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

Hearing this, Xu Xi didn't feel relieved. Instead, she clenched her fists, her eyes still burning with anger.

Even if the Amassen Group were to attack her, she wouldn't ruthlessly eliminate them.

In business competition, it's a life-or-death struggle, and no method is too ruthless.

But their biggest mistake was targeting his brother's reputation and bringing the conflict to him.

He dedicated most of his life to hard work, and finally he could live a peaceful life, but he still has to bear the infamy and be condemned by thousands of people online.

She cannot forgive these bad people on behalf of her brother; she will repay them tenfold in return!

Fortunately, the first thing she did upon hearing the news was to tell her brother to stay away from the internet, thus protecting him from the malicious words and allowing her to focus on fighting against these unscrupulous media outlets.

The car drove into the villa area and slowly stopped in front of Xu Xi's house.

"Alright, go back and reunite with your brother."

Wen Yao pinched the girl's gloomy little face.

"Um."

Xu Xi shook her head and composed herself.

"Come on in and have a seat. You've helped me so much, let me treat you to some tea."

"Hey! We're like brothers."

Wen Yao patted her shoulder casually.

"But I was really thirsty. Those reporters were inhuman; they wouldn't let us go, and we didn't even have a chance to drink some water."

After turning off the car, the two got out and opened the villa's gate.

"Meow—"

Mai Mai, who had been waiting at the door for a long time, suddenly jumped up and snuggled into Xu Xi's arms, rubbing her little face against her snow-white neck.

Upon seeing this adorable little gadget, a smile finally returned to Xu Xi's face.

"Have you missed me, little wheat?"

Mai Mai meowed softly, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance.

"Wow, it's only been a few days, and you and Xu Nian even have a child now?"

Wen Yao reached out and ruffled the cat's head in Xu Xi's arms.

"This little thing is so cute, let me pamper it."

"You're teasing me again."

Xu Xi gave her a reproachful look.

"MaiMai was picked up by my brother and me. I'm busy with work, so my brother basically raised it."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Xi suddenly sensed something was wrong.

Why is the house so quiet? There's not a sound at all.

Whenever she came home, no matter what her brother was doing, he would come down to greet her as soon as he heard the door open.

Where is my brother?

Her eyelids twitched, and an ominous premonition rose in her heart.

She placed Mai Mai in Wen Yao's arms and quickly ran upstairs.

"Brother! Brother!"

She shouted loudly, her voice growing increasingly anxious.

They searched the entire villa but still couldn't find the man.

"Could Xu Nian have gone out to buy groceries?"

Wen Yao followed and searched around with Xu Xi.

"impossible."

Xu Xi said firmly.

"He usually buys groceries online. Even when he goes out to buy dried fish for Mai Mai, he goes out in the morning or at noon."

She suddenly remembered something and looked at the cat in Wen Yao's arms: "MaiMai, do you know where your brother is?"

Mai Mai meowed and jumped down from Wen Yao's arms, then slowly walked to the second-floor restaurant.

On the dining table, under a vase containing a bouquet of white roses, there was a note.

The girl picked up the note with trembling hands. On it was a line of faint writing:

"I'm sorry, Xiaoxi, I've caused you trouble."

Xu Xi's eyes widened, and she felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

My brother knows everything...

Her vision went black, her body went limp, and she collapsed.

Wen Yao rushed forward and steadied her: "Don't worry, Xi Bao."

She looked at her phone.

"I know where Xu Nian went."

......

Mountain City, deep in a mountain.

The mountain road is winding and extends upwards along the mountain slope. The road surface is not wide, and some parts are dirt roads, which are dusty on sunny days and muddy on rainy days.

The village is small, with houses scattered along the hillside among the trees and bamboo groves.

Most of them are earthen houses with yellowish-brown walls. The walls are rough, and some are already mottled and cracked, exposing the straw and soil inside.

The sky was overcast, and a light drizzle began to fall.

