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

The fragrance of photinia flowers drifted across the windowsill, mingling with the warm breeze of early summer.

The hustle and bustle of the 618 shopping festival quietly turned a new page amidst this fragrance.

Xu Xi's period of agitation had not yet passed. He was full of inexhaustible energy and extremely excited, as if he would never get tired.

Xu Nian managed to protect her back in this silent "battle" thanks to the amazing toolbox given to her by Leng Huaqiu.

Even though he has to fix the faucet more than twenty times a day, Xu Xi still doesn't feel satisfied.

She poured all her remaining energy into her work, handling various tasks intensively every day, and had even made arrangements for next year's work.

If the entire assistant department hadn't succumbed to the immense work pressure and collectively quit, she probably would have taken on all the work for the year after next.

Wen Yao had no choice but to hurriedly call Xu Nian and ask him to take Xu Xi home to save the lives of his cattle and horses.

But Xu Nian was also at a loss when faced with Xu Xi, a spring that never stops running 24 hours a day.

Although he no longer needed to exert much of his waist strength, even when playing toy battles with her, he couldn't withstand her relentless, all-day onslaught, leaving him no time to catch his breath.

In the living room, Xu Nian, who had just finished drinking a lot of water, lay on the sofa, burping weakly.

Beside him, Xu Xi was holding his hand and placing it on the mosquito bite on his own head, scratching it vigorously.

"Um... Little Flame," Xu Nian said, looking at him pleadingly, "Look, I've been staying home with you for so long without going to school. How about you let me go to school for a couple of days?"

All he wanted right now was an excuse to leave this troublesome place and have a couple of days of peace and quiet.

Xu Xi's lips curled slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "Class? Sure, I agree."

Xu Nian felt instantly relieved, as if she had been granted a pardon. The weight in her heart lifted, and even the fatigue in her body disappeared. She hurriedly grabbed her schoolbag and rushed towards the door, afraid that she might change her mind at any moment.

"stop."

A crisp sound rang out, and a warm little hand gently grasped the hem of his clothes.

Xu Nian's heart skipped a beat. She slowly turned around, her lips trembling involuntarily. "Little Flame, didn't you agree to let me go to school?"

Xu Xi looked up at him, a sly smile playing on her lips, her eyes full of mischief: "I did agree to let you attend class, but I didn't agree to let you go out."

Xu Nian broke out in a cold sweat: "But how can I attend class if I don't go out?"

Xu Xi didn't answer, but gave him a wicked smile, turned around and walked to the door, locked the villa door with a click, and then went upstairs.

After a soft rustling sound, a series of crisp high heels slowly descended the stairs.

Xu Nian subconsciously looked up, and the moment her gaze fell on her, her eyes widened.

Xu Xi was dressed in a black teacher's uniform, with a neat white bow tie at the collar, a black straight skirt that just covered her knees, and thin black stockings covering her legs, giving her a mysterious and alluring look. She wore small gold-rimmed glasses on her nose and held a slender pointer in her hand.

The clacking of high heels grew closer and closer, finally stopping in front of Xu Nian.

She brought over three small stools, stacked them together, and stood on them, just taller than Xu Nian who was sitting on the sofa. With her eyes slightly lowered, she looked down at him and scrutinized him.

Call me teacher.

Xu Nian was completely stunned.

Judging from this, could it be that this little girl is going to become his teacher and give him lessons?

In the brief moment of his daze, Xu Xi suddenly swung his pointer and slammed it hard against the clothes rack next to him, making a muffled "bang".

"Xu Nian," Xu Xi raised her chin slightly, her eyes filled with arrogance, and her tone turned cold, "Why didn't you answer the teacher?"

Xu Nian was startled by the sudden noise, her whole body trembled, and she quickly regained her senses, nodding repeatedly in response, "Hello, teacher, hello, teacher."

"Great job." Xu Xi smiled with satisfaction, lifted her little foot, and rubbed it against the man's face as a reward. "Now let's start the lesson."

......

In the living room, Xu Nian sat upright on a small stool, holding her textbook, her back ramrod straight, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Xu Xi stood on the makeshift platform made of shoe boxes, still looking down at him, occasionally flicking the pointer in his hand, making a "whooshing" sound.

"Class will now begin."

Xu Xi turned and went into the kitchen, quickly bringing back two covered plates, which she gently placed on the desk in front of Xu Nian.

Under Xu Nian's curious gaze, she lifted the pot lid, revealing two completely different dishes.

One plate contains white and tender milk buns, emitting a faint milky aroma that looks incredibly appetizing.

Another plate held several fresh raw abalone, without any seasoning or cooking, and still alive, gently wriggling in the plate, their gills opening and closing, giving off a somewhat eerie feeling.

Xu Nian's lips twitched involuntarily, her Adam's apple bobbed, and she subconsciously swallowed, a sense of unease rising in her heart.

"There are rewards and punishments for attending my class." Xu Xi pointed to the milk-filled steamed buns on his left. "If you behave well and answer my questions correctly, you can eat this."

She paused, pointed to the raw abalone on her right, and smiled wickedly: "If you don't perform well, or answer the question wrong, then you'll have to eat one of these."

Xu Nian's eyes widened in disbelief as she pointed at the still-wriggling abalone on the plate: "You...you just eat it raw like this?"

"Snapped!"

The pointer slammed hard onto the sofa behind him, making a sharp sound and leaving a faint mark on the sofa cover.

"Before asking a question... raise your hand and say 'report' first." Xu Xi raised her small foot and tapped the man's forehead with her toe.

Xu Nian quickly raised her hand: "Report."

"Speaking."

"Do I...do I really want to eat it raw?"

Xu Xi smiled wickedly: "You don't have to eat it, but you have to answer my question correctly. Otherwise, you'll have to eat it."

As she spoke, she brandished her pointer threateningly.

Xu Nian swallowed hard, a sense of nervousness rising in her heart.

That plate of milk-flavored steamed buns was a regular in his shopping cart; he thought they tasted good and often bought them to eat as snacks.

But the plate of raw abalone made him feel uneasy.

He had never eaten abalone before, let alone eaten it raw.

Firstly, this stuff wasn't cheap, and he felt it wasn't worth spending the money; secondly, the raw, fishy smell made him feel nauseous just by looking at it, let alone eating it.

The words were about to come out when he glanced at the pointer in Xu Xi's hand and swallowed them back down.