took out his phone, looked at the screen, and then looked at Xu Nian's face.

"Face Bro, it really is you! I can't believe I've actually met you in person."

He excitedly grasped Xu Nian's hand, his face beaming with joy.

"I don't know you, and I'm not named Face."

Xu Nian withdrew her hand and took a few steps back.

He was certain that he had never dealt with the blond-haired man in front of him before.

Judging from his age, he should be around seventeen or eighteen years old.

Even before he went to prison more than a decade ago, he had never been particularly close to any seven or eight-year-old children.

"Oh, it's okay, I'm a big fan of yours."

Hearing this, Xu Nian was even more confused.

He's not a celebrity, so where would he get his fans?

The blond-haired man approached Xu Nian with a grin and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Hey bro, can you teach me your special skill? I really want to learn."

"What special skill?"

The blond-haired man raised his hand and grinned as he made a eating gesture.

Cook?

Xu Nian was even more puzzled.

Could this kid be a former customer of my restaurant?

"Sorry, I'm not interested in teaching you. You should find someone else to learn from."

The blond-haired man clicked his tongue, a mocking smile appearing on his face.

He turned on the front-facing camera on his phone, held it up in front of the two of them, and took a photo together.

"What are you doing?"

Xu Nian frowned.

He was very bothered by the fact that his photos were on someone else's phone.

"I finally met my 'Face Bro,' I want to keep this as a memento."

"My surname isn't 'Face,' you've mistaken me for someone else!"

Xu Nian's voice carried a hint of anger.

"Deleted!"

"That won't do."

The blond-haired guy made a face, took a few steps back, and hid his phone in his pocket.

Seeing his smug and arrogant demeanor, Xu Nian immediately lost her temper.

He rushed to the blond-haired man, grabbed his arm, and pulled the phone from his pocket.

What are you doing?

"Delete it! I won't allow you to take pictures of me without my permission!"

"Damn it! Give me back my phone!"

Huang Mao's face contorted with anger, and he reached out to wrestle with Xu Nian, trying to take back the phone.

But this skinny little monkey who spends all his time smoking, drinking, and surfing the internet is no match for Xu Nian.

Before long, he was kicked to the ground and watched helplessly as Xu Nian deleted the photos from his phone.

"Neuropathy!"

Xu Nian tossed the phone back to Huang Mao and turned to leave.

"You damn bastard! What are you pretending for? You dog!"

He ignored the vicious curses from the blond-haired man behind him and strode forward.