Every household had their doors tightly shut, and the village was deserted, with only glistening raindrops falling on the uneven stone steps, splashing up ripples.

Halfway up the mountain, a five-star red flag fluttered in the drizzle, like a resilient red rose, bringing a glimmer of hope to this land shrouded in continuous rain.

Under the red flag, the sound of reading aloud could be heard.

"The grass on the plain grows lush and green, withering and flourishing each year."

"Wildfire cannot burn it all; the spring breeze brings it back to life."

...

The flickering candlelight swayed gently in the breeze, casting a faint glow that illuminated the brick-and-tile classroom.

The walls were a yellowish-gray, the windows were blurry, and some of the glass was cracked and covered with dark newspapers to keep out the wind and rain.

Several small figures sat upright, their little bodies ramrod straight, swaying their heads as they read the text.

Most of them were dirty, and their clothes were covered with patches.

In contrast, the books in their hands and the desks in front of them were brand new and shiny, completely out of place in this damp and dark mountain.

A tall, strong man sat in the last row of the classroom, squinting, and read aloud along with the pale and thin children around him.

"The fields are covered with lush green grass, which withers and grows back every year."

"Even the merciless wildfire cannot destroy it; with the spring breeze, it grows back again."

On the platform made of mud and wooden planks, a dark-skinned man holds a textbook and lightly taps the chalk writing on the blackboard with a pointer made of a wooden stick.

His hair was a little messy, lying casually on his forehead, with a few strands damp with sweat.

When she smiles, only her teeth are white.

"Wang Hanxuan, could you tell us what you learned from reading this poem?"

A little boy with a purple birthmark on his left cheek stood up, pulled up his baggy pants, and looked at the man on the podium.

"Teacher Qi, this poem tells us that even wild grass is not afraid of fire and grows tenaciously. We should learn from wild grass and be resilient children."

Qi Yu nodded, gesturing for him to sit down.

He pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Classmates, as the saying goes, nothing is impossible for a willing heart."

"Your teacher believes that one day, you will grow from tenacious weeds into upright bamboo and rocks."

"Though battered and bruised a thousand times, it remains firm and strong, letting the winds from east, west, north, and south blow as they may."

That concludes today's lesson. get out of class dismissed.

The children all stood up and bowed to Qi Yu.

Goodbye, teacher!

After lifting up, they didn't leave the classroom, but instead surrounded Qi Yu.

One of the girls, who was about seven or eight years old, handed an egg wrapped in cotton cloth to Qi Yu and gave him an innocent smile.

"Teacher Qi, these are eggs that my hen laid this morning. My mom asked me to bring them over to you."

Qin Yu looked at his crooked teeth and smiled with satisfaction.

"Yutong, thank you for your kindness, but I can't accept it."

"Why, Teacher Qi?"

The little girl, called Yutong, had a hint of grievance on her dirty little face.

"My mom said that Teacher Qi works so hard coming all the way to the mountains to teach us, and told me to give these eggs to the teacher to help him recover. I have to listen to my mom."

Qi Yu chuckled, squatted down, and braided the little girl's messy hair, asking, "So, will you listen to Teacher Qi?"

The little girl nodded blankly.

"Then take this egg home and give it back to your mother."

"If Mom asks, just say that Teacher Qi accepted your egg, and then you found another egg on your way home. Since Teacher Qi has already eaten one, this one should be for Mom, understand?"

The little girl blinked and took a few seconds to process what she was seeing.

"Understood, Teacher Qi."

Qi Yu smiled and pinched her cheek: "Go ahead."

He stood up and spoke to the children who were gathered around him.

"Go home, children, it will get dark soon, and your parents will worry about you."

Goodbye, teacher!

After the children left the classroom one after another, Qi Yu rolled up his textbook, walked to the last row, and knocked on the man who was writing notes in his book with a pencil with his head down.

"Let's go, Brother Xu, stop writing. It's been so long since we last met. Let me treat you to a drink and catch up."