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

"Waaah... Hey, Xu Xi, stop crying, the movie's over... it's time to go."

Xu Xi did not sit up to watch the screen again until the movie ended.

The lines alone, whispered in her ears, were enough to make her unable to stop crying.

Wen Yao wiped her swollen eyes, sobbed, and shook Xu Xi's body.

"Waaaaah... Don't cry, if you cry... I want to cry too... Waaaaah."

......

About ten minutes later, the movie ended completely, and the cleaning staff came to urge the two to leave. Xu Xi then barely managed to stand up, supporting herself on the chair.

Her pretty face was covered in a mixture of snot and tears, making her look exactly like a smeared cat.

Her clothes were soaked, as if she had been caught in a rainstorm; not a single part of her clothes or skirt was dry.

Her eyes were bloodshot from crying for so long, and she couldn't speak for a long time, sobbing until she lost her voice.

Wen Yao quickly pulled her to the cinema bathroom to wash off the filth that covered her entire face.

"Okay, don't be sad, I'll take you to get ice cream."

The moment Wen Yao stepped out of the movie theater, she reverted to her usual carefree and cheerful self.

She can still distinguish between movies and reality, and doesn't bring too much emotion into her daily life.

This is a skill she honed by watching countless anime and reading numerous novels.

"Order number 35! Order number 35! What did you order? I'm about to go overtime!"

"Why are you rushing me? I told you it would be ready soon, very soon. Do you think I want to delay? If you don't order soon, I'm going to get my pay docked!"

"You ordered the food and I'm going to get fined! You don't care if I don't fine you, do you?"

"Don't make a sound, don't make a sound, right away, right away..."

At the bubble tea shop next door, a deliveryman in a yellow vest was arguing fiercely with the shop manager.

The two argued heatedly, their faces flushed, and you could almost see the spittle flying from their mouths in the air; it seemed like they were about to start fighting at any moment.

As Xu Xi watched the argument unfold, tears welled up in her swollen eyes once more.

The peaceful life I enjoy is all thanks to my brother's hard work and dedication outside.

"Huh? Xiaoxi? What are you doing here?"

Xu Nian's voice came from behind.

He got out of the car and came to Xu Xi. When he saw her disheveled appearance, his heart tightened.

"What's wrong? Who bullied you?"

"No, no..."

Wen Yao quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Well... Xu Xi and I just watched a really touching movie, and she cried her eyes out. She's still not over it."

She also pointed to the movie theater behind her.

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief.

"elder brother..."

Xu Xi murmured softly and hugged Xu Nian tightly.

"Okay, okay, you're crying like this while watching a movie, it's so ugly."

Xu Nian, both amused and exasperated, wiped the tears from the little one's face, took off her coat, and draped it over her.

Looking at the heartwarming scene before her, Wen Yao suddenly realized that it seemed somewhat similar to a scene from a movie.

They both lacked parents and depended on each other for survival.

It's the same situation where an older child is raising a younger child.

No wonder Xu Xi cried so sadly.

It turned out that she saw herself and her brother reflected in the movie.

Thinking of this, Wen Yao's nose tingled with emotion.

"Thank you for bringing her out today, Wen Yao. Xiao Xi is usually quite introverted and doesn't have many friends. Thank you for your help."

Xu Nian patted Xu Xi on the back and sincerely thanked Wen Yao.

"It's okay, it's okay. I should thank Xu Xi. Xu Xi's cooking is amazing! I've never eaten such delicious food in my life!"

Wen Yao quickly waved her hand, seemingly feeling that she was the one who had contributed less today, and how could she accept Xu Nian's gratitude?

Xu Nian smiled and affectionately patted the little guy's head.

"Okay, didn't you hear everyone praising you? This is a happy thing, don't cry."

"elder brother..."

Xu Xi stood on tiptoe and whispered in Xu Nian's ear.

Will you abandon me?

Xu Nian was stunned, not understanding why Xu Xi would ask such a question.

However, he still picked up Xu Xi and gently stroked her hair like a mother comforting her child.

The initial decision to take in Xu Xi was largely because I saw a reflection of my past self in her.

No one cares for him, no one loves him; he can only eke out a living in a remote corner, as if he were a piece of trash abandoned by the whole world.

Now, he has long regarded her as an extension of his own life.

It is precisely because he has nothing that he tries to make up for everything he has lost through Xu Xi.

"Don't worry, I won't leave."

He whispered words of comfort, deliberately pressing his ear close to Xu Xi's soft little ear so that Wen Yao, who was standing nearby, wouldn't hear what they were saying.

You still need to save face in front of outsiders.

At that moment, my phone vibrated a few times.

"Okay, okay, brother's going to be late. I'll play with you again when I get home tonight."

Xu Nian gently put the little one down and turned to walk into the milk tea shop next door.

Where is meal number 40?

"It hasn't even been made yet. This bastard manager hasn't even served my order number 35, and he ordered it ahead of time."

The deliveryman, who had just argued with the store manager, said through gritted teeth, while anxiously checking the time on his phone.

"Don't rush me, don't rush me, it'll be ready soon!"

While handing freshly made milk tea to customers dining in, the store manager smiled and asked the next customer what they wanted.

"What a waste of time!"

Xu Nian turned over and went into the counter.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm also going to be late. I can't wait for you to start serving dine-in and not takeout. I'll cook myself. Give me some space."

"Holy crap, bro, please do my size 35 too, please!"

......

Time flies, and it's almost the end of September.

Some are happy, some are sad.

The upcoming National Day holiday means a week without going to school.

But before the holiday, there was still a very troublesome thing.

Monthly exam.

"Haha, that's so cool of me!"

Wen Yao held her report card, looked at her grades which were in the middle of the class, and put her hands on her hips.

Although it's only at an average level, this is the best-performing class in a high school.

Such a score would rank in the top 30 of the entire grade.

Xu Xi, standing to the side, hung her head, as if she had suffered a major blow.

She gripped the corner of the exam paper tightly with one hand, clenching her fist.

The test paper showed faint signs of tearing as she ripped it.

"What's your ranking, Xu Xi?"

Wen Yao turned her head to look at the report card on Xu Xi's desk, rubbed her eyes, and thought she was seeing things.

"40th place? No way, is there a mistake in the results?"

Xu Xi's test paper was covered with mistakes circled in red pen.

He failed 3 out of 6 subjects.

He failed all three main subjects: Chinese, Mathematics, and English. Even the few subjects he passed were just barely passing.

"That can't be right. I see you study even harder than me, how come your grades are so bad?"